No. 3: San Joan; Barceloneta’s Blow Out
As I write this, the good people of Barcelona are standing in lines to buy an arsenal of fireworks and booze. Always a good combination, fire and liquor are on the menu tonight for one of Barcelona’s biggest fiestas: San Joan.
With such a saintly name, one might think that this is a Catholic holiday. Really, San Joan is a pagan holiday to welcome the summer solstice and has been celebrated along the Mediterranean for, well, forever. Tonight no one stays at home. Everyone finds a piece of beach to set on fire, whether with BBQs, fireworks or classic bonfires. This is the only day of the year, in fact, when the city allows fires on the beaches. Some wise citizens head to other neighboring beaches outside of Barcelona, but most stay close to home, flocking to Barceloneta with rockets in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
It’s fun. It’s mayhem. It’s dangerous. It’s completely worth seeing at least once. It’s not for the faint of heart, or those with sensitive ears or anyone who is even slightly claustrophobic. Its pagan debauchery in the truest sense and everyone is into it. There will be music and dancing and people sleeping or passed out on the beach. There will be a city sponsored fireworks display and many armatures setting off their own pyrotechnics. I’m not sure if I like San Joan or not. I know I don’t like the noise. But, as I have done every year, tonight I will go to the beach and join in the chaos that is Barceloneta’s San Joan, in the belief that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
Spain in general is famous for its parties, and I will hand it to the Spanish, they know how to throw a fiesta. While I have been to many parties in Spain, San Joan is by far one of the craziest, right up there with Pamplona’s running of the bulls.
Where: All Barcelona beaches, especially around Barceloneta
What: fire and booze - debauchery
When: After 10pm on the 23rd of June every year
Price: free