Barcelona Festivals

While Barcelona works hard to distinguish itself from the rest of Spain, the city shares at least one thing in common with the rest of the country: it knows how to have fun. For information on all festivals, call the tourist office (☎933 01 77 75; open M-F 10am-2pm and 4-8pm) or check the “Agenda” or “Diary” on www.bcn.es. Double-check sight and museum hours during festival times, as well as during the Christmas season and Semana Santa. The streets fill with book vendors and rose sellers on the Festa de Sant Jordi (St. George; Apr. 23), the Catalan take on Valentine’s Day; the day officially celebrates Catalunya’s patron saint with a feast. Men give women roses, and women give men books. In the last two weeks of August, city folk jam at Gràcia’s Festa Mayor; lights blaze in plaças and music plays all night as two dozen streets compete to be the best decorated. On September 11, the Festa Nacional de Catalunya brings out traditional costumes, dancing, and Catalan flags hanging from balconies. Barcelona’s main festival, the Festa de Sant Joan, takes place the night of June 23. You might as well surrender to the all-night beachside partying (and erratic nightclub hours); ceaseless fireworks and bonfires in the street will keep your eyes wide open anyway. The largest Barcelona celebration, however, is the Festa de Mercè, the weeks before and after September 24. To honor the patron saint of the city, barceloneses revel with fireworks, Sardana dancing, and concerts. Santa Eulàlia, the city’s female patron saint, is celebrated February 12-13.

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