Miquelets Festival in Olesa de Montserrat

This October, the Miquelets Festival in Olesa de Montserrat returns with a new edition packed with activities! From October 17th to 19th, enjoy three days packed with talks, a Baroque market, workshops, guided tours, and, above all, spectacular historical reenactments of the War of the Spanish Succession.

Highlights of the festival include the Grand Battle on Saturday afternoon, the Popular Dinner that same evening, and guided tours offered throughout the weekend.

Olesa becomes the backdrop for the War of the Spanish Succession, reliving crucial events in the town with its strategic position during the conflict. The town, equipped with a castle and a hospital, was a key location near the Bourbon headquarters in Martorell and on the main route between Manresa and Barcelona.

The Miquelets, elite Catalan units specializing in ambush tactics, play a central role in the reenactments. Known for their skill in using the terrain to their advantage, they were instrumental in many confrontations.

The Miquelets Festival of Olesa de Montserrat is a modern and multifaceted celebration, born in 2008 as a historical memory project called Memorial 158. Promoted by the archivist Xavier Rota Boada, it pays tribute to the 158 soldiers who fell in Olesa during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), linking it to the memory of the defense of Catalan freedoms. Initially, it was an institutional and academic event, but over time, festive, cultural and historical recreation elements were added. In 2010, the first Festival was held with a craft fair and market, and in 2012 the Miquelets Festival Cultural Association was established, which has organized it ever since.

Declared a Festival of Local Interest in 2015, it has grown to span three days with battle reenactments, dramatizations, guided tours, workshops, and family activities. It's a vibrant festival, with established main events, but also open to constant innovation, combining historical accuracy and popular participation.

Be sure to check out the full schedule so you don't miss any details of this historic event!