Sant Joan 2024 is coming and there are countless options that you can take advantage of in Catalonia to enjoy the quintessential midsummer festival. Still not sure what to do with your friends and family to enjoy la revetlla de Sant Joan, Saint John’s Eve? From ElNacional.cat we offer you a helping hand with five unmissable plans for what is always one of the most special nights of the year. From the bonfires on Costa Brava beaches, to the concerts of Festa Major de Valls, to the celebrations in the big cities. Here are our top five for the evening of Sunday, June 23rd - remembering of course, that Monday's a public holiday!
1. The concerts of the Festa Major de Sant Joan 2024 in Valls
Well, Valls is one of those towns where you get two for one. In this Camp de Tarragona town, the midsummer celebrations coincide with the annual festa major, the municipal street party, since the patron saint of Valls is, of course, Sant Joan. Thus, the Festa Major de Sant Joan 2024 in Valls is celebrated from June 20th to 25th. This year the festa in this city with a reputation for the strength of its Catalan traditions is as full and impressive as ever, and the full programme in Catalan is here. Check out the traditional street theatre of the Balls Parlats on Saturday and the parades of besties - figures of wild animals; the pyrotechnics of the Tronada on Sunday at noon, and many more activities aimed at the whole community. As for the actual revetlla concerts on Sunday night, starting at 12:15am at the Aparcament Hort del Carme the following bands will be playing: Santa Salut; Dr. Calypso; Les Que Faltaband; and PD Peting. Other squares offer other entertainment, both day and night.
2. Festa Major de Palamós 2024 of Sant Joan
Sant Joan is a fairly popular choice of patron saint and consequently, Palamós on the Costa Brava is another of the towns that combine midsummer night celebrations with festa major. In Palamós, Sunday is the first day of the celebration and it runs until Wednesday 26th. However, many activities start earlier, with the famous Barraques de Palamós - entertainment on the beaches - starting on Friday 21st with the groups Nexe, Diversiones and Dj. Xavi Fdz. On the 22nd, Saturday, there will also be concerts by Rudymentari, Boom Boom Fighters and Dj. Gea.
As for the revetlla, on the 23rd, the bonfire will be lit and there will be a popular dinner. In the Barraques, Diamond Stick and La Nit del Canet will perform. If you stay till Monday night, it will be Miquel del Roig's turn.
3. 'Castells' at the Sant Joan celebration 2024 at Tarragona
Concerts, bonfires and human tower building are the three main pillars of the Sant Joan 2024 festival in Tarragona. The revetlla will begin with the arrival of the flame from the Canigó, which will kick off the festive day, full of special activities such as the Cercavila de foc (fire parade), which will start at 10.30pm. At night, Plaça Corsini will be the epicentre of the party, with the groups Tàrraco Surfers and Vizuri. And on Monday, Saint John's Day, the traditional diada castellera - the human tower competition - will be held at 7:30pm. There are also sardanes - the traditional Catalan dance.
4. The Canigó Flame 2024 for Sant Joan in Barcelona
The Sant Joan 2024 carnival also returns to the streets of the Catalan capital. In Barcelona there will be bonfires, firecrackers and lots of partying. One of the events that stands out in this year's programme is the traditional Flame from the Canigó, in Northern Catalonia. The fire is officially carried from the great mountain of the Eastern Pyrenees to all of the Catalan-speaking lands and when it arrives in Barcelona on Sunday 23rd it makes a circuit starting at Camp Nou at 4:30pm to Plaça de Sant Jaume, where there will be dances by the Capgrossos, l'Àliga and the rest of the city's resident giants. The flame is distributed throughout the Catalan capital to light the neighbourhood bonfires, as many districts host their own public activities. Check out the full list here. And of course, there are the beaches, where many like to party. Whatever you do, take care of each other, look after the environment, and be kind!
5. The bonfires of Sant Joan 2024 on the Costa Brava
It is clear that Palamós is not the only seaside town to celebrate the night of Sant Joan 2024. Many other towns on the Costa Brava offer activities and bonfires to enjoy the revetlla on June 23rd. This is the case of Blanes, which celebrates a series of events, among which there will be a batucada at 7:30pm, the lighting of the bonfire at 8pm and an hour later they will begin the concerts with LNDK, D Praims, la Trinzera, Dj Spat vs Dj Borjamari. Further north, on L'Estartit beach, the Ítaca festival for Sant Joan will be held on both the 22nd and 23rd, in which the voices of established artists from the Catalan scene will be heard, such as Ludwing Bang, The Tyets, Julieta and Mushkaa. Enjoy!