There are quite a few cultural celebrations in Barcelona throughout the year. While Barcelona seems not to be a popular winter destination, there are some highlights during this time of the year. Catalonians typically celebrate the Sant Antoni in January. It is the most important festival of Mallorca, with main celebrations on the 16th and 17th of January.
In this blog post you will learn about the history of the Sant Antoni Festival, what to expect from the Barcelona event and my personal experience of visiting the huge celebration.
The history of Saint Anthony the Abbot/Great
Sant Antonius was a christian Egyptian monk. He conquered the temptations of the devil with fire. He lit a fire and walked over the embers. This was a way to distract himself from the temptations. Furthermore, he is also a patron saint of the animals. That’s why on during the celebrations, many people bring animals to the town square to have them blessed. The festivities are around the anniversary of the monk’s death, January 17th.
Sant Antoni in Barcelona – the Correfoc
In January 2023 I went to the Sant Antoni Festival in Barcelona. To be precise, the Correfoc – the fire run. Even though I’m not a big fan of fireworks, I have to admit that I liked it. It is a unique cultural experience and the people I was with also summed it up.
Visiting Barcelona in winter the Sant Antoni festival should definitely be on your list.
In mid January, you can find various events belonging to the Sant Antoni festivals. The Correfoc, the fire run, is the highlight and it starts at Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia. First, they play traditional music and the huge puppets are displayed in dances, then the fire show begins. Insider tip: Make sure you don’t wear something that you really like. My hat and scarf got holes from the embers. Costumed people and dragon figures spray fireworks-like sparks through the crowd.
After a while of the show, the parade starts. Which leads from Placa de la Vila de Garcia to Placa de la Virreina. Part of the parade are the people in costumes spraying sparks and groups of people with their drums.
It was fantastic to walk through the narrow streets like this. Feeling so powerful with the noisy parade.
From Sa Pobla to Garcia – The organization of the festival
What’s also important to know is that the Sant Antoni festival is organised by people of Sa Pobla, Mallorca. That’s why it also has the name “From Sa Pobla to Garcia”. Sa Pobla organises the event in Barcelona because they do it so well in their own village. So Barcelona wants the real deal and assigns the organisation to the people of Sa Pobla. Sa Pobla is a small town in Mallorca, there the Sant Antoni is literally celebrated the whole month.
Nevertheless, if you are only visiting Barcelona at the end of January, it is truly a unique way to experience the local culture by attending the Sant Antoni festival.
The festival continues way after midnight at the Placa de la Virreina. There is a bonfire but the crowd of people makes it difficult to get close to the bonfire. The fireworks-like sparks end here. But the music continues. The crowd starts to dance to the rhythm of the drums. Later on, musicians started to perform on the stage.
The Spaniards really know how to celebrate.
The author of the blog
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire her readers and help them travel more consciously.
