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Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs, Barcelona, Jan 14, 2024. Photo by Josbel A. Tinoco courtesy of Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
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Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs, Barcelona, Jan 13, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs, Barcelona, Jan 13, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs, Barcelona, Jan 13, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs, Barcelona, Jan 13, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Ajuntament de Barcelona (CC BY-ND 2.0).
The vibrant central barri of Sant Antoni plays host to the city’s first major neighborhood festival of the year, with events happening over several days. 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.
Saint Anthony Blessing the Animals, the Poor and the Sick. Master of St. Veronica, 1395-1415 (Google Art Project).
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 17-26, 2025 and its numerous free cultural events and gatherings make it a great time to visit the area.
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 “co-patron” saint of animals (sharing the title with St. Francis of Assisi), 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 festival is packed with concerts, DJ sessions, exhibits, foodie events, theater performances, children's activities, cooking workshops, beer and wine fairs, an artisan market, traditional dance performances, correfocs, bonfires and so much more. You can get the full schedule of events at fmsantantoni.com.
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It's not just a Barcelona tradition, all of Spain celebrates Saint Anthony's feast day. Pet owners and pets alike across the country don their Sunday best on this special day for the blessing of the animals. Photo taken Jan 17, 2019, courtesy of Ajuntment de Vilanova i la Geltrú (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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It's not just a Barcelona tradition, all of Spain celebrates Saint Anthony's feast day. Pet owners and pets alike across the country don their Sunday best on this special day for the blessing of the animals. Photo taken Jan 17, 2019, courtesy of Ajuntment de Vilanova i la Geltrú (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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It's not just a Barcelona tradition, all of Spain celebrates Saint Anthony's feast day. Pet owners and pets alike across the country don their Sunday best on this special day for the blessing of the animals. Photo taken Jan 17, 2019, courtesy of Ajuntment de Vilanova i la Geltrú (CC BY-ND 2.0).
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It's not just a Barcelona tradition, all of Spain celebrates Saint Anthony's feast day. Pet owners and pets alike across the country don their Sunday best on this special day for the blessing of the animals. Photo taken Jan 17, 2019, courtesy of Ajuntment de Vilanova i la Geltrú (CC BY-ND 2.0).
The Must Sees
The Blessing of the Animals, January 17 & 18, 2025, 11:00-12:00
This charming tradition sees pet owners bringing their furry family members out in droves to the Escola Pia de Sant Antoni (Ronda de Sant Pau, 72) where you can witness the blessing of the animals in the name of Saint Anthony himself.
The Tres Tombs de Barcelona Parade, January 18, 2025, 10:45-13:00
The Tres Tombs cavalcada (parade) 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. The procession features horses, ponies, donkeys and vintage carriages. Starting at 10:45 in front of the Escola Pia de Sant Antoni the parade will run along Paral·lel, Rocafort, Tamarit (Mercat de Sant Antoni), Parlament, Ronda Sant Pau, Ronda de Sant Antoni, Villarroel, Floridablanca, Ronda Sant Antoni, Plaça Universitat, Pelai, la Rambla (descendent), Hospital, Plaça Aureli Capmany, Riera Blanca, Ronda de Sant Antoni, Mano, Paral·lel, Plaça Puig i Cadafalch. The parade offers the perfect opportunity to witness a traditional procession and ponder how its streets might have looked two centuries ago.
Opening Ceremony & Parade, January 18, 2025, 11:00-13:30
Devils and wild beasts will dance through neighborhood streets alongside gegants, capgrossos, the Porca de Sant Antoni, drummers, classic cars and bastoners in this all-out celebration. The parade starts at Jardinets de l'Alguer and goes along Calàbria, Gran Via, Comte Borrell, Tamarit and back to Jardinets de l’Alguer.
Human Castles & Traditional Dances, January 19, 2025, 11:00-14:30
See one of the famous Catalan castells (human castles) being built right before your eyes alongside troupes of dancers decked out in traditional clothing celebrating heritage dances at Comte Borrell where it intersects with Parlament.
Trobada de Puntaires, photo by Ajuntament de Vilanova i la Geltrú (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr .
Trobada de Puntaires, January 25, 2025, 11:00-13:00
Spain has a long history of lace-making. But at the end of the 19th century, machines did away with the professional lace-maker entirely. However, the culture and love of lace-making is alive and kicking in Barcelona today. Many towns and villages throughout Catalunya host annual lace-making trobadas (gatherings) throughout the year in conjunction with other celebrations, such as local fairs and festes majors, including the festa major de Sant Antoni, organized by the Associació Veïnal de Sant Antoni.
Since machines make so much of the lace we see today, it is hard to appreciate the amount of work, skill and commitment that goes into making a piece of hand-made lace. Whereas a knitter might create a hat in a few hours, a lace-maker will take months to create the smallest of pieces because the weaves are so tiny. See firsthand how these intricate works of art are created at this neighborhood trobada of lace makers.
Fira de la Cervesa Artesana, January 25, 2025, 11:00-24:00
Coinciding with the last days of the Sant Antoni district's main festival, the district's Artisan Beer Fair returns for a full day on Carrer d'Urgell, between Floridablanca and Tamarit, you can taste different types of craft beers handmade by producers from Barcelona and the rest of Catalunya. Tastings start at €2.50.
Supervins, January 25, 2025, 12:00-20:00
Celebrating 15 years of filling glasses and emptying plates, enjoy Catalan wine and good food at Supervins at Mercat Sant Antoni (Tamarit). Price: €10 for three drinks with a glass, €8 three drinks without a glass. Advance tickets available via the Sant Antoni Festa Major website.
"Foguerons" (bonfires) fill the squares of the Gràcia neighborhood during the Saint Anthony celebrations. Photo by Börkur Sigurbjörnsson (CC BY 2.0).
Foguerons de Sant Antoni, January 24 & 25, 2025, 20:00-1:00
The neighborhood's plazas are set ablaze in the great foguerons (bonfires) of Sant Antoni! Born in the Mallorcan village of Sa Pobla, this relatively new addition to the Sant Antoni celebrations came to Barcelona in 1992 and has grown in scope ever since. Make you way to the Sant Antoni neighborhood on the 24th or to Gràcia on the 25th (check the schedule for details) to warm your mitts and enjoy the many cultural activities planned. The celebration culminates in a correfoc (fire run) to light the bonfires—don't miss out on the fire-roasted sausages that follow!
The famous "correfoc infernal" of the Saint Anthony celebrations, photo courtesy of the Ajuntament d'Esplugues de Llobregat (CC BY 2.0).
Correfoc (Fire Run), January 26, 2025, 20:15-22:00
The festival’s main correfoc takes place on Sunday and offers up some much-needed winter heat while illuminating Sant Antoni’s main arteries. Starting out from Jardinets de l'Alguer on Avinguda Mistral 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.
Updated January 13, 2025.