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Festes de la Mercè
Barcelona’s main festival is a riotous week-long celebration in honour of La Mercè . The night sky lights up with fireworks, 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).
Week of 23 Sep
Festa de la Patum
The village of Berga (90 km/ 60 miles north of Barcelona) hosts one of Catalonia’s liveliest festivals. The event gets its name from the folks who used to chant patum
(the sound of a drum). Streets spill over with merrymakers as fireworks
crackle and dwarfs, devils and dragons dance atop parade floats.Corpus Christi (May)
Festa del Aquelarre
The small town of Cervera (100 km/62 miles west of Barcelona)
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.Last weekend Aug
Castells
Castells is one of Catalonia’s most spectacular folk traditions. Trained castellers
stand on each other’s shoulders to create a human castle – the highest
tower takes the prize. The crowning moment is when a child scales the
human mass to make the sign of the cross. Castells are often performed in Plaça Sant Jaume.Jun
Sardanes
“The magnificent, moving ring” is how Catalan poet Joan Maragall described the sardana, Catalonia’s regional dance. Subdued yet intricate, it is performed to the tunes of the cobla, a traditional brass and woodwind band. Sardanes can be seen in Plaça de la Seu and Plaça Sant Jaume year round .
Catalan Christmas & Cavalcada del Reis
The Nadal
(Christmas) season begins on 1 December with the arrival of the festive
artisan fairs. On 5 January is the Cavalcada dels Reis, the spectacular
Three Kings Parade. In Barcelona, the kings arrive by sea and are
welcomed by city officials in front of transfixed children.