Zaragoza is a lively city, with a young population thanks to its university and a calendar of deeply felt festivals. For the general guide see Zaragoza.
The Fiestas del Pilar
The festivities for the Virgen del Pilar, patron of Zaragoza, of Hispanidad and of the Guardia Civil, are held in the week of 12 October, which is also Spain's national day (see festivals). Among the biggest in Spain, they draw hundreds of thousands of people:
- the Ofrenda de Flores, on 12 October: all day tens of thousands of people, many in traditional Aragonese dress, parade with flowers for the Virgin, forming a huge floral mantle several metres high in Plaza del Pilar;
- the Ofrenda de Frutos, on 13 October, with produce from all over Aragon;
- the Rosario de Cristal, a night procession with illuminated glass lanterns;
- the jota, Aragon's dance, gigantes y cabezudos, free concerts, fireworks over the Ebro, the bullfighting fair and vaquillas.
Other festivals
- San Valero (29 January), the city's patron, with a giant roscón handed out in the square.
- Holy Week, with solemn processions and the roar of drums and bombos, as throughout Aragon (see Holy Week).
- San Jorge (23 April), Aragon's day, with books and roses as in Catalonia.
- Cincomarzada (5 March), commemorating resistance against the Carlists in 1838, with a big popular party in Tío Jorge park.
Nightlife
- El Tubo: narrow lanes packed with tapas bars, ideal for starting the evening (see eating in Zaragoza).
- La Magdalena and the Casco Histórico: alternative bars, live music and student venues.
- The area around Plaza San Francisco and the university, and calle Doctor Cerrada for busier bars.
- Concert venues such as Sala López and Sala Oasis, and the Teatro Principal.
Leisure
The Expo park and the Luis Buñuel water park on the Ebro, with cycle paths and the river to explore by canoe or boat; the Parque Grande; the river aquarium, one of Europe's largest freshwater aquariums; spas and summer outdoor pools. La Romareda stadium is home to Real Zaragoza, the city's historic football club.