The Sitges Fiesta Mayor also named as Sant Bartomeu are the festivities that are celebrated during the third week of August, in honor of the patron saint of the town of Sitges, Sant Bartomeu.
This is Fiesta Mayor’s Program
This year the festive goes from August 19 to August 26, with the 23rd and 24th being the most important. The Sitges Festival has been declared a heritage festival of national interest. The Generalitat of Catalonia, through the Catalogue of Festive Heritage, reserves the designation of heritage festival of national interest to celebrations of remote origin, structured from ritual sequences based on customs and symbolic manifestations of an identity nature, and which have a national projection.
On August 23 and 24, the eve and day of the patron saint of our town are celebrated. There are 6 processions spread over the two days, with parades of giants, bigheads, devils, dances and performances with tradition and many customs that have been passed down from generation to generation.
August 23; at 12:00 in the morning the “grallers” start from the beginning of Carrer Sant Francesc to Cap de la Vila. At 14:00 the parade passes through Carrer Major to reach Cap de la Vila. From 19:00 in the afternoon the longest procession begins, which changes its route every year. When this is over, the fireworks show begins, which is launched from the church and can be seen all along the promenade. This is at 23:00 p.m. and when it is over, the “baixada de les escales” begins, where all the dancers go down the steps of the church of Sitges, to end up dancing with the whole town once they reach the “Plaza de la Fragata”.
Going to sleep straight after seeing the last show of the day is a good option, especially if you want to go see the “matinal”, a traditional parade of some streets in the old town and the centre, which begins at 6:00 in the morning. At 12:00 in the morning, after the mass at 11:00, the “ofici” parade begins, a short but very intense procession in front of the town hall door. At 19:30 pm the procession in honour of Sant Bartomeu begins. This route ends in the church square, where all the dancers wait together for the entrance of the image of the saint back to its parish. At 23:00 pm, to say goodbye to the festivities until the following year, a final ballad is held, where the giants and the dragon and the eagle are the protagonists.
The main festival of Sitges is an explosion of joy, pride and passion that merges and unites with the expectation and desire of all the participants and spectators of this, our festival.
