Tres Tombs in Sant Antoni, Barcelona 2014.
The vibrant central barri of Sant Antoni plays host to the city’s first major neighborhood festival of the year, with events happening over a nine-day period. We round up on some of the “must-sees” taking place over the biggest weekend of the festival, one of which includes the blessing of various domesticated critters.
The middle of January is a time for taking stock and healing those self-inflicted festive excesses, right? Perhaps. But just so you know, if you plan to do all of your resting up at home, you’ll be missing out. Representing the opening of the city’s festival season, Festa Major de Sant Antoni runs January 11-20, 2019 and its numerous free cultural events and gatherings make it a great time to visit the area.
Benediccio Animals Sant Antoni. Photo courtesy of catalunyareligio.cat
What’s it all about?
Barcelona’s local cultural festivals, like those in many towns and cities with rich Catholic traditions, are often dedicated to a virgin or a saint. These celebrations are known as Festes Patronals (Patron Saint Festivals). Since Sant Antoni draws its name from the long-vanished Church of Saint Anthony (which once stood in the adjoining neighborhood of El Raval), its Festa Major is celebrated annually in conjunction with the feast day of Saint Anthony the Abbot (January 17). As Saint Anthony, or “Anthony the Great,” is the Patron Saint of Animals, the festival attracts a good amount of pet-loving enthusiasts who bring along their furry friends to be blessed.
Where do I start?
In case you aren’t familiar with the area, Sant Antoni is the hip, brunch-biting and serenely chill neighborhood that surrounds Antoni Rovira i Trias' majestic Mercat de Sant Antoni, built in 1882. There are numerous fringe events happening throughout its many nearby bars, schools and civic centers, so my suggestion would be to start your exploration outwardly from the market and venture along the popular thoroughfares of Carrer del Parlament, Carrer de Tamarit and Ronda de Sant Antoni.
The Must Sees
Sant Antoni Artisan Beer Festival — Saturday, January 19, 2019 (11:00-23:00)
Returning for the seventh year in a row and organized by La Penya Barcelonista de Sant Antoni, the festival is hosted at Bar Lambicus (Carrer de Tamarit, 107) 11:00-23:00. Stop by to try local craft beers, as well as some staple lowland ales, all served up by knowledgeable and welcoming hop-loving fanatics.
lameva.barcelona.cat
194th Edition of the Tres Tombs de Barcelona — Saturday, January 19, 2019 (10:30-14:00)
The Three Tombs cavalcade is the oldest in the city and offers a unique glimpse at a truly historic tradition. The name Tres Tombs (three turns) is derived from a time when the procession would make three laps around the neighborhood. As always, the procession will feature horses, ponies, donkeys and vintage carriages. Starting at 10:30 at the junction between Avenida del Parallel and Carrer Tamarit, and running until 14:00, it offers the perfect opportunity to witness a traditional procession and ponder how its streets might have looked close to two centuries ago.
Commence the Blessing of the Animals — Saturday, January 19, 2019 (11:00-12:00)
If the magnificence of the cavalcade isn’t enough to wet your whistle then you might consider taking your pet along to Escola Pia de Sant Antoni (Ronda de Sant Pau, 72) where at 11 am, you can witness the bizarre but ever enlightening consecration of animals in the name of Saint Anthony himself.
Time Out Barcelona
Correfoc (Fire run) — Sunday, January 20, 2019
The festival’s main correfoc takes place on Sunday and offers up some much-needed winter heat whilst illuminating Sant Antoni’s main arteries. Starting out from Jardinets de l'Alguer on Avinguda Mistral at 19:45 and hosted by Diables de Sant Antoni, this year’s fire run will feature all the usual devil-clad pyro-lovers. They will parade through the streets accompanied by multiple papier-mâché menacing beasts; pounding out rhythms and providing enough flame to keep your kittens’ paws warm.