Cavalcade of Kings

Their Majesties the Kings of the Orient arrive every year in Sant Joan de les Abadesses and carry out a cavalcade through the streets of the town amidst the anticipation of young and old. The Royal Entourage arrives via Pont Nou, passing through Comella, Pere Rovira, Mestre Andreu streets, Camprodon road, Pere Rovira street, Torras i Bages square and Comte Guifré promenade. The Kings walk down Carrer Major to the square, where they are received by the local authorities. They then attend to the children who are waiting for them and present them with candies and, perhaps, with a piece of coal.

Carnivals

Every year, the weekend of Carnestoltes fills the town with costumes, joy, raucous and caroling. Throughout the whole day, the main activity is the costume contest run by the different merchants in the town. At dusk, a parade led by the Carnival King and followed by a line of costumed participants opens the carnival night that takes place at the Municipal Sports Pavilion with the most casual dancing. On Sunday afternoon, the party for the little ones follows, with a parade and a children's show.

Joan Maragall Literary Contest

The culture department of the Sant Joan de les Abadesses City Council, together with the Escola Institute, annually convenes the Joan Maragall Literary Contest. Anyone from the age of eight can participate in this competition and it is structured in two categories: schoolchildren with compulsory format and modalities, and adults in poetry or narrative mode. Prizes are awarded on St George's Day.

3 Dies Trial Santigosa

Els 3 Dies Trial Santigosa representen la prova de trial amb més prestigi de tot l'estat espanyol. Organitzada pel Moto Club Abadesses, va ser la primera prova de llarga durada d'Espanya i la segona a nivell mundial, després dels '6 Dies de Trial d'Escòcia'. La prova sempre ha tingut un caire internacional i ha estat situada al màxim nivell, comptant amb la participació dels millors pilots. Pels 3 Dies Trial Santigosa han passat els millors pilots de trial de la història: Yrjo Vesterinen, Ulf Karlson, Martin Lampkin, Mick Andrews, Pere Pi, Manuel Soler, Jaume Subirà, Toni Gorgot, Eddy Lejeune, Lluis Gallach, Marc Freixa, Doug Lampkin, Albert Cabestany, Adam Raga, Jordi Pascuet... A part de les figures de l'esport, els 3DTS han esdevingut la prova més representativa del trial afeccionat. A més, es tracta d'un cas excepcional, ja que en aquesta prova hi prenen part tant pilots d'elit com aficionats, retrobant junts les arrels d'aquest esport. Tot plegat en un marc incomparable com el de Sant Joan de les Abadesses i el seu entorn privilegiat.

Web del Moto Club Abadesses: www.motoclubabadesses.com

Sant Isidre

Every year the traditional Fira de Sant Isidre is held in the town which promotes the world of farming as part of our tradition. Among the emblematic events of the fair, it is worth noting the morphological competition of brown-breed cows, the hand-milking competition, the parade of old tractors through the streets of Sant Joan, the artisanal products fair or the guided tour Un tomb per la vida a farmer

Popular walk

On May 1, 1989, the PR-C60, also known as the Path of the 4 Hermitages, was inaugurated. Since then, the Unió Excursionista de Sant Joan organizes the People's Walk every May 1. In the first years, the original route was always repeated and everyone talked about the walk of the "4 hermitages". After a few years of always repeating the same sector of the territory, the idea arose to change it a little and the "Coal Route" was born. The philosophy of this route was to get to know the mining past while visiting corners related to this activity. In 2008, it was reinvented again and now it is the People's Walk on May 1. The philosophy of this new stage is to do a popular walk in the same spirit as always, that is to say, lots of teak and good company and trying to vary the route every year in order to get to know as much of the corners of Sant Joan de les Abadesses as possible.

Website of the Excursionist Union: www.uesantjoan.cat

Canigó flame

The Aplec de Sant Antoni

The Aplec de Sant Antoni is held annually on the occasion of the feast of this Saint, around the 13th of June, and is organized by the pabordes of Sant Antoni. Many villagers approach the mountain of Sant Antoni to attend the mass in honor of the Saint. Afterwards, sardanas are danced and a fraternity lunch is offered. The day ends with a new audition of sardanas.

Mass at the Taga

Every year, on the third Sunday of July, the Excursionist Union of Sant Joan organizes the Mass at the top of the Taga. Since 1957, hundreds of men and women from Sant Joan climb the emblematic mountain to attend this very special mass.

Count Arnau Festival

In Sant Joan de les Abadesses, during the months of July and August, the Count Arnau Festival takes place. It is a cultural project promoted by the town council, which was born in 1996 with a clear objective: to recover through a multidisciplinary festival the legend of Count Arnau, one of the main identifying and differentiating cultural features of our town
This Cycle includes theater, dance and music shows about the Myth and, around it, other activities are scheduled such as the dinner - show Alimentem el mite, the night walk Searching for Count Arnau's footprints, guided tours... Currently, remains faithful to the initial objectives and continues to work, year after year, to make this project much wider and continue to contribute to the dissemination of the Myth.

Major Festival

The Festa Major is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of September and is dedicated to the Holy Mystery. The events currently run from Friday to Tuesday of the same week.
The events of the festival are many and very varied: liturgical events, cultural events and exhibitions, concerts, dances in the tent, sardanas, meeting of giants, shows for young and old, sports activities, fun activities such as the Madness and the Diana Florejada, castle of fireworks... It is worth noting the Ball of the Pabordes, declared Festive Patrimonial Element of National Interest: a traditional dance danced by four couples in the Plaza Mayor on Sunday afternoon and Monday evening following the music played live by a couplet.
In addition, every year a monograph is published on a topic related to the population and made by the inhabitants of the town on the occasion of the celebration of this festival.

