Popular summer festival calendar: these are the dates of the summer festivals in Spain

Now that summer is starting, it is worth doing a review of some of the most important popular summer festivals in our country.. Spain stands out for the cultural richness of its traditional festivities, with numerous and varied examples of celebrations that are worth discovering.. Throughout the summer season, there are many festivals worth discovering and enjoying..

These are some of the most important and essential, which are carried out in various areas of the Spanish geography. We are going to discuss them and remember when and where they are celebrated, in chronological order starting with the ones around the corner.

San Juans night

• Date: Night of June 23
• Where it is held: In different parts of Spain, with special relevance in Alicante

Summer starts with this festivity, very popular in certain parts of Spain, especially the coastal ones.. It is traditional that bonfires are lit on the beaches on the night of June 23, the eve of the day on which the birth of Saint John the Baptist is commemorated.. Although there are these obvious connections with Christianity, many also point out that the night of San Juan takes elements from a pagan tradition that consisted of lighting bonfires on the occasion of the summer solstice..

In any case, the place par excellence to celebrate San Juan in Spain is the beach of Alicante. Since the days before, the city is full of atmosphere to celebrate this festival with parades, music and other activities, and more than 200 papier-mâché monuments end up being burned.. But it is not the only place in Spain where San Juan is lived with intensity, and it is also celebrated in a big way in locations such as Malaga, A Coruña, Girona or Menorca, among many others, and even in inland places such as San Pedro Manrique ( Soria), where the traditional Paso del Fuego takes place, in which its inhabitants walk barefoot over incandescent embers without getting burned.

Haro Wine Battle

• Date: June 29
• Where it is held: Haro (La Rioja)

Haro is the most important municipality in the elaboration of Rioja wine, and this celebration, recognized as a Festival of National Interest, reflects that culture well.. In commemoration of the death of the patron saint of the city, San Felices de Bilibio, participants throw wine at each other, using tools such as water guns. It's important to wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty too much, for obvious reasons, and it's also a good idea to wear low-cost sunglasses so you don't get wine in your eyes.

sanfermines

• Date: From July 6 to 15
• Where it takes place: Pamplona

It is the most famous and recognizable popular festival of the Spanish summer. For more than a week, the streets of Pamplona are filled with partying, with hundreds of thousands of people coming to the city to enjoy its gastronomy, tour the city with a very intense atmosphere and participate in its activities, among which are the iconic running of the bulls. Although the latter is the best known and most identifying part of the Sanfermines, it is increasingly being questioned by some, due to the use made of animals and the danger it entails for people..

The Sanfermines begin with the traditional “chupinazo”, which consists of launching a rocket from Pamplona City Hall on July 6 at noon. This act marks the beginning of the celebrations, which do not cease until midnight on the 15th..

Jumilla Wine Festival

• Date: From August 11 to 20
• Where it is celebrated: Jumilla (Murcia)

Declared of Regional Tourist Interest, this festival celebrates the important wine culture of Jumilla, which has one of the most recognized denominations of origin in Spain.. Floats that pour wine into the mouths of the people as they pass, the ritual of treading the grape, or a series of tastings, tastings and contests, are some of the activities that you will find in Jumilla on those days.

Malaga's carnival

• Date: From August 12 to 19
• Where it takes place: Malaga

This popular festival commemorates the capture of Málaga by the Catholic Monarchs, and includes fireworks, folkloric shows, concerts, bullfights, Andalusian gastronomy and wine tasting, and many other activities that make this week very special for both Malaga residents as well as for the tourists who come to see the Fair.

The Tomatina

• Date: August 30
• Where it is held: Buñol (Valencia)

On the last Wednesday of August, this particular festival takes place in the Valencian town of Buñol, in which the people who participate throw tomatoes at each other until they end up completely red.. It is said that the origins of this celebration date back to 1945, when there was a spontaneous fight in the middle of a parade with vegetables in between.. The neighbors enjoyed it so much that they replicated it in later years.. Although at first the police and the authorities tried to ban it, it ended up becoming the most emblematic event of the town.

The party starts at 10 in the morning, and many have been partying since the night before, known as “la de la empalma”, with numerous beach bars and venues open for the occasion. Around 130 tons of tomatoes are distributed among the attendees, who with their throws end up generating red rivers that flow through the streets of Buñol.