Barcelona hosts an incredible festival season year-round, from music and theatre performances to papier mache giants, parades, and fire runs. Take full advantage of these events with either an All-Inclusive Pass or an Explorer Pass to experience everything this city has to offer! What do you consider about Eventos Barcelona
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This September event celebrates Our Lady of Mercy as the city’s patron saint and brings noise and fireworks as streets are filled with people wearing colorful costumes.
Festes de la Mercè
Festes de la Merce is one of the biggest festivals in Spain – and Europe, drawing over 1.8 million attendees each year – providing four days of holiday bliss in Barcelona. Concerts and shows pop up all around town while parades celebrate Catalan heritage and traditions, providing something fun for everyone to do at this end-of-summer festival celebration.
At this festival, music is the centerpiece. Live concerts take place in various locations and genres throughout the weekend; whether you prefer rock or jazz music there are open-air gigs for you to attend. Furthermore, the festival boasts an incredible roster of dance acts and performers.
If you’re an admirer of Catalan culture, be sure to watch a sardana competition. This traditional dance involves groups of women dancing together as the music changes tempo; though sometimes slower-moving than expected it makes for quite an impressive show!
Human towers are another highlight of the event. You’ll find them in plazas across many local neighborhoods, but September 24 is your best opportunity to witness them in action courtesy of the Terrassa Castellers group and their impressive towers reaching up to 9 levels high! Don’t miss this fantastic spectacle!
Along with all of the entertainment, food, and drink are abundant during these festivities. Numerous local restaurants host tapas and paella dinners; you can also feast on roast pig and lamb. Plus there are various artisan stalls where visitors can sample authentic local products!
At nightfall, one of the highlights of Festes de la Merce is its spectacular fireworks show – especially if you are sitting on the beach!
Originating in 1687 when Barcelona was suffering under a plague of locusts and natural disasters, this celebration has since been revived after it was banned during the Francoist era and banned again following World War II. Today it pays homage to the Virgin of Grace – the patron saint of Barcelona with her basilica located in the Gothic Quarter.
Sant Jordi
Barcelona is a city of festivals, offering something for every taste imaginable from music and food festivals to cultural events and surprises galore. Here are our picks of the best events you should get involved with during your stay in Catalonia’s capital city.
Sant Jordi Day in Catalonia is similar to Valentine’s Day; celebrated annually on 23 April. Men traditionally give their loved ones roses while women give books as presents on this day – roses are believed to have originated from rose bushes that grew where a dragon was killed, with its red color representing blood from his death; books are given out at book stalls around town selling books by famous writers such as Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare; Casa Batllo is decorated with roses as part of its celebrations.
As well as a massive parade, this celebration features fireworks and street parties galore. Don’t miss this chance to sample some local fare with tapas stalls offering tasty tapas dishes or cuisine from all around the area! For something extra fun, there’s also the traditional “correfoc,” where participants dressed as devils race through the streets clacking on drums while firing handheld fireworks – the perfect way to let off steam!
This festival derives its name from an old legend that tells how a fierce dragon terrorized a small Catalan town, causing havoc and killing livestock. When that occurred, the local villagers placed all their hope in the Virgin of Mercy who managed to rid themselves of this plague. People of the town decided to sacrifice one person a day – chosen at random – to appease the dragon, while on this particular day celebrating and honoring the Virgin of Mercy through feasts and festivities. This event held great cultural significance. Santa neighborhood boasts beautifully decorated streets that make it worth visiting, with concerts featuring some of the top names in Catalan music as well as international styles from around the globe.
La Diada
Barcelona’s barrio festivals (or “fiestas”, in Catalan) boast an exciting carnival-esque vibe. Nearly every neighborhood hosts its fiesta during the summer months; each festival brings unique traditions, music, and parades that provide a wonderful way to immerse oneself in local culture and experience everyday life on Barcelona streets.
Festa Major de Gracia is perhaps best known as one such event, where every square and street becomes an open-air theater for elaborate papier mache statues and woodwork ornaments, while bars and cafes bustle with people enjoying Don Simon cartons of sangria al fresco.
Visit Montjuic for an incredible, mind-boggling Fountain Show at Placa Espanya – it will certainly leave a lasting impression! Travelers love this free light show set to music; making for the ideal end to an adventure-filled day in this magnificent park.
Sant Jordi is the Catalonian version of Valentine’s Day and takes place each June 24th on Saint John’s Eve (June 24th). Expect bonfires on beaches and street corners as well as rocket launches from street corners as grannies and toddlers hit each other with sticks until they defecate (yes, really!).
Just a few weeks later is Carnival, both a religious festival and party that takes place during Lent and before Easter in Spain. Like Mardi Gras, Carnival involves many floats and fancy dress events!
La Diada, Catalonia’s National Day, is observed annually on September 11. This day marks the loss of independence to the central government in 1714 when they gave their institutions and laws over to them. People celebrating La Diada march through the streets while visiting locations like Palau de la Generalitat and Parliament of Catalonia which keep their doors open all day; one rare instance when flying the Spanish flag without prior approval!
Festes de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia
At times, life in Barcelona can seem like one big party – and for good reason: its people love to celebrate! From ancient Pagan or Roman festivals to more recent Catholic celebrations, celebrations spanning all year round can be found throughout the Catalan capital city. Expect parades, costumes, and music!
One of the premier events held annually in Barcelona is Festes de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia, held every February. Saint Eulalia is revered as its patron saint due to her faithful commitment to Christianity despite brutal persecution from Roman authorities. A dove flew out of her neck when she lost her head – now serving as a symbol of hope and peacemaking her co-patron with Our Lady of Mercy (‘la Merce’) whom we honor each September.
As part of the festival, you can expect to witness many traditional Catalan celebrations like parades featuring giant papier mache figures known as ‘gegantonas’ or ‘laies’ that represent Saint Eulalia, Castellers building human towers and correfoc fire runs; concerts; open house events and family workshops as well as talks and storytelling are also hosted during this celebration.
El seguici de Santa Eulalia’s grand parade has become the highlight of Santa Eulalia festivities since 1983 and includes most major elements associated with its festivities including gegants, nans, and capgrossos from Bestiari Historic de la Ciutat and beasts from Bestiari Historic de la Ciutat. Led by La Gegantona herself and accompanied by other giants and dwarfs; city streets become filled with fireworks marking this special day.
Sant Joan, or Summer Solstice Celebration Day, takes place annually during June in Catalonia, especially in Barcelona’s Dreta de l’Eixample district. Bonfires burn old items as symbols of renewal and new beginnings while other festivities such as parades, fireworks displays, and street dance performances known as Sardana also mark this eventful night of year.
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