Fiesta, Fiesta!

Spain is often hailed as the party capital of the world – with its laid back lifestyle, vibrant traditions and customs, and the endless energy and enthusiasm of its people it’s not hard to see why…

The summer is home to many a festival and event, including both the weird and the wonderful, but the pick of the bunch this August include:

1. The Tomatina festival, Buñol

Held in Buñol, a small village near Valencia, the Tomatina festival happens every year on the last Wednesday in August. As the name suggests, the main focus of the event is a giant tomato fight that lasts just over an hour.

The most plausible explanation of the origins of La Tomatina centres around a carnival procession in 1945 in the town square of Buñol. It is said that many of the town’s young people tried to join those at the head of the procession and in their haste someone fell. This sparked a mass brawl which culminated in the use of an open crate of tomatoes (which lay close by) as objects for catapult!

The festival attracts around 20,000 visitors each year.

2. Horse racing on the beach at Sanlucar de Barrameda, Andalucia

Every year the beaches of Sanlucar de Barameda play host to this famous horse racing event, which attracts people from far and wide. It officially dates back to the year 1845 when the the Sociedad de Carreras de Caballos de Sanlucar de Barrameda was formed. However, it is widely maintained that the event had been in existence for years - amongst locals who raced the horses used for transporting fish from local ports.

Now the Sanlucar de Barrameda races attract riders from all over Europe, hardly surprising given that the total prize monies are usually between 2 and 3 million Euros!

3. Fiestas de la Virgen Blanca, Vitoria, Basque Country

Held in Vitoria-Gasteiz, this six-day festival August is a non-stop party that encapsulates the whole (normally tranquil!) town.

Included in the festivities are music concerts, processions, street performers, dancing, and bullfights.

The fiesta officially begins when the mayor fires el chupinazo ("the bang”, using rocket fireworks). This signals the release of Celedón, an effigy holding an umbrella, which descends on wires from a church tower high above the main square, Plaza de la Virgen Blanca.

4. New Year’s Eve in August, Bérchules, Granada

On the first Saturday of every August something somewhat out of the ordinary happens in Berchules, a small Andalucian village in the province of Granada.

After the locals decided they did not want a repeat of a disappointing New Year’s Eve in 1994 (when a power cut left the entire village in the dark and unable to mark the countdown to midnight) they decided to move that year’s celebration to the beginning of August, and have been celebrating two New Year’s Eves ever since.

For maximum authenticity the village is decked out in all the normal festive paraphernalia inlcuding nativity scenes, decorated trees and fairy lights.

The celebrations take place throughout the day, when the village’s inhabitants are joined by thousands of visitors for the New Year’s Eve fireworks, the procession of the Three Kings, and thousands of kilos of grapes.

5. Semana Grande or Aste Nagusia, Bilbao

Bilbao celebrates its Basque heritage with this fiesta in the third week of August. Over 100,000 people attend the Bilbao Semana Grande (Big Week or Aste Nagusia) celebrations, which include firework displays hosted by a different nation each evening.

Music is an integral part of the celebrations and there are free live performances on stages in squares and churches throughout the city.

The festival runs right through the night for nine days, when the streets are lined with marquees from various bars and societies.