Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Festes de la Mercè
Catalan Folk Festivals & Traditions
!
Festes de la Mercè
night sky and bonfires are set
ablaze on beaches and in towns
throughout the region.
d
23 Jun
$
Festa Major de Gràcia
Barcelona's main festival is a
riotous week-long celebration in
honour of La Mercè
(see p39)
.
The night sky lights up with fire-
works, outdoor concerts are
held, and there's barely a bottle
of
cava
left in the city by the
festival's end. Processions and
parades feature
gegants
(giant
wooden figures operated by
people).
d
Week of 23 Sep
During this week-long
festa
,
(the largest party of the summer),
revellers congregate in Gràcia's
decorated streets. Parades, open-
air concerts, fireworks and plenty
of beer and cava fuel the infec-
tious merriment.
d
Mid-to late-Aug
%
Carnaval in Sitges
The buzzing beach town of
Sitges
(see p121)
explodes during
Carnaval, celebrated in flamboyant
fashion. Over-the-top floats parade
among drag queens, lip-synching
contests and a fresh-off-the-beach
crowd warmed by sun and plenty
of beer.
d
3-4 days Feb-mid-Mar
^
Festa de la Patum
Gegants
, Festes de la Mercè
The village of Berga (90 km/
60 miles north of Barcelona) hosts
one of Catalonia's liveliest festi-
vals. The event gets its name from
the folks who used to chant
pa-
tum
(the sound of a drum). Streets
spill over with merrymakers as
fireworks crackle and dwarfs,
devils and dragons dance atop
parade floats.
d
Corpus Christi (May)
&
Festa del Aquelarre
@
El Dia de Sant Jordi
On this spring day,
Barcelona is transformed into a
vibrant, open-air book and flower
market. Men and women ex-
change presents of roses, to
celebrate Sant Jordi
(see p39)
and books, in tribute to Cervantes
and Shakespeare, who both died
on 23 April 1616.
d
23 Apr
£
Verbena de Sant Joan
The small town of Cervera
(100 km/62 miles west of Barce-
lona) erupts with parties, parades
and concerts for this festival. The
epicentre is C/de les Bruixes, a
medieval alley that cuts through
the old town.
d
Last weekend Aug
In celebration of Saint John,
and the start of summer, this is
Catalonian's night to play with
fire and play they do, with gusto.
Fireworks streak through the
64
The English-language website
www.spain.info
has a section
dedicated to Spanish festivals.
