Summer Festival of Reus

by © Genevieve Shaw 2008

Festival Location: Reus, Catalonia, Spain

Festival Type(s): Cultural Festivals , Traditional Festivals, Community Festivals

The month of June brings with it the onset of sizzling summer fun. Scorching afternoons and slow refreshing evenings are to be savoured on the beach and at open air nightclubs around Barcelona. For the more adventurous types, however, one of the truly amazing events to be experienced this June can be lived at the summer festival of Reus. A showcase of fiery magic is celebrated for the day of Saint Peter on the 29th of June. The festival begins days before on the 24th of June, immediately after the Saint Joan solstice festivities celebrated on Mid Summer's Eve across Catalonia on the 23rd. It doesn't take much imagination, therefore, to realize that this festival will rock Reus in true Catalan "festa" style.

Reus is situated about 70 kilometres from Barcelona, very near to Tarragona. In the 18th century, Reus was the second most important city in Catalonia due to its leading role in the Brandy trade. Famous also as Antoni Gaudi's birth place, Reus was transformed in the early 20th century into the avant-guard modernist city that it is today. A wide array of elegant architecture and stunning boutiques make this city well worth a visit at any point in the year. We recommend, though, that your trip coincides with this explosive moment in the town's calendar.

The 24th of June is the opening night of the Reus Summer festival and as the heat of the day simmers down, the city wakes up and shakes out its festival feathers in a whirl of fantastical Catalan dances. This year, a special display of Human Castles "Castellers" can be viewed in the main square at 6pm, followed directly at 7pm by the Dance of the Giants, and other folkloric elements. It is at 8pm, however, that the "festa" is officially declared open when a series of fiery blasts light up the ground in a Catalan tradition called the "Tronada".

Stemming from the 17th century, the "Tronada" is used to mark an important moment in the town's calendar, originally carried out with cannon shots. The "Tronada" consists of a square shaped network of metal cylinders filled with gunpowder that are strung together with firecrackers along the ground. One long line of firecrackers leads up to the explosives, so that once it is lit a chain of explosions begins much in the same was as a line of Dominoes. Lighting the "Tronada" is a privilege reserved for the Mayor, or for somebody within the town that has been honoured by the Mayor for his or her civic behaviour. The "Tronada" happens four times during the festival: on the day of the inauguration speech, on the eve of the Saint Peter and on Saint Peter's day both during the afternoon and when the saint passes through the town centre in the main procession.

The 28th and 29th June, the final days of the festival, are also spectacular not least due to the processions (cercavila) of folkloric figures that accompany the figure of Saint Peter through the streets of Reus. The Eagle, Dragon, Mule and Giants are only some of the mythical creatures that make an appearance. On arriving at the main square, the Mayor comes out onto his balcony to give the signal for the final "Tronada" to begin.

In addition to the traditional folkloric elements of the festival, open air concerts that feature top music bands are held throughout the week as well as club nights, beer tents free guided Modernism tours, displays of Human Castle formations and much more. For a full programme listing, consult the web site of Reus council. Go to the section on Festivals, Festes i Tradicions and then click on Sant Pere.

Summer Festival of Reus - When, Where and More Info Please

When: Late June each and every year

Where: Reus, Catalonia, Spain

More Info Please: Take a look at the culTOURa website for more information on this and other Catalonian events

culTOURa : Trips in English to the Folkloric and Fantastical "Festes" of Catalonia

culTOURa wants people to experience the sometimes strange, always stunning, Catalan customs. Throughout the year, festivals and "Festes" turn the Catalan towns into magical kingdoms of Giants, Human Castles, Dragons and Devils. culTOURa brings these traditions alive for visitors in an alternative form of cultural tourism, while promoting Catalonia as a place with its own unique identity.