Fiestas de Santa Tecla

For a few days each year, Tarragona ceases to be a city of stone and is instead filled with bright colors, peoples, smells and tastes.

Locals and visitors fill the streets and enjoy every corner of the imperial city. All Catalan traditions intersect in this week-long fiesta. Today, I enjoyed Castellers (human towers), cuisine, and interesting visits to some of the most emblematic museums of this World Heritage city.

And this was before the festivities officially began! The big day is on the 23rd of September, the day of Santa Tecla, patron saint of Tarragona. It’s a festival of national interest, ideal for enjoying with friends, family, and children.

The Fiesta de Santa Tecla is the most important festival in the Tarragona region of the Spanish Mediterranean coast and one of the most famous and well-known festivals throughout the entire country. The festival is held in the final weeks of September (each year the exact dates vary by a day or two) and during that time the entire city comes to life to the sounds of music and fireworks and the sight of classical beasts and the region’s famous human castles (“castells”).

During the beginning of the festival, it’s common to find impromptu concerts, plays, and performances in the street, usually well-lubricated with free or almost-free glasses of ice cold vermouth, an aperitif popular in the area of Spain.

I have seen few festivals that are so intense as lively as the massive baixada de l'àliga ... right in front of the cathedral of Tarragona you can enjoy a unique ... only the bravest dare to go to on their way up the steps of the cathedral and the streets of Tarragona ... it is a total party!!! Tarragona. third week of September.

On September 20th, I spent the morning enjoying the festivities of Santa Tecla in Tarragona, where you can see everything from Castellers contests to Scooter races, not to mention the lively atmosphere in the street fuelled by to-go cocktails sold in the local bars.