El Rocío pilgrim departures from Seville

Six Rocío brotherhoods from Seville began their annual departures this week for the 2026 pilgrimage to El Rocío, with the first procession leaving on Tuesday and four more setting out on Wednesday, according to schedules published by Seville’s Council of Brotherhoods and local media. The departures mark the opening stage of the camino from the Andalusian capital to the hamlet of El Rocío in Almonte ahead of Pentecost celebrations. The brotherhoods named in the published schedules are La Castrense, Sevilla, Triana, La Macarena, El Cerro del Águila and Sevilla Sur. Local outlets said the departures run from May 19 to May 21. ### Which brotherhood left first from Seville? The Hermandad Rocío Castrense de Tablada was the first Seville brotherhood to begin its route, leaving on Tuesday, May 19, from the Acuartelamiento de Tablada after its Misa de Romeros at the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, local reports said. Diario de Sevilla said the departure was scheduled for 9:15 a.m., while ABC placed it at about 9:30 a.m. from the chapel at the military compound. (hermandades-de-sevilla.org) Sevilla Actualidad identified the Castrense brotherhood as number 112 in the order of affiliated brotherhoods and said it had already started its camino on Tuesday. The same report said the group was due to cross the Vado de Quema on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., present itself in Villamanrique de la Condesa at 4:45 p.m. and reach the village on Thursday after crossing the Ajolí bridge at around 4 p.m. (diariodesevilla.es) ### Why is Wednesday, May 20, the busiest day? Wednesday, May 20, concentrates four departures from Seville city: La Macarena, Sevilla, Triana and El Cerro del Águila, according to the Council of Brotherhoods’ event listing. The council’s agenda names those four brotherhoods for that date. Diario de Sevilla and other local outlets said La Macarena was due to start after a 7 a.m. (sevillaactualidad.com) Misa de Romeros at San Gil Abad. The same reports said Triana would leave after worship at San Jacinto, Sevilla after services at the Iglesia Colegial del Divino Salvador, and Cerro del Águila after its romeros mass at the parish of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. (hermandades-de-sevilla.org) ### Where do the routes run inside the city? The Council of Brotherhoods published an official route document showing the city itineraries for May 20 and May 21. The PDF lists the brotherhoods and maps their passage through points including San Gil, San Jacinto, the Divino Salvador and San Juan de Ávila, along with streets such as Feria, Pureza, Castilla, Avenida de la Constitución and Avenida de la Raza. (diariodesevilla.es) Gente de Paz said La Macarena’s route on Wednesday runs from Plaza de San Gil through Bécquer, Feria, Correduría, Alameda de Hércules, Alfonso XII, Plaza de Armas, the Puente Cristo de la Expiración and the Basílica del Cachorro, with the brotherhood expected to leave the city at about 10:30 a.m. The same report said Triana begins from its chapel on Calle Evangelista, passes through Pagés del Corro, San Jacinto, Pureza, Altozano, Castilla and the Cachorro before exiting the city around 11:30 a.m. (hermandades-de-sevilla.org) ### Which brotherhood is scheduled for Thursday? Sevilla Sur is scheduled to leave on Thursday, May 21, after its Misa de Romeros at 8 a.m. in the parish of San Juan de Ávila in the Tiro de Línea neighborhood, ABC reported. Local coverage and the council route document list Sevilla Sur as the remaining Seville departure after the Wednesday processions. (gentedepaz.es) Sevilla Actualidad said the five brotherhoods under the city council structure are Macarena, Triana, Sevilla, Cerro del Águila and Sevilla Sur, with Castrense joining them as the sixth Seville departure this week. That reporting matches the six names cited in other local schedules. ### What happens after the city departures? (abc.es) Diario de Sevilla said 63 affiliated brotherhoods would cross the province during the week on their way toward the marshlands and the official acts organized by the Hermandad Matriz de Almonte. The paper said those acts culminate on Pentecost Monday with the procession of the Virgen del Rocío, known as the Blanca Paloma. (sevillaactualidad.com) The next scheduled Seville departure is Sevilla Sur on Thursday, May 21, while brotherhoods already on the road continue their camino toward Villamanrique, the Vado de Quema and the Ajolí approach into El Rocío, according to local route reports and the council’s published itineraries. (sevillaactualidad.com) (diariodesevilla.es)