Discover Authentic Catalonia in June!
June in Catalonia is synonymous with popular festivals, fire, flowers, and vibrant culture. With the arrival of good weather, towns and cities fill with activities that combine devotion, ephemeral art, folklore, and collective celebration.
From Corpus Christi with its Enramades and the legendary Patum de Berga, to the festival of San Juan and the festivities of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, June is an ideal month to discover the most authentic Catalonia and experience the region in all its festive splendor.
Corpus Christi: Tradition, devotion and ephemeral art
The Feast of Corpus Christi, celebrated between late May and June (the date varies depending on the liturgical calendar), is one of the most deeply rooted celebrations in Catalonia. This Catholic festival has evolved over the centuries to become a spectacular display of popular devotion, floral art, and folklore.
The Dancing Egg (L'Ou com balla), a tradition typical of Barcelona and other cities, consists of making an egg dance on the stream of water from fountains decorated with flowers and fruit. Parallel to this, processions are held, with giants and dwarfs parading, and flower carpets are laid out in the streets, an ephemeral art form notable for its beauty.
Photo: Corpus Christi in Montblanc
The Enramadas: Carpets of Flowers
Las Enramades is a celebration linked to Corpus Christi and centered on the creation of floral carpets and plant decorations in the streets. The tradition is kept alive in towns such as Sitges, Arbúcies, La Garriga, and Sant Joan de las Abadesses.
Neighbors organize to decorate the streets with petals, dyed sawdust, and other natural materials, creating true collective works of art. The festival is also accompanied by concerts, folk dances, correfocs, and children's activities, becoming a showcase of participatory and community culture.
The Patum of Berga: Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO,the Patum de Berga is one of the most impressive and unique festivals in Catalonia. It takes place during Corpus Christi week in the capital of Berguedà.
This is how it has come down to us today, and the spectators, participants, members of the troupes, and everyone who takes part in the festival make it the most special festival you can see and experience. They all make up the troupes; to start with, we have the Turcs i Cavallets, the Nans Nous and the Nans Vells, the Guites, the Maces, the Gegants Nous and the Gegants Vells, the sacred dance of l'Àliga, and, of course, the epic leap of the Plens.
Verbenas de San Juan: Fire, celebration and tradition (June 23)
The San Juan festival, celebrated on the night of June 23rd, is one of the most anticipated nights of the year. Coinciding with, or varying by one or two days, the summer solstice, the festival is a celebration of light, life, and purification through fire. Firecrackers, bonfires, and popular festivals spread throughout the region.
A deeply rooted tradition is the descent of the Canigó Flame, a fire lit on the Canigó Mountain that reaches hundreds of Catalan villages to light local bonfires. Gastronomy also plays a prominent role: the Sant Joan cake, with candied fruit or cream, is a must for celebrating a night filled with magic and fellowship.
Photo: San Juan in Salou
Sant Pere and Sanr Pau Festivals (June 29)
The Sant Pere and Sant Pau festivities, celebrated on June 29, close out the month with a more local but equally traditional feel. These festivities are particularly prominent in towns such as Reus, Hospitalet de l'Infant, and Cambrils, among others.
Events include bonfires, giants, human towers, correfocs, and other displays of popular culture. In many of these coastal towns, homage is paid to the patron saints with symbolic and participatory events that blend religious sentiment with secular festivities.
June is an essential month for experiencing Catalonia at its finest. From the solemnity of Corpus Christi to the festive explosion of the San Juan festival, passing through the mystical Patum and the ephemeral beauty of the Enramadas, the entire region is filled with life, color, fire, and shared emotions.
Discovering authentic Catalonia in June means letting yourself be carried away by its most iconic festivals and participating in a living culture that continues to transform the present with deep roots in the past.
