Carnival in Sitges
The Carnival is one of the most popular festivities around the world, it is not different in Catalonia either. In Catalonia, the carnival starts on Thursday (dijous gras), the day of the arrival of the King of the Carnival and finishes the following Wednesday, which is called the Wednesday of Ashes. This latter day is also known as the Funeral of the Sardine when the tradition is that people get dressed in colorful costumes and the Sardine, the symbol of the carnival is buried till the following year.
One of the most emblematic carnivals in Catalonia and all around Spain is the carnival in Sitges, which is known amongst other things for its motto that says something like “all is fair during the Carnival”. There are lots of different events during this week, the most known ones are the parade of la Rua de la Dibauxa that takes place on Sunday and probably the most spectacular parade which is held on Tuesday, la Rua de l’Extermini. Some people compare them with the carnival in Río de Janeiro, although we find this a little bit exaggerated.
This year we attended one of the funniest events that is different from the usual parades. It is called the Race of the Dressed Up Beds or as they call it here “la Cursa de Llits”. It is a race between teams, each team has at least five members. One of the participants sits on the bed, while the others push the bed as fast as they can. At the same time, it is not a serious competition, they stop several times to make jokes with the public, we had loads of fun!
What to see in Sitges
As we already are in Sitges, let’s take a walk in the center of this picturesque town. Sitges is situated at a half an hour train ride from Barcelona, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in this part of Spain.
All the visitors coming to Sitges is attracted by the long beaches and mostly by the vivid nightlife. It is especially frequented in Summer when all the bars and clubs are full of people. Sitges is also known as one of the most gay-friendly places in Europe and it is a popular destination among gay tourists.
Apart from the everlasting party Sitges also has a lot of culture to offer to the visitors. Any angle you look at it from, you see something really charming. When you stand on the beach you will be impressed by the majestic Sant Bartomeu Church that stands on the shore as a guard of the town. If you climb the stairs to the church, you will be astonished by the view of the beach.
Behind the church you can explore the historical part of Sitges that we love the most. At first it can remind us of a typical village from the South of Spain, as most of the walls are painted white just as in Andalusia. It is a real pleasure to have a walk in the narrow streets, where you can find many small corners which transmit a sensation of peace and tranquillity.
We also love walking on the 3 km long seaside promenade both in Summer and Winter. In Winter, the town and beach has a relaxing vibe, whereas in Summer it gets filled with people from all around the world, and it is a perfect place to party and meet new people. You can find the full spectrum of food and entertainment starting from stalls selling cheap food on the street to fancy and expensive restaurants.
When you visit Barcelona, the colorful town of Sitges deserves a short trip (not only during the carnival) to enjoy the sun, the beach and the good vibes!
Is there a special way of celebrating the carnival in your city?
Sounds like fun! I specially loved the prisoners! Here in Cancun there was a Carnival too but it wasn’t really that good to be honest, maybe next year there’ll be more budget haha 😉
Yeah, it was really cool! The Carnival in Sitges is always a lot of fun!
Oh my this carnival looks great! Here in Buenos Aires it was horrible… I was shocked! Sitges looks like an amazing place, I just added it to my never-ending list of places I need to visit!
I am surprised that the carnival in Buenos Aires was horrible, Argentinean usually know how to have fun! Sitges is really close to Barcelona, and it’s worth checking it out!
haha this looks awesome! I’d love to experience any type of carnival, haven’t done that yet.
Thanks Samantha! This carnival is really funny!!
Wow! What a fun and exciting event – Race of the Dressed Up Beds!! Sitges looks like such a beautiful town to wonder and explore by foot. The architecture is truly breathtaking and the location near the water is also a plus!
Thanks Costance, we think that this race was one of the funniest carnival events we have ever seen, and Sitges is simply beautiful!
Wow, what amazing festivals, I love the ‘Funeral of the Sardine’ and the beds one is just hilarious. I keep saying to myself I need to get out and organise my travel around more festivals, we often seem to time it wrong and miss it by a week or so. Love the photos too, looks like a vibrant place!
Yeah, we also try to get to places when there’s a festival there, but it’s sometimes hard to fit with other plans. I am glad that you found our post fun!
