FESTA MAYOR DE SANTS IN BARCELONA

If you are visiting Barcelona the last week of August don’t miss the Fiesta Mayor in the popular district of Sants.

From Saturday 23 August to Sunday 31 August you can enjoy a funny and interesting program with many activities for all tastes and ages.

Sants is one of the most popular neighborhoods in the center of Barcelona. Its streets are full of shops, bars and there is an air of authenticity and popular tradition.

Most of the festivities take place at the “Parc de l’Espanya Industrial”. In the 19th century the whole area was occupied by an important textile industry, known as the Espanya Industrial or Vapor Nou.

Throughout this week, people visiting Sants will see the 16 neighborhood streets decorated by picking different topics and enjoy the most traditional and authentic features present in Catalan festivals.

You can see the whole programme (in Catalan language) here: Festa Mayor de Sants 2014

The festival starts with fireworks and parades but you can also enjoy Passacaglias, Gospel and Jazz music. There is also space for sports on Sunday 31th, like the cycling race “Cursa Ciclista Memorial Antoni Andrés Sancho”.

On Monday 25th, the activities in the park Espanya Industrial begin with the Sardana (a type ofcircle dance typical of Catalonia) and “gegants e capgrossos†(huge puppets with effigies of traditional folk characters). You can also taste chocolate drinks in the famous Chocolatadas.

On Tuesday 26th, at night, enjoy Night Concert in the Park Espanya Industrial, where local bands will perform starting from 9.30pm.

On Saturday 30th don’t miss the typical Catalan “Correfocs†(fire-runs made by people who dress as devils and light fireworks in the streets), or the Diada Castellera (human towers), and, finally, the Piromusical, on August 31th, will put an end to the festival.