News: Traditional celebrations in Spain during the summer months

It's summer again and it's time for the beach and the sun. Apart from relaxing, there are also many parties that take place during the summer months in various cities in the country or even in the whole of Spain.

It is almost impossible to list all the festivals in the list below as there are many local or regional festivals but we do our best with the most popular ones in Spain between June and August.

Hogueras de Sant Juan (23/24 June)

The bonfires of the midsummer night take place in Spain on the night of 23 to 24 June. In many places in Spain meetings take place on beaches where campfires are made, firecrackers are lighted and a lot is drunk and eaten. San Juan is often celebrated in Catalonia, on the Balearic Islands and in Alicante.

La batalla del vino (29 June)

While in Valencia tomatoes are thrown during the Tomatina festival, in La Rioja wine is thrown during the Haro festival better known as "la batalla del vino". The festival takes place in the small medieval village of Haro in the La Rioja Alta wine region where 40% of all Rioja wines come from. During the party it is the most common thing in the world to walk through the streets completely soaked with wine and to party ... and of course to drink wine.

San Fermín (6/15 July)

Who hasn't heard of the bull run in Pamplona? Running in front of the bulls is only a small part of the San Fermín celebrations in the town of Pamplona, in the region of Navarre. Every morning between 6 and 15 July the bulls are released on the streets of the city, with the animals weighing more than 500 kilos walking behind hundreds of riders for just a few minutes. However, around this bull run there are many more festivities in which the whole city (and the thousands of tourists) celebrates.

Dia de Santiago (25 July)

Every year on July 25, the city of Santiago de Compostela and the entire region of Galicia celebrate the Dia de Santiago. As is well known, Santiago de Compostela is the terminus of the pilgrimage route, so on the day of the patron saint of Galicia, there is a great deal of activity in the city as there are many walkers who want to end the route on that day. There are many activities around this feast and it is certainly worthwhile to experience it for once in your life.

Feria de Málaga (15/24 August)

Besides the famous Semana Santa around Easter, Málaga is also known for the Feria de Málaga. The party can be compared to the world-famous Feria de Abril in Seville, but on a smaller scale and less crowded. This does not mean, however, that there is not a lot of partying in traditional style with traditional costumes, horse and chariots and processions through the city.

Carreras de Caballos de Sanlúcar (9/27 August)

The horse races of the South Spanish Sanlúcar are well known in Spain and are visited by thousands of people every year. Between August 9th and 27th there are several horse races held on the beaches of Sanliqueñas in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in the province of Cadiz. The horse races of Sanlúcar have been held on the beach since 1845 and nowadays take place during two 3-day events.

La Tomatina (28 August)

The big tomato fight of the small village of Buñol in Valencia is world famous and is visited by thousands of participants from all over the world every year. This traditional festival always takes place on the last Wednesday of August, this year on the 28th, with the fight starting at 11 am in the morning and the days before and then filled with exuberant parties.