Who is the pregonero of Seville's Holy Week 2026, and what exactly does the role involve?
Every year the Council of Brotherhoods chooses one person to deliver the pregón, the proclamation that opens Holy Week, and every year the city debates whether it chose well. In 2026 it is a journalist from Gines. Who he is, how he was chosen and how the role differs from the pregón itself.
The pregonero of Seville's Holy Week 2026, the person chosen to deliver the pregón (the solemn speech that proclaims Holy Week), is the journalist José Antonio Rodríguez Benítez. He was appointed by the General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities on 3 October 2025, and delivered the pregón on Sunday 22 March 2026 at 12:00, at the Teatro de la Maestranza.
This page focuses on the person: who he is, how a pregonero is chosen in Seville and how the role differs from the pregón itself, which has its own guide with times and venues.
Who is José Antonio Rodríguez Benítez?
He is a journalist and broadcaster. In an interview with the Archdiocese of Seville he described himself as "a boy from Gines who wanted to be a bullfighter" and "ended up a journalist". His story includes a personal experience of cancer and a devotion to the Eucharist that shaped the way he approached the commission.
In the same interview he insisted that the pregón "is not a pretty text you compose, it has to be grounded in faith", distancing himself from the pregón as a stylistic exercise. He opened the event with the march "La Misión de la Esperanza", which he chose himself to announce the festival.
Photo: Anual, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How is the pregonero chosen each year?
The appointment belongs to the General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities. For 2026 the name was announced on 3 October 2025, several months before the March pregón. None of the sources consulted details the exact selection criteria, or whether there is a shortlist of candidates.
Nor is there, in the available sources, a single official list of every Seville pregonero by year: it has to be pieced together article by article. The 2025 pregonero was José Joaquín León, whom Rodríguez Benítez succeeded. The process for choosing the 2027 speaker has been announced for autumn 2026, with no name yet.
Understanding why a journalist is chosen rather than a lifelong brotherhood member means knowing the brotherhoods the pregón announces. Brotherhood-themed guided tours in Seville give you that background in a couple of hours, and you can compare them with the city'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.Are there other pregoneros besides the main one?
Yes, and it is a frequent source of confusion. As well as the main pregón at the Teatro de la Maestranza, several districts and neighbourhoods hold their own. The Macarena district's took place on Saturday 21 February 2026, from 20:00 to 23:59, at the Hogar Virgen de los Reyes.
Triana has one too: on Thursday 19 March 2026 at 20:30, with the journalist Manuel Lamprea as pregonero. These are separate events from the main pregón, with their own speaker, their own audience and far less media coverage.
Photo: José Luiz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What has not been published about the pregonero?
- The selection criteria: no public document explains how the Council chooses between possible candidates.
- A complete historical list of every Seville pregonero, year by year, in a single document.
- Audience figures for the pregón, whether the main one or the district ones: the sources speak of a "packed" theatre, never of a number.
- The name of the 2027 pregonero, whose appointment process is announced but not completed before autumn 2026.
For what is known about the event itself (exact time, venue, how to follow it), the reference guide is the Seville Holy Week 2026 pregón. The full calendar of the week is in the general guide.
The pregón takes place in March, and people who hear it live often decide on their Holy Week trip that same day. Central Seville is booked months ahead for those dates, as the guides agree.
See places to stay for the Holy Week dates →Affiliate link: booking through it helps keep this guide going, and costs you nothing extra.Is it worth planning your trip around the pregón?
If your only aim is to attend the main pregón, you need a ticket or an invitation, and none of the sources consulted publishes a price or a sales channel for the general public. It is more realistic to follow it on the radio or in the round-ups broadcast by stations such as COPE or Cadena SER the same day, in Spanish.
If you are coming for the whole week, the Holy Week itinerary has the Carrera Oficial routes, and the guide to where to stay has prices by neighbourhood.
Outside pregón week and Holy Week, Seville runs at a different pace and 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
- Archdiocese of Seville: interview with and report on José Antonio Rodríguez's 2026 pregón, 23 March 2026.
- Hermandades de Sevilla (General Council): 2026 pregón page and appointment calendar.
- ArteSacro: "El Pregón Antes y Después" event, mentioning the 2025 pregonero.
- El Correo de Andalucía: seven dates in the brotherhood calendar, 10 September 2026, on the appointment of the 2027 pregonero.
- Macarena District (Seville City Council) and PlanoMato: Macarena district Holy Week pregón 2026.
- Diario de Sevilla: Triana Holy Week pregón 2026, 27 February 2026.
- Europa Press: appointment of José Joaquín León as 2025 pregonero, 4 October 2024.
The pregonero's name and dates carry their year and are reviewed with each edition. Anything unpublished is flagged as such.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the pregonero of Seville's Holy Week 2026?
Who was the pregonero of Seville's Holy Week in 2025?
Does each Seville neighbourhood have its own pregonero?
How is the Seville Holy Week pregonero chosen?
Rocío Delgado
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.
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