Fiestas in Vigo

As one of Galicia's newer cities, Vigo does not have as many historic festivals as some of its counterparts, however it does have a number of more recent events celebrating music from a variety of different genres. The nature and dates of these performances are usually fixed individually for each year or season.

Below is a limited listing of the main festivals of popular or tourist interest. We are presently trying to obtain a more complete compilation than that given below.

Fiestas

Like most Galician cities, July and August are the big festival months in Vigo and there are numerous events, particularly musical, that take place during this summer period. The larger spectacles are held in the city's open air auditorium (Castrelos).

Gastronomic fiestas like those of the sardine, octopus and bread extend from June to August, but there is something going on during almost every month of the year. The larger events have processions, traditional dress, flowers and singing. Below are some examples.

• 28 March. The Reconquista. (This festival celebrates the expulsion of the French rather than the Moors and is a big day for the city. It coincides with Holy week.
• 13-19 July. Vigofolcelta Fiesta. (We believe this to be a Celtic festival in keeping with those of many other towns and cities of the region. It will involve a part of the old town being temporarily “dressed” as it would have been in medieval times. There will also be a number of stalls and markets themed to the event.)
• 24 July. Voices of Vigo festival (We believe this to be a music and vocal performance.)
• Fist Sunday in August. Semana Grande. (This fiesta actually relates to the patron saint of the city, Saint Mary (15 August), but the events itself takes place on the Sunday.)
• 16 August. San Roque. (Another of the city's fiestas of religious origin.)

The many small towns and villages around Vigo also host their own fiesta celebrations and many are based on or around saints days.