Major Festival of Vilafranca del Penedès

When summer merges with the harvest, Vilafranca lives five days of an intensity that is difficult to explain and that everyone wants to taste: its Festa Major, declared a Heritage Festival of National Interest. Since the 18th century, the celebration has maintained an almost intact structure based on the perfect union between religious devotion and popular culture. It all starts on August 29 with the thronada and the grand inaugural parade that deploys dragon, eagle, giants, dwarves, spoken dances and the three local castle gangs, a procession that fills squares and streets with fire, colors and music.
The 30th of August, the day of Sant Félix, is the heart of the party: matinees of gralles, the solemn ceremony in the Basilica of Santa Maria and, above all, one of the most demanding Castellera performances on the calendar, with Castellers de Vilafranca, Colla Vella and Joves de Valls and the Colla Jove de Tarragona fighting face to face in front of thousands of looks. At night, the procession of the return of the Saint and the spectacular Entrance of Sant Félix - simultaneous fireworks from the bell towers and dancing in the dark - leave any visitor breathless.
The days of August 31, September 1 and 2 continue with local castle days, an exhibition of brightness of all dances, concerts until dawn, the Fire Ball, the Festa Major de los Petits and a rosary of events that embrace all ages. Administrators, collaborators and the neighborhood live the party as a collective test: months before they pass by the houses with the Capta accompanied by gralleros to finance it and deliver the program and the statue of the saint. Vilafranquí's pride in preserving an exceptional folkloric heritage — dragon from 1601, dance de Diables, moixiganga, falcons, extra range castles — makes the Festa Major a living manual of Catalan tradition and the best business card of the city in the world.

From 29 August to 2 September, culminating on 30 August (Sant Félix)