Cambrils Holidays 2012: Public Holidays in the Calendar Year for Cambrils, Costa Daurada

Spain is renowned for its love of saints day celebrations. Cambrils has a number of dates during its year when the locals have a day off and take part in traditional celebrations. On these days you are likely to get a chance to see some local traditions of music, dance and food.

This page provides listings for all of the important public holidays in Cambrils: the Feast of the Three Kings, Saint Anthonys Day, Easter Week, Feast of San Jordi, Saint Peters Day, Mare de Deu del Carme festival, Mare de Deu del Cami festival and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There is a description of each event, what activities will be taking place and links to places where you can find further information.

If you fancy doing a spot of shopping during your stay in Cambrils, you may find that the shops are not open on these public holidays. If you would like to check this nearer the time, it is best to contact Tourist Information in Cambrils (for their contact details, see our Cambrils Tourist Information page).

Feast of the Three Kings - 05 January - 06 January

This day is officially for the kids. In Spain it is traditional for children to receive their Christmas gifts from the three kings, rather than from Father Christmas. The Spanish children will have written their letters to the three kings telling them what they want. They will then leave their shoes outside their door on the night of the 05 January and wait to see what they have been filled with on the morning of the 06 January.

In Cambrils this feast is celebrated with the arrival of the three kings on a boat into the Port of Cambrils on the evening of 05 January. This is followed by a parade through the town. This is when the children can give their letters to the kings.

On 06 January the three kings go around the houses of Cambrils giving toys to the children.

Saint Anthony's Day - 16 January, 17 January, 23 January, 24 January

This is a feast that celebrates animals. Therefore, on this date there is a procession of donkey, mule and horse drawn carriages through the town. There is also the Saint Anthony's Day dance and horse show in the town centre. The festival is often called the 'Tres Tombs' festival.

Easter Week - At the Start of Monday 02 April 2012 - Monday 09 April 2012

Easter Week is celebrated with a procession at the Santa Maria Church on Good Friday.

Feast of Sant Jordi - 23 April

This is like the Spanish version of Valentines day - a really romantic date to be in Cambrils. The tradition in Catalunya for Sant Jordi (Saint George's day) is that women give men books and men give women roses. For this reason, the streets of the town are lined with stalls selling either roses or books. There is also traditional Catalan dancing, entertainment for the kids and shows.

For a full explanation of this saints day, see our Guide to Sant Jordi.

Saint Peters Day - 25 June - 26 June

Sant Pere Church

El Pescador Parc

This celebration spreads over two days. On 25 June there are parties throughout town. Then, on 26 June there is a high mass at the Sant Pere church where homage is paid to ancient fishermen. There is also a children's show in El Pescador Park (for details on how to find the park, see our Guide to Cambrils Parks and dancing. This celebration is very important to Cambrils and activities take place all over town. These include 'the dance of the giants', skiff racing, art exhibitions, shows and a sailing regatta.

Mare de Deu Festival (the festival of the patron saint of fishermen) - 15 July - 16 July

Cambrils Beaches in the Early Evening

Aptly, this celebration of the patron saint of fishermen takes place mainly on the beach. There are beach-side renditions of traditional fishermen's songs. Along with this there is the tradition of burning rum. There is also a procession at sea with an offering of the Virgin Mary.

Mare de Deu del Cami festival - 01 September - 12 September

The Old Quarter in Cambrils

This festival begins on 01 September with a parade that works its way through the streets of the Old Quarter (for details on how to find the Old Town, see our Guide to the Districts of Cambrils). The parade includes giants and characters called 'Nanos' - these are creatures with large and silly heads. At the procession there is also baton dancing and a dance known as the 'Dance of the Devils'. There is the Sardana (a traditional Catalan dance), drummers and the elected 'King and Queen of the Parade'. For a full history of Sardana dancing, see our Guide to Catalan Cultural Dance.

High mass takes place at the Torre I Ermita de la Mare de Deu (for the location, see our Guide to the Attractions in Cambrils). During mass there is an offering of flowers to the Virgin Mary.

After mass there is another performance by the giants and 'Nanos' in the courtyard of the building. This is accompanied by more baton dancing and sardanes.

For the days after this, until 11 September there are events that take place. These include plays, children's theatre and concerts. Some of the more specific events include:

The 'Night of Fire': a procession of light and fire takes place in the old town and ends with fireworks in the Palaca del Setge. After this there is a concert and dancing at the Parc del Pinaret (for details on how to find the park, see our Guide to Cambrils Parks.)
Mangrana: An international ethnic and traditional festival which takes place in Parc del Pescador.
Gathering of Giants: There is a procession carried out only by the giants. This takes place in the streets of the port area and ends in Parc del Pescador.

On 11 September it is Catalan National day. This is celebrated with a ceremony in the Parc del Pescador and includes a performance by the Verge del Cami choir.

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - 08 December

Santa Maria Church

This is an important date in the Spanish calendar and for many it signals the start of Christmas. The festival begins with High mass at the Santa Maria church. After this there is a procession and a dance of giants and 'Nanos' (see above for what these are). There is also traditional baton dancing. There are also other activities that take place throughout the day including plays, children's theatre, concerts, a Christmas market, sardana dancing and art exhibitions.

This is also the day when prizes are awarded for the Vila de Cambrils Painting and Photography Prize. They are awarded by public decision at the Agora Room gallery in the town hall.

On this date there is also an event to commemorate the victims of the Siege of Cambrils in 1640. There is an offering of flowers at the gateway between Carrer Major and Placa del Setge.

Cambrils is not short of holidays celebrating local, Catalan and Spanish traditions. It is worth trying to be in Cambrils for one of these holidays as they will give you real insight into true Catalan life. The events also focus heavily on providing entertainment for children, so the kids are bound to love the festivals of Cambrils.