Annual Events in Sitges

An overview of major annual events in Sitges. For details of all upcoming events or to post your own event, visit the events page.

Photo Credits:

Thanks to Catherine Hart for providing all of the photos marked ‘CH’ on this page (greetings cards available at Sweet Sitges, C/Mayor 36)

Annual Events in Sitges by Month

January: King’s Parade, 5th January. A procession of the 3 kings through the town as they make their way to give presents to the newly born Jesus. As they go, they throw sweets at the children lining their path. They also throw edible, sweet ‘lumps of coal’. Traditionally, sweets were for good kids and the naughty ones got the coal. Nowadays, the coal is sweet so the naughty ones can enjoy life too!

January: Sitges Half Marathon. Around 3000 runners take part in this annual event, which takes in the streets of Sitges. There is also the option of running a quarter marathon. Registry is usually open a couple of days before the event and closes when the maximum number of runners is reached.

February: Carnaval. Dates vary from year to year so keep an eye on the events calendar at the bottom of this page. There is a procession for and by children, and one for adults. The two processions are repeated a couple of days after the first day. You will see floats, costumes and lots of dancing, and the town will swell with thousands of outsiders who come to see the spectacle. There is also a crazy ‘bed race’ where people dressed in bedtime attire race downhill on rolling ‘beds’. Lots of fun is had by all!

March: Vintage Car Rally Cars and motorbikes from the 1920’s and before drive from Barcelona to Sitges with their drivers and occupants in period dress. The winner is the most stylish/original combination of car and occupants. They usually reach Sitges around 1pm.

March: Patchwork Fair Towards the end of March, huge marquees appear on Paseig de la Ribera as the annual international patchwork festival takes place. There are workshops, sales, and a competition to produce the best patchwork, based on a different theme each year.

March/April: Jazz Antic Jazz Festival which includes Jazz concerts in various locations around town, as well as a whole lot of Jazz being played in the streets around Sitges.

April: Tapa a Tapa: Primavera Around mid April, signs start appearing for the first tapa a tapa of the year. The idea is that a collection of bars and restaurants (usually around 30) compete to provide the best tapa for a fixed price (around 4 euros). The happy residents of Sitges then go from one to the other, enjoying a tapa and drink in each.

May: Fira D’Art Marquees appear on the Passeig de la Ribera as scores of artists showcase (and hopefully sell) their work. Those not interested in buying can browse the marquees without any pressure.

June: Corpus Cristi Festival A magical time when many of the streets of Sitges are adorned with carpets made of flowers. A jury chooses the best design each year, after which a procession passes through the flower covered streets

June: Sitges Pride. Probably one of the most well known and successful Pride events outside a major city. There is a large procession a ‘pride village’, an after party, plus all the good vibes you would expect in a town like Sitges.

July: Festa Jardins Terramar The beautiful Terramar Park hosts food trucks, a large stage, and some big name stars, as it becomes a music festival for around 2 weeks

August: Festa Mayor/Sant Bartomeu 10 days of events from around the middle of August, including concerts, open air cinema, fairgrounds, processions with Catalan dancing, and the appearance of the gegants de Sitges (giants who roam the streets). This culminates with the fireworks and firecrackers of La Revetlla.

September: Santa Tecla Similar to Sant Bartomeu, this festival involves processions with giants, castellers (human towers) & Catalan dancing, as well as the ‘Nit de Foc’ (night of fire) which involves the carrefocs (firecrackers and people dressed in devil costumes)

September: International Bears Week A week of parties, a procession and a Mr Bear competition, among other festivities aimed at the gay community in Sitges and from around the world.

September/October: La Verema (Grape Harvest and Wine Tasting Festival) See traditional grape pressing (by foot) taking place in La Fragata. The 3 day weekend event begins with wine tasting from the Garraf and Penedès regions on the Saturday, followed by grape pressing on the Sunday (with a fun grape pressing competition). There is a wine show set up along Paseig de la Ribera, where local producers showcase their wares.

October: Sitges Film Festival The English version of the posters proudly proclaim that it’s a festival of fantastic films. They may be fantastic, but the correct translation is ‘fantasy films’…. with a definite emphasis on horror. The festival culminates in a ‘zombie walk’ where people dressed in alarmingly realistic costumes parade through the town.

October: Sitges Triathlon The beaches and roads of Sitges fill uo with hardy and athletic looking people for this fun annual event. See the video below.

November/December: The town hall arranges a series of Christmas events each year. See ‘upcoming events’ for details of what’s on during these months.

Share this page:

Annual Events in Sitges

Annual Events in Sitges by Month

Please check out our sponsors