Metro de Málaga carried 402,131 passengers during the Málaga Fair, held from August 15 to 22, 2026, exceeding 400,000 for the first time. The total was 9.4% higher than in 2025, when 367,503 passengers used the service, and was the highest demand recorded during the special fair services since the metro began operating on July 30, 2014. The average was 40,213 passengers per day, an increase of 34,628 over the previous year.
The total also exceeded figures from earlier fairs since the metro reached the city centre: 377,769 passengers in 2024 and 337,273 in 2023. Demand in 2026 was 19.2% higher than in 2023.
The busiest day was the Noche de los Fuegos, which marks the start of the festivities. A total of 62,979 passengers travelled on lines 1 and 2 that day, 30.8% more than the 48,134 recorded on the equivalent day in 2025. It was the highest daily total in the historical record for the special fair service. The next busiest days were Thursday, with 45,370 passengers; Tuesday, with 45,147; and Monday, with 44,562.
Passenger numbers were higher than in the previous year on eight of the ten days assessed. The largest increase was on Tuesday, at 46.3%. Usage also rose by 11.3% on Monday and by 10.8% on the second Saturday of the fair.
During the fair, Metro de Málaga adjusts its service to demand by using special timetables and adding service during the busiest periods. The opening of the Guadalmedina and Atarazanas stations in March 2023 brought lines 1 and 2 into the historic centre, improving access by public transport to the area where much of the daytime fair activity takes place. The fairground at Cortijo de Torres is a 20-minute walk from the Ciudad de la Justicia and La Luz-La Paz stations.
The two lines have a combined length of 13.6 kilometres and 19 stations and stops. Since commercial operations began in July 2014, Metro de Málaga has carried more than 109 million passengers.