To start the year on a large scale, Barcelona organises its Sant Antoni Festival, a celebration that pays tribute to Sant Antoni Abat, patron saint of animals, and which takes place in the neighbourhood that bears his name, on the site of the old Sant Antoni gateway, the main gateway in the city wall of Barcelona.
This January don’t miss the extensive programme of activities that revolve around this festival, such as ‘Els Tres Tombs’, a parade that puts the finishing touch to the celebration. Get to Barcelona with Shuttle2Sun‘s low-cost and sustainable private transfer services from Barcelona airport, Barcelona port and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
Sant Antoni Abat Festivity
The festivity of Sant Antoni is Barcelona’s main winter festival, which kicks off the city’s cultural calendar, with a full programme of leisure and popular culture activities, including, for example, ‘correfoc’, parades, ‘Els Tres Tombs’ parade, among many others.
Sant Antoni is a highly venerated saint in Catalonia, with many chapels and churches bearing his name, such as Church of Sant Antoni Abat, located in Barcelona’s Ronda de Sant Pau.
The 17th of January was chosen as the main day of the festival, because of the date of his death.
He is also considered the patron saint of ‘traginers‘ (goods carriers) and pets, which is why, on the festivity of Sant Antoni, the pets are blessed, and ‘Els Tres Tombs’ parade is held. Barcelona is not the only city that organises events around this celebration; many Catalan towns and cities also join in this great festival in January.
The origin of this great festival in Barcelona dates to the creation of the Sant Antoni neighbourhood in the 19th century. This population area is in L’Eixample, and arose from Portal de Sant Antoni, which was located where the church of Sant Antoni Abat is today.
Els Tres Tombs
The star event of the Sant Antoni festival is ‘Els Tres Tombs’, a parade with horses, carts and carriages, which goes through several streets of the city, including the blessing of the animals, at Escola Pia de Sant Antoni, at Ronda de Sant Pau. This parade has been going on uninterruptedly for almost 200 years, since 1825, making it the oldest parade in the city and the second oldest in Catalonia.
It should be noted that the organising body has evolved over the years. Formerly, in the 19th century, this parade was carried out by the brotherhoods of ‘mulaters’, ‘traginers de ribera’ and ‘bastaixos de capçana’, that is, the guilds that oversaw transporting goods in those days.
In 1872, Montepio de Sant Antoni Abad (Cocheros de Barcelona) was founded, and its name was changed to Montepio de Sant Antoni Abad (Caleseros de Barcelona) some years later. Finally, in 1985, Germandat de Sant Antoni Abat de Barcelona, Patronat dels Tres Tombs was created, which is what we know today as Federació dels Tres Tombs de Sant Antoni de Barcelona.
If you have never lived the Sant Antoni festival, don’t miss it this year. Get to Barcelona with Shuttle2Sun‘s low-cost and sustainable private transfer services from Barcelona airport, Barcelona port and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
2024 edition
This year’s edition 2024 will take place on Saturday, 20th of January, starting at 11 a.m. It will start from Carrer Tamarit, with Avinguda del Paral·lel.
Even so, 15 minutes before, the Tres Tombs opening speech will be read in front of Escola Pia. It will be given by Francesc Fabregat, a Barcelona native who is part of the festive events in the city. Then, the animals will be blessed in front of the school.
The route of ‘Els Tres Tombs 2024’ is the usual one, passing through Carrer Calàbria, Sant Antoni Market, Carrer Parlament, Ronda de Sant Pau, Carrer Urgell, Carrer Tamarit, Carrer Villarroel and Carrer Floridablanca, Ronda de Sant Antoni, Plaça Universitat, Carrer Pelai and La Rambla, up to Carrer Hospital; and finally, back along Carrer Manso, until reaching Plaça Puig i Cadafalch.
The pig raffle and ‘correfoc’, among the main events
Another significant element of the festival is the pig. This animal appears in numerous representations of Sant Antoni, who, it seems, cured an injured pig and the pig, in gratitude for his help, always accompanied him. This is why, since the 19th century, a raffle has been organised for Sant Antoni. In the past, the prize was a breeding pig, but in recent years it has been replaced by a raffle of meat products.
It is also worth mentioning ‘correfoc‘ (fire run), organised by Diables de Sant Antoni, which takes place at dusk on the last day of the festival. During this route of fire and lights, you will meet La Porca de Sant Antoni, the figure par excellence of this festival, created in 1995 by the artists Xavier Erre and Xavier Saló. Don’t miss it on Sunday, 21st of January, at 8.15 p.m. The route will be circular, starting and finishing in Jardinets de l’Alguer, passing through Carrer Calàbria, Carrer Floridablanca, Carrer Villarroel and Carrer Tamarit.
Get to know Barcelona’s winter festival! Get to Barcelona, without worries, thanks to Shuttle2Sun‘s low-cost and sustainable private transfer services, available from Barcelona Airport, Barcelona Port and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