Feast of the Scream

La Festa del Grito is celebrated on the Saturday around September 15 to commemorate the Independence of Mexico. Sant Joan de les Abadesses has maintained a close relationship with Mexico since the Sant Joan composer Jaume Nunó i Roca won, in 1854, the international competition to compose the music for Mexico's national anthem. On June 3, 1980, the deed of twinning was signed with San Luís Potosí, the town where Francisco González Bocanegra, the author of the lyrics to the Mexican national anthem, was born. With this twinning, the populations that had seen the birth of the two authors were united. Since then, several events have been organized that have helped to strengthen the ties between the two populations, such as the Festa del Grito which has been celebrated since 2005 and which has the collaboration of different Mexican entities and Catalan

Tag EVO

It is a mountain race organized by the Unió Excursionista Sant Joan that has been held since 1999 and which has the participation of a large number of runners and collaborators.
It is a tough test of about 22 km of route with a steep gradient that begins its route in the urban center of Sant Joan de les Abadesses and takes the participants to reach peaks such as Puig Estela (2019 m) and Taga (2040).
More information can be found at: www.uesantjoan.cat and www.taga2040.com

Pumpkin Fair

It takes place on a Sunday in October and has been celebrated since 2010. It is organized by the town's Carbassaires Association with the collaboration of Sant Joan de les Abadesses Town Council.
The events that take place there are a pumpkin competition, an exhibition of the creation of sculptures with pumpkins and fun activities such as a children's drawing competition or tasting of various foods with pumpkin as the main ingredient.
Also throughout the day there are stalls of farmers and pumpkin artisans.

Santigosa Classic

The Moto Club Abadesses started organizing classic trial events on November 23, 2008 with a one-day Catalan Classic Cup event. Due to the success achieved and taking advantage of the circumstances of the classics calendar, the 2 Days Trial Santigosa Clàssic were born on October 23 and 24, 2009, which want to maintain the essence of the first editions of the legendary 3 Days Trial de Santigosa, who were born in these same areas in 1972.

The Autumn Fair

The Autumn Fair is an event promoted by Sant Joan Comerç with the support of Sant Joan de les Abadesses Town Council, CCAM and various town entities. to celebrate the arrival of autumn. It usually takes place around the first weekend of November and is a party for all senses and ages. There are craft stalls, children's workshops, gymnasiums, inflatables, street theater, music... Attendees will also be able to participate in raffles and enjoy autumn tapas in the restaurants affiliated to the traders' association.

Nativity scene at the top of the Taga

Since 1961, the Unió Excursionista de Sant Joan has been climbing the nativity scene at the Taga. Sympathetic members of the organization and villagers participate in the enthronement of the nativity scene at the top of the 2,040-meter mountain, which is carried out by a different person each year. The nativity scene is collected during the month of February.

Christmas market

The Christmas Market organized by the town council of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, the town council of Ogassa and the Union of Shopkeepers fills the main streets of the center of Sant Joan with stalls of artisanal and Christmas products. You can find nativity scenes, figurines, fir trees, accessories, decoration products, food products... In addition to the stalls there are also different activities, such as children's workshops, lantern making, nougat making... And, to warm up, in the evening there is a popular chocolate party.
As part of the Christmas Market, the Toy Market is also held, which brings together stalls specializing in games and toys and the toy exchange table, a space where children can take unused toys and exchange them for others . This initiative is possible thanks to the collaboration between the CEA Alt Ter and the AMPA of the Sant Joan de les Abadesses School Institute, in addition to the organizers of the market. The toys left on the counter are given to children from low-income families.

Gathering of Santa Lucia

It is celebrated on the Sunday in December closest to the day dedicated to this saint at the hermitage of Santa Llúcia de Puigmal. Several sardana auditions are held there and a solemn mass is held. In some editions, trips are organized on foot or by mountain bike from the town to the hermitage.

Juvenalia

The Esplai Somnis Group organizes the annual Jovenàlia Christmas Children's Park which takes place at the Municipal Sports Hall of Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
In the sports complex, children participating in Jovenàlia can find everything from bouncy castles, to a toy library with a psychomotor circuit for the little ones, through giant games and multiple make-up workshops, Christmas rings and stars, and drawing and painting , others. Access is free and the activities are designed for children and teenagers up to 14 years old.

Royal Page

As is traditional, year after year, the Royal Page of Their Majesties the Kings of the East visits Sant Joan de les Abadesses. El Patge arrives in town with a parade that ends at the Palace of the Abbey, where he collects all the letters from the boys and girls. This is followed by a children's entertainment show.

New Year's Eve

On the night of December 31, we share a toast and good intentions at the Great New Year's Fair organized by the Sant Joan de les Abadesses Festivities Committee at the Municipal Sports Hall.

Series of children's shows

The Children's Show Series, which consists of a set of shows with a strong educational component, promotes culture and allows children to learn about the different disciplines. Each year there are three shows (theatre, magic and a special one for Sant Jordi's Day) so that a varied cultural program is offered to the little ones.

Sardanes

Throughout the year, several sardana auditions are held with the collaboration of the town's Sardanist Association, but especially more are held during the summer, in the months of July and August, and also during the Festival major