Santa Tecla Festival in Tarragona from September 12 to 24

This celebration brings together some of Catalonia’s most emblematic festive traditions. On these days, everyone comes out onto the streets and squares of Tarragona.

The central axis of the celebrations is the traditional parade, made up of “big-head” carnival figures and characters who dance to music played on different traditional instruments. One of the most popular events is the Correfoc or fire-running, which is also the closing event of the fiesta. The people run and jump over characters dressed up as devils and dragons, carrying fire. Another much-awaited moment is the spectacular exhibition of castellers or human castles, which reach up to nine tiers high.

There is no other time of the year as lively as during the great festival, Santa Tecla.

For over one week, the people from Tarragona and the visitors go out on the streets to take over the most emblematic areas of the city where the different traditional, festive and gastronomic events take place.

In 2002 was declared “Festival of tourist interest” by the Spanish government and in 2010 was declared “Patrimonial festival of national interest” by the Catalan government. The origins of this celebration held on the streets go back to the year 1321 when the arm relic of the patron saint arrived to the city from Armenia.

On Santa Tecla’s day, the 23rd in the afternoon, the Seguici Popular (literally “popular retinue”) walks around the streets of the Part Alta (old town) giving way to the relic. Of particular note is the entrance of the arm of Santa Tecla to the cathedral with the dance of all the traditional elements, human towers, ringing of the bells and fireworks.
The 24th is the human tower day of La Mercè (Our Lady of Mercy) with the participation of the city’s colles (human towers groups) who exhibit the singular walking towers.

https://www.tarragonaturisme.cat/en/events/santa-tecla