Events calendar Spain

Every year, the^{1st of} March is the occasion for a great celebration on each of the Balearic Islands. This date corresponds to the date on which the archipelago's autonomous status came into effect, ratified on¹ March 1983. On the occasion of the Día de Baleares, numerous cultural and gastronomic activities punctuate the day in a good-natured atmosphere: traditional dances, theatre, live music and tasting of typical island products are on the programme!

It is one of the most prestigious summer festivals in the Mediterranean, in terms of music and dance. Every year, it welcomes national and international stars: Rod Steward, Santana, Sting, Lady Gaga, Elton John... have already taken over the incomparable setting. Located in the heart of the botanical garden, facing the sea, the stage can accommodate over 2,100 people. As it is a must, it is better to book well in advance and take precautions to succeed in parking.

Catalonia's patron saint is celebrated throughout the region. Traditionally, it's also the festival of love and roses, like Valentine's Day in other parts of the world. Sant Jordi also coincides with the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare, making it both a festival of lovers and a festival of books. On this day, it's customary for a man to give his beloved a rose, while she reciprocates with a book. So you'll find book stalls in every town.

Every year in September, this 4-day fair dedicated to Empordà wines welcomes visitors from all over the world (more than 13,000 on average), and becomes the epicentre of the region's oenology. The meeting point will be in the heart of Figueres, on the Ramblas. On the programme: exhibitions, meetings with small local producers, tastings and various activities for young and old...

Every year around 8 September, Olot puts on its best face to celebrate its patron saint's day, which has been declared a festival of national interest. It is both a religious procession and a great popular festival, with numerous stages set up in the streets of the town and hosting free shows and concerts. It is a moment of reunion and solidarity involving both many inhabitants and various institutions. Last but not least, it is an opportunity to watch the famous dance of the giants, the Olot farandole.

When autumn comes and on the second weekend in October, the mushroom takes centre stage at the Fira del Bolet de Llagostera, one of the most representative fairs in the region. And this has been the case since its creation in 2003, although it has become more popular every year, attracting around 10,000 visitors. The programme includes demonstrations of crafts related to this sector, a mushroom hunting competition, conferences on mycology and gastronomic tastings. Prizes are awarded at the end of the festival.

It was born in 2014, with the aim of taking over the torch carried by the off section of the Torroella festival but also to become a must in this field throughout the Costa Brava. The concerts take place in the Plaça de l'Església. And new since 2015, the Molinet, a small viewpoint at the end of the passeig maritim, hosts emerging jazz groups, all from internationally recognised schools, including French schools.

Founded at the beginning of the ^21st century, the Sant Pere de Rodes music festival offers a prestigious program of classical music (piano and chamber music). Concerts take place inside the monastery, in a prestigious setting. For its twentieth anniversary, it welcomed Chinese pianist Haiou Zhang. At the same time, El Port de la Selva holds its own festival: three concerts in the church of Santa Maria de les Neus.

As soon as the evening comes, the beautiful setting of the cloister of the former Sant Domènec convent (a Romanesque building dating from the 12th and 13th centuries) hosts classical music concerts, as well as presentations of more traditional music such as the sardana or habanera and dance performances. You can find the full programme of concerts, all of which are free of charge, on the website of the Peralada town council.

On the last Sunday in October, the splendid protected area of Ses Salines hosts the Salt Festival, a golden opportunity to learn more about one of the island's main sources of wealth. Guided and commented tours through the park, on foot and by bus, allow visitors to discover the world of salt according to different themes: Salinas and salineros (saltworks and salt workers), history, nature and gastronomic traditions.

International short film and animation festival. With more than 5,000 short films submitted each year, Mecal has become one of the most important festivals in its field in Spain. For about a month, screening sessions are organized in various areas of the city, including the French Institute, Macba and the Arts Santa Mònica artistic centre. Every Saturday in summer, Mecal Air offers film screenings in the open air in the Elisava gardens, behind the Museu del Disseny in Barcelona.

