Festa major d’Horta

Activity dates

Dates de celebració

First fortnight of September in the Horta neighbourhood, Horta-Guinardó district

Horta - Guinardó

Horta is the oldest neighbourhood in the district to which it lends its name, with references to it dating back to the 10th century. In the 16th century, the settlement began to grow in the area around Plaça d’Eivissa which is one of the nerve centres of the neighbourhood.

During the two-week-long festa major, the main festival, are all kinds of different events, including dances, concerts for young people, activities for kids, community meals, sporting contests, and scavenger hunts. The rich and varied popular culture of the neighbourhood also plays a very important role in the festival. All the local groups join together for the cercavila d'inauguració, the opening procession. And during the festival they put on dance shows and take part in the correfoc final, the fire run which brings the festival to a close.

Reason

As in many other places in the city, the origins of the  festa major in Horta are religious. 10th September, 1731, saw the celebration of the first "peoples' vow", held in honour of Sant Gaudenci, one of the patron saints of the neighbourhood, in thanks for the gift of rain. Since then, each 10th September, the people of Horta renew their vow in a ceremony in the parish church of Sant Joan.

Did you know...

Sabies que...

The Horta-Guinardó's giantess is a washerwoman in homage to the work which many of the women of the neighbourhood did in the past. Horta was well-known for the quality of its water. For this reason, during the 19th and 20th centuries there were famous laundries in the area which washed clothes from all over the city.

About festivities

Highlights

Cercavila procession. All Horta's popular culture groups take part in the big cercavila of the festa major, a procession through the streets that takes six different routes. The neighbourhood's giants make an appearance as well as many children's figures from the schools. Of course, there are the colles de diables, the devils' groups with their menagerie of fire beasts, the esbart dance troupes and the bands of percussionists.

Matinades. On the morning of the festa major, the tabalers, the drummers from the neighbourhood's main fire groups –the Diables d’Horta, Carmel and the Banyetes d’Horta– wake up all the locals to let them know the festival has arrived. Often, the tabalers also have the help of trabucaires and their blunderbusses, including the Perot Rocaguinarda group.

Afternoon of Catalan dance. Every year, the Esbart Folklòric d’Horta dance group, a section of the Lluïsos d’Horta troupe,organises an exhibition of traditional dances in which all of the members of the group take part.

Tomàquet. For more than 60 years, the Foment Hortenc theatre group has been performing this unusual musical comedy which includes dances and humorous sketches. Every year there is a special outdoor staging of the work, where many secrets are discovered in this already classic piece.

Correfoc. The Diables d’Horta devils's group is in charge of organising the closing act of the festival: the correfoc fire run, with the dragon Capallà. Often the hosts invite other fire groups to take part. Typically these include the neighbouring diables from Carmel as well as others from close by.

Supplementary information

Organisers

Coordinadora d’Entitats d’Horta.