The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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thirteen-year-old girl martyred by the
Romans. See colour section for more.
Carnaval/Carnestoltes Week before Lent,
sometimes in March Wwww.bcn.cat/carnaval
Costumed parades, dances, concerts,
open-air barbecues and other traditional
carnival events in every city neighbour-
hood. However, it’s Sitges, down the
coast, which has the best Catalan
celebrations.
March/April
Festes de Sant Medir de Gràcia First week in
March W Horse-and-
carriage parade around Gràcia, before
heading to the Sant Medir hermitage in the
Collserola hills. Later, the procession
returns to Gràcia, where thousands of
sweets are thrown to children along the
route, and there’s plenty of traditional
dancing and feasting.
Setmana Santa Easter, Holy Week Religious
celebrations and services at churches
throughout the city. Special services are
on Thurs and Fri in Holy Week at 7–8pm,
Sat at 10pm; there’s a procession from the
church of Sant Agustí on c/de l’Hospital (El
Raval) to La Seu, starting at around 4pm
on Good Friday; and Palm Sunday sees
the blessing of the palms at La Seu.
Public holidays on Good Friday and
Easter Monday.
Dia de Sant Jordi St George’s Day, April 23
W www.bcn.cat/stjordi Celebrating Catalun-
ya’s patron saint and coinciding with the
International Day of the Book, with book
and flower stalls throughout the city. Men
are traditionally presented with a book
while women are given a rose. See colour
section for more.
Feria de Abril de Catalunya Last week in April
W The region’s biggest
Andalucian festival, with ten days of food,
drink and flamenco. All the action goes
down at the big marquees erected at the
Fòrum plaza (Diagonal Mar).
Festival de Guitarra April & May Wwww
.theproject.cat A spring-season perennial,
the annual guitar festival showcases all
sorts of musical styles, jazz and Latin,
blues and fusion, with some big names
playing every year. Gigs are at concert halls
across the city.
Saló Internacional del Còmic Dates vary, April or
May W The International
Comic Fair takes place over three days, with
stalls, drawing workshops and children’s
activities at one of the city’s exhibition halls.
May
Dia del Treball May 1 May Day/Labour Day is
a public holiday, with union parades along
main city thoroughfares.
Dia de San Ponç May 11 A traditional saint’s
day, celebrated by a market running along
c/de l’Hospital in the Raval, with fresh
herbs, flowers, cakes, aromatic oils
and sweets.
Festival de Música Antiga Usually first two
weeks W The Early Music
Festival attracts medieval and Baroque
groups from around the world, with
concerts based at L’Auditori concert hall,
but there are free fringe shows outdoors in
old-town squares.
Barcelona Poesia Second or third week W www
.bcn.cat/barcelonapoesia Week-long poetry
festival with readings and recitals in venues
across the city. It incorporates the Jocs
Floral (Floral Games), a revived medieval
Catalan poetry competition, while Spanish
and foreign poets converge for the Interna-
tional Poetry Festival at the Palau de la
Música Catalana.
Dia Internacional dels Museus May 18 On
International Museum Day, there’s free
entrance to all city-run museums – local
press have details of participating museums,
opening hours and special events.
Primavera Sound Usually last week Wwww
The city’s hottest music
festival heralds a three-day bash down at
the Parc del Fòrum (Diagonal Mar),
attracting top international names in the
rock, indie and electronica world. It’s
extended into the city too, with club gigs
and free street gigs now part of the scene.
Festival de Flamenco de Ciutat Vella Usually last
week W W www
Annual old-town
flamenco bash, organized by the Taller de
Músics (music workshop) and centred on
the CCCB. Five days of guitar recitals,
singing and dancing, plus DJ sessions and
chill-out zone, and lectures and conferences
on all matters flamenco.
June
Sónar Usually 2nd or 3rd week W
The three-day International Festival of
Advanced Music and Multimedia Art is
FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS
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