Festa major del Casc Antic
Activity dates
Dates de celebració
Around the Feast of Sant Pere, at the end of June
Feast Day: 29 June
Description
The Sant Pere, Santa Caterina and La Ribera neighbourhoods lie inside Barcelona's old city wall in the old town, Ciutat Vella. Consequently they still form an area of intersecting narrow streets that give them a special character. They were always neighbourhoods of craftsmen and have maintained this characteristic. Despite that, in recent years they have experienced something of a revival after being discovered by independent and alternative artists, which has seen art galleries, bars, restaurants, antique shops ', night clubs and so on open up.
The Coordinadora Festa Major del Casc Antic is a coordinating body that brings together the neighbourhood organisations and associations in charge of organising the annual festival in honour of the patron saint, in the last week of June. That ensures there is wide range of activities suitable for all ages, for example, big communal meals including suppers, botifarrada sausage sizzles and vermut pre-lunch snacks and drinks, festival dances, street theatre, workshops and so on. Popular culture is very much alive in these neighbourhoods too, so the festival programme also has lots of folk and traditional activities, such as castellers, correfocs, cercaviles , trobades and balls de gegants.
Reason
The festival pays homage to Sant Pere (St Peter) who guards the gates to heaven. That's why he is portrayed with keys in his hand. No doubt the neighbourhood took his name and has him as its patron saint because it grew up round the Sant Pere de les Puel·les monastery, from the 11th century on.
About festivities
Supplementary information
Organisers
Coordinadora Festa Major del Casc Antic.