Sant Joan is the festival that officially opens the summer. The days before, the little ones throw firecrackers indiscriminately through the streets and firecrackers and fire takes over the city the shortest night of the year.
Although the tradition has been maintained, its essence has changed over time. Fifty years ago, hundreds of bonfires burned Barcelona during the Revetlla de Sant Joan compared to the twenty that are authorized this 2024. It was a festival of rebellion, of fire and firecrackers, of burning the old and celebrating the arrival of summer.
According to anthropologist Manuel Delgado, it was the kids who for weeks collected the wood and junk to make them. The gangs would go through the streets and, as if it were a game, hide the material they found from the firefighters and the Guardia Urbana so they could burn it during the Revetlla.
Although there is less and less of that spontaneous Barcelona with groups of grandmothers sitting in chairs in the middle of the street gossiping about salseos neighborhood, still do not lose hope, because there are scheduled about 50 Revetlles de Sant Joan around the city, not counting the bonfires and the gresca i xerinola that is organized around it.
These Revetlles, or verbenas, are parties organized by different cultural and neighborhood organizations, as casals, colles castelleres or neighborhood associations, and are open to anyone who wants to participate in this party, eat coca and drink wine.
So, in order not to lose the tradition and continue claiming the popular festivals and public space as a community meeting point, we tell you where you can still enjoy this party that celebrates with fire the shortest day of the year.
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Will it rain the night of Sant Joan?
This past week summer has arrived in the city and its characteristic humid heat that usually accompanies the month of June has already begun to spread. However, coming off a month of unexpected rainfall that has said goodbye to drought it is normal that we ask ourselves, what will the weather be like during the night of Sant Joan?
On Friday and Saturday the maximum temperatures will be around 27º. On Sunday, however, it will rain and temperatures will drop to 24º, according to the AEMET.
This is how the transportation will be during the night of Sant Joan
During the night of the 23rd, Barcelona’s public transport will have some special services so that moving anywhere in the city will not be a problem.
Metro services will open throughout the night without interruption and streetcars will do the same at intervals of between 15 and 30 minutes. ATM, for its part, will reinforce some NitBus lines in order to accommodate a greater number of passengers. On the other hand, others, such as Ferrocarrils and Renfe Cercanías will maintain their usual schedules.
The Flame of Canigó, the Inception of all flames
As explained by the Barcelona City Council, in 1955 Francesc Pujades, a resident of North Catalonia (France), inspired by the poem Canigó, by Jacint Verdaguer, had the idea of lighting the fires of San Juan at the top of the mountain and spread the flame everywhere.
Since then, every morning from June 22 to 23, the Flama del Canigó leaves the Castellet of Perpignan, climbs to the top of Canigó and lights a bonfire that serves to light a bonfire with which volunteers will light lanterns that will spread the flame throughout the Catalan territory. Walking, running, by bicycle, by boat, on horseback… the Flame travels in a thousand different ways to arrive on time to the squares of the different Catalan towns and light the bonfires of San Juan, thus mixing two traditions to celebrate the solstice and the union of the Catalan people.
That year the flame, coming from the Castellet de Perpinyà, which will reach the Plaça Sant Jaume at 6 p.m. on the evening of June 23, to spread from there to all the bonfires of the city and illuminate the festivals. Here you can see the schedules and the route of the Flama del Canigó 2024.
All the bonfires that will burn in Barcelona
Remember as the saying goes: qui encén foc per Sant Joan, no es crema en tot l’any. So whether you believe in these ancient superstitions or not, we bring you all the bonfires that will burn in Barcelona 2024:
Ciutat Vella
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- Rambla del Raval
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- Poeta Boscà Square
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- Lluís Companys Promenade
L’Eixample
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- Av. Mistral, between Entença and Floridablanca
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- Floridablanca St., between Rocafort and Calabria St
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- Lepant with Ausiàs March
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- Sardenya with Consell de Cent
Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
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- Porta de Sarrià.
Horta-Guinardó
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- Frederica Montseny Gardens.
Sant Andreu
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- Can Fabra Square.
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- Plaza de los Jardines de Elche and Garcilaso Street.
Sant Martí
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- Ramon Turró Street with Espronceda.
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- Council of Trent with Lope de Vega,
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- Meridiana Avenue with Corunya Street.
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- Huelva Street with Agriculture.
In addition to all these bonfires, many other neighborhoods and areas of the city will organize festivals and other activities to celebrate the shortest night of the year. If you want to consult for more detailed information about the Revetlles and the bonfires you can do it in the ajuntament’s website.
No parties in the beach bars
Beyond the verbenas and neighborhood bonfires, one of the most common traditions is to celebrate Sant Joan on the beach. This year will be no different, but a rule that was initiated during the pandemic will be maintained: the chiringuitos will not be allowed to set up their own parties, so any celebration of the Sant Joan verbena on the beach will have to take place outside of them.
In addition, to ensure safety and cleanliness, the beaches of Barcelona will be vacated at 6:30 am.
Low-noise firecrackers for a more inclusive San Juan
Yes, as you hear, not all firecrackers are loud. The night of St. John’s Eve, which for many is full of joy and bursts, for others, like autistic people, with high auditory sensitivity or simply who do not like loud noise, but also for some dogs, it can become a real hell.
This is not to say that they don’t want to celebrate this holiday, but that the roar of some firecrackers is the element that limits their fun. Now, thanks to La Traca pyrotechnics, which last year inaugurated the first silent and low noise firecracker stand in Barcelona, this tradition becomes more inclusive.
La Traca defends that although its pyrotechnics are silent and luminous, is no less fun than traditional firecrackers.
Their booths are located on Avenida Meridiana with Calle Zamora and Via Favencia, 441 and their firecrackers are either silent, ordo not exceed 97 decibels.