Oh man, I am still kicking myself for never attending a Carnival. And this one looks like you guys had a complete ball.
Yeah Sarah, Carnivals are fun! I hope you can attend one in the near future!!
The carnival in Sitges looks a really cool, fun experience especially watching those bed races marauding through the streets – I bet that was a memorable scene! Combine this with the other activities available such as seeing the beautiful architecture in the church and other buildings along with relaxing along the promenade, you have a really great location to attract folks!
I have been fortunate enough to visit ‘carnivals’ in both UK and USA and the former from my experiences were better, maybe because living in Arkansas, USA I am not really experiencing the best carnivals the US have to offer. It is really interesting to see how locals bring out their own cultures during these events and participating of course makes it even more worthwhile!
Thanks Chris for this quality comment! The Sitges Carnival is really cool, mainly because people really don’t feel ashamed to have fun. The colors are amazing, and the activities are original and funny. In general, countries in the South have the best carnivals in Europe, the ones I attended in my home country were never that entertaining. Probably in the US Arkansas is not the best place for carnivals, I am not really aware of great carnivals in the US, but there must be some!
Sitges really sounds like a town I would enjoy a lot: white painted houses, narrow streets, and 3 km long seaside promenade. I’m sold on it already! As for the carnival, I like to compare customs from around the world. In my home tome, we burn the carnival mascot the last day of the carnival. And the mascot name is Marco The Carnival 🙂
Marco the Carnival sounds really fun, I feel sorry for him getting burnt! I am sure that you would love Sitges, although I’d recommend to visit it in spring or in
autumn, in summer it’s too crowded for my taste.
This looks like a lot of fun and these photos are great! I’ve never been to Sitges (or heard of it! :/ ) until now…I’ll have to check it out next time Im in Spain 🙂
Yeah, you should really check it out, it’s just a half an hour trainride from Barcelona!
Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler this week! 🙂
Thanks Ashley! It’s always a pleasure!
Looks like so much fun! Loved learning about the Carnival traditions here and the photos of Sitges are gorgeous! Next time I’m in Barcelona I will definitely take a side trip here – thanks for the tips!
Tara, next time you are in Barcelona, first you have to tell me to meet up with us:) And of course Sitges worths the visit!
Great post guys!
Im always a big fan of Festivals, we have the Fringe festival in Adelaide every March, however it is not as interesting or as funny as a bed race!! We usually justh have a bunch of performers in a few different shows – some of it is funny and some of it is a load of rubbish but that is what “art” is isnt it.. 🙂
Thanks Sam! Yeah, the Sitges Carnival is one of the funniest festivals I have ever been to, but the Fringe festival in Adelaide does not sound bad either!
Awesome experience! Love the dressed up beds theme ;)! Another great place to celebrate carnaval is in Holland :)!
Thanks Manouk! The dressed up bed theme was really fun! Haven’t seen anything like that before.
Great pics! Loved the post! check out my carnival posts on thecrowdedplanet.com
Thanks Margherita, will check out your blog!
Great photos! I was there too and try to go every year if I´m in Barcelona. It´s one of the most colourful and popular event throughout the year in the area
Yeah, it is a must do thing to attend at least one day of the carnival in Sitges every year, it’s colorful and it’s so much fun!
The closest thing we have to Carnival here in NYC is the Halloween Parade in Greenwich Village. Not even close to the same thing, but the closest we get. This looks like so much fun!
I would also try out a NYC Halloween Parade, it must be also fun!
The Race of the Dressed Up Beds looks like so much fun! You’ve got some great photos of the Carnival. I wish we had something like this in Melbourne.
It was really a funny event, thanks for your comment!
Hi, that looks fun! there is something similar in a village in North West England – you dress up and run down a really steep hill with a dressed up shopping trolley!
Good times
Aaron
Running down the hill with a dressed up shopping trolley sounds a lot of fun. Maybe it is a little bit dangerous, isn’t it?
The town looks so pretty with the mountains in the background. I have never heard of Sitges before. It’s always fun to see how people really get into the spirit of carnavals.
Yes, Sitges is really in a beautiful natural environment. It is on the coast and there are nice mountains pretty close.
