Guide for Sitges Carnival 2018

With the arrival of February, Sitges is about to become again, for a few days, a town with an atmosphere of color, music and madness formed by locals and tourists alike.

As every year, there is a non-stop programe for each day of the carnival week with events and shows for young people, children and adults, ensuring fun for everyone wishing to enjoy this astonishing party.

There is a wide variety of events starting at the beginning of February, but the most noteworthy are celebrated between the 8th and 14th. These are the acts that you can’t miss if you are in Sitges for these dates:

 

Thursday 8

7:00 p.m. Arrival of King Carnestoltes: King Carnestoltes, who is considered the main protagonist of the Sitgean party, will present with his retinue a fantastic opening show of the carnival. This will be composed of choreography, visual effects, pyrotechnics and verses that he will recite with his typical peculiar sense of humor. No doubt an act that you can’t miss.

9:00 p.m. “Xatonada popular”: after the arrival, different organizations of Sitges prepare a great popular “Xatonada” in which the locals meet to eat xató; A typical dish of Catalan cuisine that is traditionally eaten on this specific Thursday of each year. Each “xatonada” has its own show to animate the evening, making this a great opportunity to try new things, and overall… have fun!

 

Saturday 10

12:00 a.m. Bed race: starring different groups of people from Sitges, this race is out of the ordinary and will not leave you indifferent. The participants spend weeks building their own bed with wheels, and prepare their best costumes to travel at full speed through the streets of the town, resulting in a crazy and tremendously fun race.

5:00 p.m. Tequereque party: the Sitgean “Batucada” group Markatú, a group of percussion and Brazilian rythms formed 15 years ago, will make an exhibition and then they will tour the streets of the centre, dancing and following the rhythm of the music. A show that fills the streets and will make you dance.

Bed race Carnival 2018
Bed race Carnival 2018

 

Sunday 11

“Rúa Infantil” and “Rúa de la Disbauxa”: the great day arrives in which both young and old pull their floats to show the public the laborious work they have been carrying out for months. More than 40 costumed groups will tour the promenade and part of the town centre followed by their own floats; all decorated according to a theme and with large speakers so that the music doesn’t stop along the route. The streets will be filled with colourful feathers, confetti and people dancing.

The children’s rúa (rúa infantil) begins at 12:30 a.m., with the following route:

Rua infiantil Sitges Carnival 2018
Rua infiantil Sitges Carnival 2018

 

 

 

 

 

The Rúa de la Disbauxa starts at 7:30 p.m., with the following route:

Rua Adultos Sitges Carnival 2018
Rua Adultos Sitges Carnival 2018

Tuesday 13

“Rúa Infantil” and “Rúa del Extermini”: the floats go out for the second and last time, with a more familiar atmosphere than Sunday, since the public is more about local and surrounding people. As for the participants of the rúa, it is the last day, so they are going to give everything!

The children’s rúa begins at 3:00 p.m. and the “Rúa del Extermini” at 9:00 p.m. The tours are the same as Sunday.

 

Wednesday 14

Burial of the sardine: the end of the carnival, the retinue that has accompanied the carnival king throughout this week, together with the queen and her companions, mourn dressed in black and make a tour through the streets of Sitges to show their respect to the carnival and King Carnestoltes. At 7:00 pm, on the Paseo de la Ribera, the testament and the last wills of the king are read and that ceremony dismisses the carnival until next year.

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