The Sitges carnival has been celebrated for over a century and is one of the most famous in Catalonia and Spain, drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors. It combines Catalan traditions, such as King Carnestoltes and xató, with a free, cosmopolitan atmosphere and strong participation from the LGBT community.
The programme
The festival lasts about a week, from Fat Thursday to Ash Wednesday:
- Dijous Gras, the Thursday, with the arrival of King Carnestoltes, the carnival king, who declares the festivities open, and the traditional xatonada, a lunch of xató;
- masked balls and parties in bars throughout the weekend;
- the Rua de la Disbauxa, the great Sunday night parade, with dozens of decorated floats and thousands in costume;
- the Rua de l'Extermini, the Tuesday night parade, even bigger and wilder, the most important night of the carnival;
- the children's carnival, with parades and family activities;
- Ash Wednesday, with Carnestoltes's funeral and the sepultura de la sardina, the burial of the sardine, with weeping "widows".
The spirit
Floats and groups, comparses, spend months preparing lavish costumes of feathers and sequins and spectacular make-up. Drag queens are among the stars. The parade route runs through the centre and along the seafront, and the party continues in bars until dawn.
Tips
The carnival falls between February and early March. For the Sunday and Tuesday parades trains from Barcelona are packed, with extra services: arrive early and book accommodation well ahead. Costumes are welcome. See also the Cádiz carnival.