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Seville Holy Week 2026 chairs: prices, where to buy them and the black market

Watching a paso from a chair on the Carrera Oficial costs anything from about €90 to over a thousand euros, depending on the spot and the year. The season-ticket system leaves few places free, and an informal market runs alongside it. Prices for 2025 and 2026, and what the Council does not publish.

By Rocío Delgado28 September 20264 min read
Seville Holy Week 2026 chairs: prices, where to buy them and the black market

A Seville Holy Week chair is a numbered seat on the Carrera Oficial, the single stretch every brotherhood passes along. In 2026 prices run between €90.50 and €197.96, and the most expensive box reaches €1,016.77, in Plaza de San Francisco.

The chairs are managed by the General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities, mainly through annual season tickets (abonos) renewed every January, which leaves few places for anyone who does not already hold one.

How much does a chair cost in Seville's Holy Week?

Prices vary by section and by year. For the 2025 season ticket: at least €87.86 in Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, and between €119.12 and €192.19 depending on the section in the Campana, Sierpes and Constitución. Boxes in Plaza de San Francisco cost between €727.29 and €987.16 depending on the section.

For 2025 the Council applied a rise of 2.6%, to bring prices in line with 2024 inflation. For 2026, El País gives a range of between €90.50 and €197.96, with a cheapest seat close to but not identical with the 2025 minimum: the sources do not agree exactly on the 2026 minimum, and it is shown here as published.

Stand of empty numbered chairs at the Campana in Seville before a Holy Week procession passes

How do you buy a chair or a box?

The main system is the annual season ticket, run by the Council through an online platform. Holders renew it every January and, unless they give it up, keep their place from one year to the next: there are very few places for new applicants, and those that come free are allocated by draw or assignment, with no public detail of the exact mechanism.

There are also temporary chairs, in smaller numbers: for 2025, 1,097 temporary chairs were allocated. For dealing with it in person, the season-ticket office is at Calle San Gregorio 26, telephone 955 099 845, from 9:30 to 13:30 and from 17:00 to 20:00, Monday to Friday, from 12 January.

If getting a chair on the Carrera Oficial proves difficult, there are other ways to see Holy Week without depending on the season-ticket system. Guided walks through the brotherhoods' neighbourhoods can be compared with Seville's other activities in a single catalogue.

See guided tours and activities in Seville →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.

Is there a black market for chairs?

Yes, and the institutions never mention it in their statements. Season-ticket holders resell their places informally, at prices above the official ones: up to €175 per chair, a mark-up of between 30 and 70 % above the official price, according to the press in 2024.

Private balconies over the Carrera Oficial are another market, entirely outside the Council: between €6,000 and €8,000 for the week, with cases of up to €12,000. No authority regulates that price.

Balcony with chairs and floral decorations above the Carrera Oficial of Seville's Holy Week, seen from the street

Are there places for people with disabilities?

Yes. The City Council reserves 109 chairs and 6 boxes a day, in the Placentines and Puerta del Lagarto area, of which 65 chairs for reduced mobility and 32 for disabilities without reduced mobility. They are handled by a municipal social scheme, free for those who qualify, separate from the Council's season-ticket system.

The sources consulted give no information on how to apply for those places far enough ahead, or on waiting lists, beyond the fact that the scheme exists.

If you cannot get a chair, a hotel balcony or an apartment above the route is an option, although prices also soar on those dates. Booking months ahead is the only way to keep some choice.

See places to stay for the Holy Week dates →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.

What has not been published about chairs and boxes?

  • The total number of chairs and boxes along the whole Carrera Oficial, season tickets and temporary ones combined.
  • The exact allocation mechanism for the places that come free each year.
  • An updated economic impact report since the 2009 study, even though the "commercialisation" of the system is a recurring debate in the press.
  • The exact 2026 minimum price, with figures that are close but not identical depending on the outlet.

The full calendar of the week is in the general guide, the passing times on the Carrera Oficial in the guide to the pasos and the routes in the official 2026 itinerary.

Wooden boxes set up in Plaza de San Francisco in Seville for Holy Week, seen by day with no spectators

Outside chair week, Seville comes at a different price. A three-star hotel costs between €90 and €150 a night outside the peaks, according to 2026 guides.

Compare places to stay in Seville →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.

Sources

  • Europa Press: 2025 chair and box prices, 18 December 2024; allocation of 1,097 temporary chairs, 19 February 2025.
  • 20minutos: 2.6% price rise for 2025, 17 December 2024.
  • Hermandades de Sevilla (General Council): season-ticket management and annual renewal.
  • ABC: how to get a chair or box for 2026, 8 January 2026.
  • El País: the commercialisation of Holy Week divides Seville, balconies at 9,000 euros and chairs at almost 100, 27 March 2026.
  • El Español: black market for chairs on the Carrera Oficial, 8 March 2024.
  • Seville City Council: boxes and places for people with disabilities, social services.
  • ArteSacro: 2009 economic impact study, published in 2010.

Prices carry their year and are reviewed with each edition. Where two sources do not match exactly, both figures are cited.

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Frequently asked questions

How much does a chair cost for Seville's Holy Week 2026?
Chairs cost between €90.50 and €197.96 depending on the section of the Carrera Oficial, and the most expensive box reaches €1,016.77, in Plaza de San Francisco.
How do you buy a chair on the Carrera Oficial in Seville?
Mainly through the annual season ticket run by the General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities, renewed every January. There are very few new places: those that come free are allocated by draw or assignment, with no detailed public mechanism. There are also temporary chairs, in more limited numbers.
Is there a resale market for Seville Holy Week chairs?
Yes, an informal market the institutions never mention in their statements, with mark-ups of between 30 and 70 % above the official price, and chairs resold for up to €175 per chair according to the press in 2024.
Are there free or reserved places for people with disabilities in Seville?
Yes. The City Council reserves 109 chairs and 6 boxes a day, in the Placentines and Puerta del Lagarto area, of which 65 chairs for reduced mobility and 32 for disabilities without reduced mobility. They are handled by a free municipal social scheme, separate from the Council's season tickets.
The author

Rocío Delgado

Writer · Holy Week

Rocío grew up in the San Lorenzo neighbourhood and follows Holy Week from the madrugá, not from the stands. She knows the corners where you can watch a paso go by without waiting three hours, and the streets that close without warning. She never recommends a spot she has not stood in herself.