Major traffic disruptions expected in Vigo for Spanish Armed Forces Day

Next week the city of Vigo will host for the first time the main events of Armed Forces Day, presided over by His Majesty the King.

The program for Spain's Armed Forces Day 2026, which will be held in Vigo
The PC-21s of the Formación Mirlo will make their debut at an Armed Forces Day in Vigo

The main event will take place on Saturday, May 30th, on Samil Beach with a land and air parade presided over by the King. A nighttime dress rehearsal for this parade will be held on Thursday, May 28th, on Samil Beach, from 8:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The Vigo City Council has published today the road closures and parking restrictions for this parade (PDF) and for the other events.

On the day of the parade, Saturday, May 30, the entire Avenida de Samil will be closed to traffic from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., as the parade will begin near the model car racing track and end near Calle Saíñas, next to the tennis courts. Also closed during the same hours will be Avenida Atlántida (the access road to Samil from the north) and Argazada, Pertegueiras, and Del Río streets. Additionally, there will be traffic control measures in place on Avenida de Europa, which will only be accessible to public transport (Vitrasa buses) and authorized vehicles.

During the parade, there will also be closures on Canido Street, which connects Samil and Vao beaches along the coast. Additionally, there will be restrictions on the Vao road (accessible only to residents, emergencies, and services), as military vehicles will be loaded onto flatbed trucks at Vao beach.

Furthermore, parking will not be permitted in the nine public parking lots of Samil, nor in the paved parking lot located next to the Church of Santa Eulalia de Alcabre, nor in the dirt parking lot located down the road from the Church, nor in the dirt parking lot next to the Chapel of the Virgen del Carmen del Vao, nor in the parking lots of Vao beach, nor in the parking lot of the Comesaña football field (next to the Lagares River), nor in the parking lot located to the left of the bridge over the Lagares, opposite the Samil football field.

This is obviously going to be a problem for a lot of people. If you're planning to drive to the parade, I recommend planning your trip beforehand using Google Maps and carefully reviewing the City Council's statement (unfortunately, it's only been published in Galician, a bad habit in a region with two official languages). In addition, there will be notices on the city's traffic information panels about the various road closures. It's best not to improvise because a considerable traffic jam is very likely to form as the parade time approaches. You'll need to get up early that day and walk if you want to find parking.

For more information:

Statement from Vigo City Council regarding traffic disruptions (PDF, in Galicia)

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Photo: Ministerio de Defensa. An archive image from Armed Forces Day 2023 in Granada.