Clocks change

The next clock change will be on March 26th 2023. Specifically, this will happen in the early hours of the morning at 2am, when the clocks will be moved forward one hour, so that it will become 3am instead.  This means that the night will have one hour less and the day will last 23 hours instead of 24 hours.

In the case of the Canary Islands, which are one hour behind mainland Spain, the change will occur on the same date but one hour beforehand at 1am, changing it to 2am instead.  

READ ALSO: When do the clocks change in Spain in 2023?

Valencia’s Las Fallas and other events taking place

Valencia’s fire-cracking Las Fallas festival takes place in March. Although officially on from March 1st until March 19th, the main days of the festival are from March 15th to 19th when all the big events take place. Las Fallas is Valencia’s most important festival and during this crazy fiery event, huge elaborate paper mâché sculptures called fallas are set up across the city. On the last night, they are ceremoniously burned during the Nit de la Cremà during a crazy fiery display. 

There are also smaller Fallas events taking place in towns such as Alzira and Sagunto.

Other events taking place in Spain in March are the Cherry Blossom Festival in Jerte, Cáceres, which begins on March 17th and the historic celebrations of the Fiesta de la Arribada de la Carabela La Pinta de Baiona on March 1st and the Reconquista da Vila de Vigo on March 28th.

New Iryo train routes

From March 31st, the low-cost train company Iryo will be launching several routes to Andalusia, specifically to Málaga, Córdoba and Seville. Prices start at €35 for the Madrid to Córdoba connection, €47.50 for the Madrid-Seville connection and €60 for the Madrid-Málaga connection. All you need to do is to opt for flexible rates, and choose the options that flag the ‘low cost’ journey.

By June 2023, Iryo plans to add two extra destinations to its train services: Albacete in east-central Spain and Alicante in the coastal Valencia region.

READ ALSO – Iryo: What to know about Spain’s newest high-speed low-cost trains

Spain’s whistle-blower protection law comes into force

Spain’s whistle-blower protection law was published in the Official State Journal on February 21st, 2023 and enters into force on March 13th.

Its aim is to protect those who report on breaches of EU law. It is intended to protect citizens who report possible irregularities and corruption in public administration as well as in private companies. Intermediaries, colleagues and family members are also protected.

It also covers serious and very serious criminal and administrative offences under Spanish law.

Gag and squatting laws could be passed

Several important laws could be voted on by the Spanish government this March, including the changes to the ‘Gag Law’ and the anti-squatting law.

Pedro Sánchez’s PSOE-led coalition government is trying to reform the 2015 gag law by changing the rules on recording and sharing images of police officers, organising spontaneous protests, and the use of rubber bullets by police, among others. Among the proposed changes, the recording or sharing of images of police officers will no longer constitute a serious infringement of the new law, except when the images pose a direct threat to the safety of the police officers.

READ ALSO: What are the proposed changes to Spain’s controversial ‘gag law’?

The proposed changes to the Law of Criminal Procedure or anti-okupas law are to speed up evictions of squatters within a maximum period of 48 hours. However, the new speedy evictions relate only to “trespassing or usurpation of real estate” and not those pre-existing tenants who simply stop paying rent and refuse to leave the property. 

 READ ALSO: What are the laws on squatting in Spain?

New streaming platform available in Spain

As of February 28th, the new SkyShowtime streaming service will be available in Spain, after already being launched in more than twenty countries.

The starting price will be €5.99 per month, although, for a limited time up until April 25th 2023 new customers may receive a 50 percent discount. It offers all its users the possibility of creating up to five profiles and downloading unlimited content from three simultaneous devices. It also allows for the use of shared accounts.     

Local holidays in Madrid and the Balearics

Both the Balearic Islands and Madrid will enjoy public holidays in March. The Balearics will celebrate Balearics Day on Wednesday March 1st, while Madrid will celebrate San José Day on Monday, March 20th. Generally, San José Day falls on the 19th, but because it falls on a Sunday, it will be moved to the Monday instead.

READ ALSO – Spain’s public and regional holidays in 2023: How to make the most of them

UK driving licences: will the wait end?

More than 300 days have passed since the UK driving licences of Spanish residents ceased to be valid in Spain, after months of failed negotiations and a deadline which was pushed back four times.

On February 23rd,  affected drivers saw a very familiar message posted on the UK Embassy in Madrid’s social media channels: “You will be able to drive again very shortly after approval by the Consejo de Ministros which, to repeat, we expect to take place within the next few weeks”.

The British Embassy has posted similar messages since June 2022, but these “in weeks” and “soon” promises haven’t materialised.

Will March 2023 finally bring an end to the fiasco?

READ ALSO – UK driving licences: Will approval by Spain’s Council of Ministers be the final step?

Demonstrations planned for International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day takes place on March 8th and several demonstrations campaigning for women’s rights are to take place across the country. This will be the first time since the pandemic that there haven’t been any restrictions in place. In Madrid, there will be two marches taking place from Atocha station.