Most visitors know Sitges for Carnival, Pride and Bears Week. The locals will tell you the real festival is Festa Major, and they are right.
Contents
Held every August in honour of Sant Bartomeu, the town’s patron saint, it is older, stranger and considerably less polished than anything on the tourist calendar: human towers, fire, giants, and a firework display over the sea that is genuinely one of the best we have seen anywhere.
Festa Major Sitges Dates
Unlike Carnival and Corpus Christi, Festa Major does not move. It is anchored to the saint’s day, which makes planning easy.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Around 21 August | The pregó, the opening speech, starts the festival |
| 23 August | Grallers enter the town at noon; fireworks at 11pm at La Fragata |
| 24 August | Sant Bartomeu’s day. The matinal begins at 6am |
| To around 27 August | Programme continues and winds down |
The two dates that matter are 23 and 24 August, every year. In 2026 those fell on a Sunday and Monday; in 2027 they fall on a Monday and Tuesday. The weekday changes, the dates do not.
The surrounding programme typically runs from about 21 to 27 August, and the town publishes the detailed schedule closer to the time.
What to Expect
The fireworks, 23 August at 11pm
If you see one thing, see this. The display goes up in front of La Fragata, by the church on the seafront, and it is fired over the water with the church lit behind it. It is not a municipal fireworks display in the ordinary sense: it is loud, close, and long.
Our tip: get to the seafront well before 11pm. The promenade fills, and the good spots along the front near the church go early.
Castellers, the human towers
Catalonia’s human towers are a UNESCO-recognised tradition and Festa Major is one of the places to see them. Teams build multi-storey towers of people with a child climbing to the top. It is astonishing to watch and completely free.
The matinal, 24 August at 6am
At six in the morning on the saint’s day, the folkloric dances set off through the streets. Yes, six in the morning. Some people go to bed first and some do not, and both approaches are well represented.
Fire, giants and gralles
Expect fire-breathing dragons and devils in the streets, the gegants or giant processional figures, and the constant sound of the gralla, a piercing Catalan wind instrument that you will still be hearing the next day.
Should You Go?
An honest note, because this is not Pride and it is not Bears Week.
Festa Major is a Catalan town festival, not an LGBTQ+ event. Sitges being Sitges the gay bars are open and busy throughout, but the festival itself is families, neighbourhood groups and tradition. Nobody will bat an eyelid at you being there, and you should go, but go understanding what it is.
Two practical warnings:
- It is loud, and it is loud at unusual hours. Fireworks at 11pm, dancing from 6am. If you want a quiet beach weekend, this is the wrong week.
- It is peak August. The town is full, it is hot, and accommodation is at its most expensive. Book well ahead.
Festa Major Sitges: Your Questions Answered
When is Festa Major in Sitges?
The core dates are 23 and 24 August every year, with 24 August being Sant Bartomeu’s day. The wider programme runs from roughly 21 to 27 August. The dates are fixed, so only the weekdays change year to year.
When are the Festa Major fireworks?
11pm on 23 August, fired over the sea in front of La Fragata by the church. Arrive on the seafront well before then for a spot.
What is the difference between Festa Major and Sant Bartomeu?
They are the same festival. Festa Major is the name for a Catalan town’s main annual festival, and in Sitges it honours Sant Bartomeu, whose feast day is 24 August. You will also see it written as Fiesta Mayor in Spanish.
Is Festa Major a gay event?
No. It is a traditional Catalan town festival, family-oriented and community-run. The gay bars are open and busy as always, but the festival itself is not an LGBTQ+ event in the way Pride or Bears Week are.
Do I need tickets?
No. It all happens in the streets and on the seafront and it is free. You need accommodation booked well ahead, which is the harder part.
Where to Stay
The old town puts you in the middle of the processions and within sight of the fireworks, at the cost of sleeping very little. A few streets back or along the seafront is quieter and still walkable. Whichever you choose, book months ahead: this is peak August in a small town at its busiest week of the year.
More Sitges: the 2026 events calendar, the 2027 calendar, the Corpus Christi flower carpets and our full gay Sitges guide.
🏳️🌈 About Cramberts
From our home base in Amsterdam, we frequently explore some of Europe’s most vibrant cities, and we’ve compiled detailed guides to share our insider knowledge. Whether you’re seeking the canals and culture of Amsterdam itself, the sunny beaches of Gran Canaria, the historic charm of Lisbon and Porto, the bustling energy of Barcelona and Madrid, the refined elegance of Paris and Munich, the unique character of Sitges, or the diverse landscapes of the Randstad region, you’ll find comprehensive information and recommendations in the links below.
🔗 See Also
Amsterdam | Barcelona | Chicago | Cologne | Gran Canaria | Iceland | India | Lisbon | London | Madrid | Munich | Palm Springs | Paris | Porto | Randstad | Sitges | Sydney | Washington DC
Note: Some of these links are affiliates which means using them won’t cost you any extra but we do receive a small commission for each referral. You’re not obligated to use them but we appreciate it if you do. Thanks in advance for supporting our site if you choose to use our links.