Carnivals in Spain - a Rich Diversity of Culture

Spanish carnivals take place in every city, town and village throughout Spain at some point during the year and for many travelers is one of the top reasons for visiting Spain. Traditionally, most holidays in Spain have been religious in origin. At the national level the most important of these are Holy (or Maundy) Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Corpus Christi, the Feast of Saint James (July 25), and All Saints' Day (November 1). A Spanish holiday should always include participating in at least one top festival, fiesta or carnival. 

La Tomatina - Tomato Festival

The Tomatina festival in one of the most unique and fun in Spain, held on the last Wednesday of August each year in the town of Bunol, Valencia. La Tomatina has to be the biggest food fight you will ever take part in, this is where hundreds of tons of overripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets by thousands of festival goers. It is typically a tomato war using ripe squashed tomatoes hurled between participants leaving everyone dripping with bright red sweet smelling tomato juice. There are no winners just people having fun and enjoying being part of this unusual Spanish festival. Your task is grab ripe tomatoes and throw them at other revelers. There are a few rules though, the main one being that you have to squash the tomatoes in your hands before you can be throwing them.

San Fermin Fiestas Pamplona

The fiesta of San Fermin, held in Pamplona, Spain, is a celebration of religion and culture. This celebration includes bullfights, trade fairs, and running with bulls held every day for nine days in the month of July. This celebration has been held every year since 1951 and is a great economic draw for the city. The festival of San Fermín is a week long, historically rooted celebration held annually in the It has become probably the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain. In Pamplona, Saint Fermín is now sometimes said to have met his end by being dragged through the streets with angry bulls running after him. This bull running festival usually takes place the second week and is a festival that brings the party to every corner of the city of Pamplona, the festival starts by setting off a big bang firework known as the Chupinazo from the mayor's balcony. The bull run run starts from the Plaza Santo Domingo and winds through the ancient streets of Pamplona ending at the bullring. This is one of the most popular, if not risky, festivals held in Spain and the most represented by global visitors seeking the undeniable rush you get from being chased by an angry bull.

Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spanish: Carnival de Santa Cruz de Tenerife) is held each February in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the capital of the largest island of the Canary Islands, Spain and attracts people from all over the world. One of the most famous colorful festivals in Spain are the carnivals of Santa Cruz de Tenerife held during the month of February of each year. The carnival resembles those held in Brazil and features parades with floats and bands who perform different types of songs during the street parades, the carnival costumes are stunning and a delight to see. The parades move through the streets alongside energetic musical groups and well-dressed performers and the superbly dressed ladies who enchant spectators with their rhythmic dance moves. Some of the colorful costumes can weigh well over 100 kilos, taking months to prepare as well as the many hours of practice required to be able to move freely in such a huge costume.

Barcelona Festivals

All year round there are festivals in Barcelona, some only take place in the city whilst others are celebrated throughout Catalonia or nationwide. The biggest Barcelona festival is Festes de la Merce which takes place in September and consists of giant wooden figures roaming the city streets. There are some amazing fireworks on the ‘Nit de Sant Joan’ in June when Barcelona celebrates midsummer. Many international musicians regularly appear at concerts in Barcelona whilst June welcomes thousands of visitors to the El Sonar Festival.

Sonar Festival

The Sonar Festival in Barcelona has developed into one of the very best meeting places for lovers of avant-garde, electro, hip hop and dance music. Held annually in the middle of June this three-day musical extravaganza describes itself as a festival of ‘advanced music and multimedia art’, and it is all that and more. In recent years world-renowned artists such as Craftwork, the Pet Shop Boys, Beastie Boys, Chemical Brothers and Björk have been amongst the headline acts but each year there are upwards of 300 activities in just about every multimedia format. Musically there are DJs, VDJs and concerts of all types of electronic, avant-garde and the complete spectrum of dance music as well as film presentations and installation artworks. 

Conclusion

To summarize, some of the best festivals and fiestas in Spain have deep religious and historical meaning whilst others are simply meant for partying and having fun. People enjoy holidays in Spain for many reasons, the main ones being the enviable climate and guaranteed sunshine, the huge selection of hotels, hostels and alternative accommodation, package deals to suit every taste and budget, sports activities such as golf, the gastronomy and nightlife, not to mention the scenic countryside, historic sites and cultural activities such as the magnificent festivals, fiestas and carnivals.