Declared of international tourist interest, it is the second most important in the world, after Rio. Bringing together Venetian elegance and Brazilian fever, it is famous for its great Mardi Gras parade, corso, which attracts hundreds of thousands of people in the Avenida de Anaga. On Ash Wednesday, the very solemn funeral of the Sardine also takes place on the Plaza de España: a sardine of unusual size is cremated there with great pomp and circumstance.

Created in 2015, this festival brings together hikers and offers them excursions on the different trails of the island. Choose from a total of fifteen proposals for coastal paths, volcanoes and beautiful forests, for a total of 1,500 kilometres. All accompanied by a professional guide. Also on the programme of this festival: animations as well as a presentation of gastronomy and products related to hiking and nature tourism.

These festivities take place on Wednesday before the Feast of God (Corpus Christi), with barrel races on the streets of Benavente.

Every first weekend of each month, creative fish pond of Palo Alto is transformed into a street market with a lot of young designers, food trucks, DJ, vintage furniture, etc. It is THE meeting point of hipsters of Barcelona.

Under the name of Portalblau, this summer festival of l'Escala was born in 2008, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 100 years of the beginning of the excavations of Empúries. It is dedicated to different musical experiences, but also to Mediterranean activities. You will appreciate its particularly impressive settings, such as the Greek Agora of the Empúries deposits, the small creek of Escala, the mar d'en Bassa or the Alfolí de la sal (a 17th century salt warehouse).

Since 1991, the town of Castelló d'Empúries has also returned to the Middle Ages, becoming the former capital of the County of Empúries for a weekend. During this festival of the troubadours, you will have the opportunity to attend a medieval tournament or supper held in the Palace of the Counts and to enjoy numerous street performances (musicians, jugglers, troubadours, jesters....). A large market, exhibitions and guided tours are also on the programme.

A major music festival celebrated in the Parc del Fòrum, each year welcoming big names from the international scene. The program is eclectic, with a wide variety of artists and musical styles, including pop, world music, electro, reggae and rock. Cruïlla means "crossroads" in Catalan, a name that perfectly illustrates the spirit of the festival and its desire to be open to all styles and cultures of the world. Some 80,000 people attend its open-air concerts on the Fòrum esplanade, with the sea as a backdrop.

They take place on the occasion of the Feria de Pedro Romero, a bullfighter born in Ronda and inventor of contemporary bullfighting, and are the highlight of the event, the first of which took place in 1954, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Real Maestranza de Ronda. On this occasion, the bullfighters wear traditional costumes similar to those worn in Goya's time, amply decorated with embroidery. The fair also includes a competition for carriages of old 19th century carriages.

The official launch ceremony for the ^37th edition of the America's Cup, a sailing competition that originated in New York, will take place in Barcelona on August 22, 2024! An event of international stature, during which numerous regattas will be organized around the Port Vell and along the beach to the Port Olímpic. However, the final match of this prestigious naval competition will not take place until October 12, 2024. An event not to be missed!

Here is an ideal meeting for the smallest. Created in 1980, it is the oldest festival of the puppet. During a fortnight, the most important companies from all over the world come to the festival every year and perform in different spaces: around the Plaza de Alameda, in theaters, pedestrian streets and parks. And that give to see all the facets of the world of the puppets: sticks, shades, animations of objects, etc.

Deeply rooted in Spain and Andalusia since the early tenth century, this festival of candles or light coincides with the increase of the hour of the days. In the Catholic tradition, it honors the Virgin and the presentation of her child in Jerusalem. It is very popular in southern Andalusia, especially in Estepa. It is marked by lively celebrations, with the dove or turtle dove as symbols, as well as candles. If the candles remain lit or not, it augurs a good or bad year.

Parallel to La Mercè, free concerts of national and international artists in the different areas of the city centre.

A music festival in several rooms of the city: Palau de la musica, L'Auditori and Gran Teatre del Liceu. Peaks of the bill jazz, flamenco and song author. Read more