Rooster Fair 2025 in Vilafranca del Penedès: gastronomy, DO wines and popular culture
The Rooster Fair returns to Vilafranca del Penedès on December 20th and 21st, 2025, stronger than ever. Organized by the Town Hall's Tourism Department, this century-old event reaches its 361st edition as one of the highlights of the Christmas calendar in the Penedès region.
A festival with deep roots, revolving around a true gastronomic treasure: the Penedès Rooster with Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), a unique bird with a seal of quality and an unmistakable flavor. But the Rooster Festival is much more than that: it's culture, tradition, celebration, and a gathering place. It's where good food, wine, and village life come together to create an experience worth living firsthand.
Over time, the Fair has incorporated a diverse offering: a space to showcase wines from the Penedès DO and a gastronomic tent with tastings and dishes prepared with Penedès rooster. This fusion of tradition and innovation keeps the Fair vibrant, attractive, and relevant for a wide range of audiences. Furthermore, the program of activities, workshops, cooking demonstrations, and wine tastings reinforces the festive, cultural, and gastronomic dimension of the event, creating a welcoming atmosphere for both residents and visitors.
The Rooster of Penedès with PGI
With its black plumage and legs, reddish meat, and intense flavor, the Penedès Rooster is a free-range bird fed on grape seeds, enhancing its taste and nutritional value. This traditional variety is protected by the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which certifies the product's quality and origin.
It's a food deeply rooted in the land and the way of life of the people of Penedès. And if there's one place to discover and taste it properly, it's the Rooster Fair.
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Photograph: La Fachenda
The Fair, a world of flavors and sensations
The Rooster Fair has evolved without losing its essence. Besides the traditional poultry market, it offers a space dedicated to wines from the Penedès Designation of Origin and a gastronomic tent where you can sample dishes cooked with Penedès Rooster and other farm-raised birds.
The combination of traditional cuisine with culinary innovation makes the Fair a feast for the palate. Workshops, tastings, and cooking demonstrations complete a program that invites you to experience gastronomy as a celebration for all the senses.
DO Penedès: the wine that best accompanies
Penedès wines are the perfect pairing for the IGP-certified rooster. At the Fair, visitors can sample a wide range of white, red, rosé, and sparkling wines in two key areas: the Gastronomic Exhibition and the Celler Penedès.
Furthermore, at the Gastroshop you can buy bottles to take home a taste of that liquid landscape. A great opportunity to discover the winemaking potential of Catalonia's oldest DO (Designation of Origin).
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Photograph: La Fachenda
Gastronomic Fair and Gastroshop
The cuisine of the Penedès region comes to the table thanks to the six restaurants participating in the Gastronomic Showcase. Dishes made with Penedès rooster and other poultry, designed to be enjoyed standing up or taken home.
These products, perfect for sharing with family during the holidays, can also be purchased at the Gastrotienda.
Featured activities
New! The pre-game festivities in the neighborhoods (from November 24th to December 5th, in the afternoon)
This year, the Fair spreads throughout the town before it even begins. With the "Preview in the Neighborhoods" program, each neighborhood in Vilafranca will host family workshops and activities designed to involve everyone, young and old.
The Rooster Comb Painting Workshop invites children to create their own comb to wear during the Fair events, while figures of the Tomasot and Ballarica make an appearance in the premises of neighborhood associations. There will also be a children's snack. It's an invitation to experience the festival from within and make it your own, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Opening speech of the Rooster Fair 2025 (December 17 at 6:45 p.m.)
Tomasot and Ballarica star in a very special opening address, designed to move and connect with people. This year, the address changes format and becomes a theatrical story, with music, videos, interviews, and real-life testimonials.
With a theatrical and family-friendly presentation, the opening proclamation will highlight the local festive heritage and popular culture as the backbone of the town. A collective narrative that begins with a dance in the town square and continues inside the Vinseum auditorium.
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Photograph: La Fachenda
Opening of the Rooster Fair (Saturday, December 20 at 8 a.m.)
The Fair kicks off with the traditional opening parade. The authorities leave the Plaça de la Vila, preceded by the Rooster Tomasot and the Hen Ballarica, accompanied by grallers (traditional Catalan musicians), heading towards the fairgrounds in Parc de Sant Julià.
It's the starting gun for an intense weekend, with the best atmosphere to experience the spirit of the party on the street.
The Henhouse (Saturday, December 20, afternoon/evening)
With the slogan "It's not an afternoon party, it's the afternoon of the Rooster Fair", El Galliner is consolidating itself as the coolest and most festive space of the Fair.
Humor and music take center stage, with two talented Catalan comedians: Oye Sherman and Alba Segarra, who will offer performances inside the gastronomic tent.
After the stand-up comedy, the party will continue with music and drinks at Bodega Penedès. A lively and relaxed format for enjoying a different kind of night out at the Fair. Ideal for meeting up with friends and soaking up the atmosphere.
XXVIII Exhibition of Festive Feather Bestiary (Sunday, December 21, all morning)
On Sunday morning, the Gastronomy Square will host the grand gathering of feathered creatures. The display will begin at 10:00 AM, and at 11:00 AM, the Ballarica will collect pacifiers from the youngest children in the "Take Me the Pacifier!" game, with a gift included.
At 12 noon the parade will begin through the streets, featuring Tomasot, Ballarica, and other invited animals. The procession will end at 2 pm with a grand finale ballad in the Plaza de la Villa.
A morning full of color, rhythm and symbolism, perfect for coming as a family.