Great to read this article and watch your pictures, thanks! I did my first Sitges Carnival this year. I used all my phone battery on Mardi gras. The parade started at 7.30pm and at 10.30pm the parade with new costumes was still going on!! and the morning after everything was clean and spotless! i just loved it. To comment to Chris’s post…not sure about Carnival, but my Halloween in the street of Madison – Wisconsin, when i was studying there, was something I still remember, great great fun!! 🙂
Thanks Paola! It’s cool to read that you had your first Sitges Carnival, and you had a lot of fun! yeah, as I read from people, in the US Halloween parades seem to be more fun than Carnivals.
I missed carnival this year, but if I am still living in Spain this time next year I am definitely going to check it out! I will also be in Barcelona in June for the first time, but I will be sure to make a quick trip to Sitges. Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, if you come to Barcelona, you should make a short trip to Sitges, it is worth visiting it!
Never been a fan of carnivals, that town looks nice though, I’d never heard of it! The beach there looks really packed, I guess most beaches in Europe are like that?
Europe is also full of secluded beautiful beaches. Even close to Sitges there are really beautiful beaches where you can be basically alone. This photo is from the town beach, in summer it’s crowded.
That seriously looks like a blast! I like the bed race. Might have to round up some friends and join in on the action. : D
Yeah I thought the same when watching it. More fun than just being there would have been running in the race!
I love when you find great little places away from the big cities and go to local festivals. It looks like you had a lot of fun. I had never heard of the bed race! Great photos of the beach and town
Thanks Kate! Sometimes local festivals in small places are much more authentic than big city festivals, this one in Sitges was a lot of fun!
I love your pictures guys. I’ve never been to Catalonia but it looks very appealing.
That carnival looks like a lot of fun.
Catalonia is beautiful, you should come to visit one day!
I absolutely loved the part about the Race of the Dressed Up Beds and your pictures captured the spirit of the event perfectly. I was not familiar with Catalonia before reading this so I’ve learned something new and am anxious to learn more about it.
I am happy that you liked our post about Sitges and its carnival. Catalonia is a beautiful place, so many things to see!
Thanks for this, I know nothing at all about Sitges.
I am glad Bob that you found it interesting!
Love the Dressed Up beds theme – I can see me being the one on the bed! Enjoyed reading about this – I love seeing photos from carnival around the world 🙂
It was really fun watching people run with the beds:) I am glad you enjoyed our post!
Thanks for linking up with us the #SundayTraveler – I hope as you say to get to one… one day!
Always a pleasure, #SundayTraveler is a great initiative!
Fantastic photos, they really capture the moment!!!
Thanks Lauren!
I have always wanted to go to Carnival. It looks like so much fun! And wow, there are so many people on that beach! Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler 🙂
Yeah, the beach is very crowded in summer. I prefer going there in Spring or Fall! The carnival there is absolutely amazing!
That certainly looks like a wild time. Those blue t-shirts the guys are wearing above are hilarious!
These guys were really funny, we stopped to talk with them for a while, I also loved their T-shirt:)
I truly love this post. I believe to have a successful vacation, you have to experience the culture in addition to the landscape. Culture is a large component of learning. I believe that through carnivals you are able to experience all. The culture is greatly illustrated during carnivals. I would love to travel and experience some of these carnivals in my future. I will definitely be adding them to my bucket list. Amazing pictures, thank you for sharing!
-Sara
I really appreciate Sara this truly wonderful comment! It makes me happy when people get inspired by one of our posts. I agree with you, Carnivals are a great way of getting deeply involved with the local culture. Sitges Carnival is a lot of fun, we go there every year we can! I really hope you can come to experience it! Anyway, drop us a line in case you visit Barcelona!
Looks like great fun 🙂 Sydney in Australia also has a bed pushing race which is fun to watch maybe it was based on this one 🙂
Carnival is something I really want to experience while we are in Europe I hope we enjoy wherever we go as much as you seem to have done.
Carnivals are really fun, anywhere you go! I hope you can attend some great festivals around Europe, there are so many different ones!
That carnival looks so fun! I love the bed races. These are such great photos 🙂
It really is a funny carnival! Thanks Erin for your comment!