One Sunday each spring, the residents of Sitges stay up all night covering their own streets in flower petals. By dawn the old town has about a dozen enormous carpets of chrysanthemums laid across the cobbles, and by evening a religious procession has walked straight over every one of them.
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It is our favourite thing that happens in Sitges all year, and it is almost entirely unknown to the visitors who come for the beach and the bars. Here is when it happens and how to see it properly.
Corpus Christi Sitges Dates
Corpus Christi is a moveable feast, so the date changes every year. It falls 60 days after Easter Sunday, and Sitges holds its celebration on the following Sunday.
| Year | Sitges Corpus Christi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 7 June |
| 2027 | Expected Sunday 30 May |
The 2026 date is confirmed. The 2027 date follows the standard calculation from Easter, which falls on 28 March 2027, but the town publishes its programme a few months ahead so it is worth confirming before you book flights.
The timing quirk worth knowing: because the date is tied to Easter, Corpus Christi can land anywhere from late May to mid June. That means it sometimes falls very close to Sitges Pride, and in a good year you can catch both in one trip.
What Actually Happens
The tradition in Sitges goes back to 1814, which makes it older than most of the town’s tourism by well over a century.
- Overnight, Saturday into Sunday: local residents, neighbourhood groups and associations work through the night laying the carpets. Around a dozen are made across the historic centre, most of them from chrysanthemum petals sorted by colour.
- Sunday morning: the carpets are finished and complete. This is when you see them at their best.
- Sunday evening: the Corpus Christi procession walks through the old town, directly over the carpets, destroying them. That is the point rather than an accident.
There is also usually a display of flowered balconies and courtyards across the old town, with houses that are normally private opening up for the day.
The One Piece of Advice That Matters
Go on Sunday morning, early.
This is the mistake visitors make. People hear “procession” and turn up in the evening for it, by which point the carpets are either about to be walked on or already ruined. The work is the spectacle, not the procession.
Walk the old town from about nine or ten in the morning, when every carpet is intact and the streets smell overwhelmingly of flowers. Then come back in the evening for the procession if you want to see them destroyed, which is genuinely moving in its own way once you know how long they took to make.
If you are up very late on the Saturday, wander out at two or three in the morning and you will find people on their knees in the street laying petals by hand. That is the best version of all, and almost nobody does it.
Corpus Christi Sitges: Your Questions Answered
When is Corpus Christi in Sitges?
It moves with Easter. Corpus Christi falls 60 days after Easter Sunday and Sitges celebrates on the following Sunday, which puts it between late May and mid June. In 2026 it was Sunday 7 June; in 2027 it is expected on Sunday 30 May.
What time should I see the flower carpets?
Sunday morning, as early as you can manage. They are complete overnight and destroyed by the evening procession, so the morning is the only window when you see them whole.
Are the flower carpets really walked on?
Yes, deliberately. The Corpus Christi procession walks over them on the Sunday evening. Their impermanence is part of the tradition, which has run in Sitges since 1814.
Is it worth a trip on its own?
As a day trip from Barcelona, easily. As a weekend, yes, particularly in years when it falls close to Sitges Pride in June. It is free, it happens in the street, and it needs no tickets.
What flowers are used?
Mostly chrysanthemum petals, sorted by colour and laid by hand overnight by residents and local associations.
Where to Stay
Stay in the old town and the carpets are literally outside your door, which is the whole appeal for this one. Corpus Christi is far less busy than Carnival or Pride, so accommodation is much easier to get and considerably cheaper.
More Sitges: the 2026 events calendar, the 2027 calendar, and our full gay Sitges guide.
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