What to do · Sitges
Sitges Carnival
Information
- Price
- Free in the street
- Duration
- 4 h
- Next edition
- 4–10 February 2027
- Who it's for
- Adults and teenagers; with children, the afternoons
Carnival is the busiest week of the year in Sitges. The comparsas and floats parade along the promenade and the streets of the centre, and the whole town comes out in costume. In 2027 it runs from 4 to 10 February; Sitges tourism publishes each day's programme in the preceding weeks. It is one of the oldest carnivals in Catalonia and has been declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest.
How the week goes
It all begins on Fat Thursday, 4 February 2027, with the arrival of His Majesty Carnestoltes, the king of carnival, who gives a satirical speech about life in the town. Over the following days he visits the schools and various corners of Sitges, and the town's two great societies, the Retiro and the Casino Prado, organise their own events.
The two high points are the ruas, the float parades. The Rua de la Disbauxa leaves on Sunday night, which in 2027 falls on 7 February, and the Rua de l'Extermini on Tuesday night, the 9th. In each one about 50 floats parade with about 2,500 participants, opened by Carnestoltes and closed by the Carnival Queen. The rivalry between the Retiro and Casino Prado comparsas, two centuries-old societies, shows in the work on the costumes.
On Ash Wednesday, 10 February, it closes with the burial of Carnestoltes: a funeral procession, the reading of his will and the burning of his remains.
With children
On Sunday and Tuesday afternoons the children's ruas set off, with about 20 floats and around a thousand children in costume. That is the time to come with kids: there are far fewer people than at night, when the big parades arrive and the atmosphere turns into an adult party until late. According to the town's tourist board, the Sunday night rua draws about 150,000 spectators and the Tuesday one about 250,000, against about 20,000 for the children's one.
What to eat
The festivities close with the xatonades, communal meals built around xató, the dish of the season: curly endive with anchovies and olives, topped with its sauce. In Sitges they tell two origins for the name: one attributes it to Santiago Rusiñol and the other to the fishermen who came back from Isla Cristina in February with anchovies. That week the restaurants in the centre, such as El Pou, fill up: book well ahead.
Where to watch
The ruas run along the seafront promenade and the streets of the centre. Find a spot in advance and expect closed streets and big crowds. If you are staying in Sitges, the Hotel Noucentista is near the station, on the route of the Americanos' houses.
Tips
- Come by train and book your bed The streets in the centre are closed off and the hotels fill up weeks beforehand. The R2 Sud leaves you ten minutes from the promenade.
With teenagers
