The Shrine announced the change on February 21, 2025, explaining that pilgrim groups now come regularly outside the busiest months. On an ordinary night the Rosary is prayed at the Chapel of the Apparitions at 9:30 p.m. and the procession then moves through the open Prayer Area and returns to the chapel. The Shrine's programme for October 8, 2026 listed it exactly that way. The Shrine says only that the procession depends on the weather at the time; it does not publish what replaces it on a wet night, so expect the Rosary to go ahead and the procession to be decided on the spot.
The night of the 12th is different from May to October. On those anniversary pilgrimages the procession carries the statue of Our Lady to the altar of the Prayer Area and is followed by a celebration there. For October 12, 2026 the Shrine listed the international Rosary at 9:30 p.m., then the candlelight procession and a Celebration of the Word at 10:30 p.m. Crowds on those nights are very large, so arrive well before the Rosary.
Good to know before you go: you need a candle with a paper wind guard. The Shrine's own shop sells procession candles, and pilgrims commonly report that the shops around the sanctuary sell them for small change, so there is no need to bring one from home. Dress for a cold, exposed plateau at night outside summer. Groups can sign up with the Shrine, at any time of year, to carry the statue's litter in the procession.
The procession is the main reason to sleep in Fátima and not visit as a day trip: the last FlixBus to Lisbon listed on October 10, 2026 left at 9:15 p.m., before the Rosary begins.