A look at the major events taking place in Sant Feliu de Guíxols throughout the year.
Festa Major
Every town in Spain celebrates the day of its patron saint, known in Catalan as the festa major.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols is no different and remembers the martyr Sant Feliu de Girona on 1st August, the day of his death in 303 AD at the hands of the Romans.
Originally from what is now Tunisia, Feliu arrived in Catalonia at Empúries. In Girona, where he became a popular figure, he promoted the bible. This brought him to the attention of the Romans . They arrested him and, according to legend, dragged to the settlement on Punta dels Guíxols where he was executed. Buried in Girona, the Church of Sant Feliu was later dedicated to him.
In the tenth century the town expanded in the area near the newly built Benedictine monastery of Sant Feliu. In time the town became known as Sant Feliu de Guíxols.
The festa major takes place over a week with the big celebration taking place on 1st August itself. Starting at the end of July you’ll see people dancing the sardana, live music, activities for children and adults and, on 4th August, a firework display on the beach.
Porta Ferrada festival
The festival of Porta Ferrada has been going since 1958 making it the oldest summer festival in Spain.
Named after the porta ferrada (iron gate) of the monastery the festival mainly puts on an eclectic mix of concerts by new and established local acts as well as international artists.
Typically classical music, rock and pop, ballet and Flamenco are all represented. In recent years an Argentine Queen cover band, Jamie Cullem, New Order, Patti Smith and The Human League have all performed.
Shows are mainly on a stage in the port area but other venues are used for some performances. The festival takes place between mid to late July and the third week of August with something on most days during that period.
Food
Historically fishing has always been hugely important to Sant Feliu de Guíxols, and today the town remains proud of. It’s therefore not at all unsurprising to find fresh fish on the menu of many restaurants.
But proud of its connection to the sea, the town promotes the local cuisine through a number of gastronomic campaigns throughout the year. Participating restaurants offer menus offering typical Sant Feliu dishes prepared from the local catch.
Temps d’uriços: The first of these is the sea urchin season. In standard Catalan sea urchins are called eriçons de mar, literally sea hedgehogs.
In Sant Feliu though they are called uriços. The campaign runs between December and February when sea urchins are supposed to be at their best.
Campanya Gastronòmica del Bacallà & PeixoPalo: During most of March and the first half of April Sant Feliu you can try dishes based on cod (bacallà) and stockfish (peixopalo) at most of the town’s restaurants.
Stockfish is simply fish that has been wind dried rather than preserved in salt.
Ganxotapes: Twice a year Sant Feliu promotes local tapas with the Ganxotapes campaign in which restaurants compete against each other to produce the best.
During this time for a low cost you can enjoy a beer and a bite in many bars and restaurants. Ganxotapes runs from the end April to the end of May and mid October to mid November.
Campanya Gastronòmica del Peix Blau: Overlapping slightly with the spring Ganxotapes is the town’s annual campaign promoting peix blau – blue, or oily, fish.
Starting in mid-May for a month, restaurants offer tapas using locally caught blue fish, a traditional catch, for as low as €1.
