Saturday 2 May 2009

The 'Wirdheim in Vilanova' Event Calendar - May 2009

Up-date: The Champions League final will be showed on big outdoor screens in many places, eg. in Vilanova, Vilafranca and el Vendrell (see May 27 here below).

For those of you who are in Barcelona, I would recommend the giant screen at Maremàgnum. True culés (except for those who are already t in Rome) will watch the game in Barça's Miniestadi, but tickets there have already been sold out.

Information (in Spanish) on where to find big screens in the rest of Catalonia can be found in LaVanguardia.

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During our first years in Catalonia I considered it more or less impossible to find out about when different activities - say a castellers performance – would take place. Although the ajuntaments of most towns have quite good web pages, their activity calendars often leave out events which I would expect to find there and still today does it happen that I learn about interesting things only after they have happened.

To help expats as well as temporary visitors interested in Catalan popular culture, to encourage locals to send me recommendations and, above all, to organise myself, from now on, I will present a monthly entry on events to come. Taking my starting point in Vilanova i la Geltrú, where I live, the intention is to cover also the rest of the Penedès area. I will allow myself to be totally subjective and limit the information to activities where I, at least theoretically, would consider going.

Here is a summary of what I see as important dates, from a cultural point of view, for the month of May 2009:

May 9, Vilanova i la Geltrú (Garraf): A circus performance called El primer año es difícil... los demás, imposibles. Find here more about Penélope and Aquiles and La Vela, respectively.

May 10, El Vendrell (Baix Penedès): Castellers performance by the Nens del Vendrell and the Bordegassos de Vilanova. Plaça Vella at 13.00.

May 10, Barcelona and Madrid: At 19:00 FC Barcelona meets Villarreal at Camp Nou. The three points of a victory can mathematically make them the winners of the Spanish Lliga of 2008-09, in case Real Madrid does not win over Valencia. At 21.00 Espanyol meets Atlético Madrid at the Vicente Calderon stadion. The three points of a victory would secure their position in the premier Lliga for the next season. (Just in case: lliga is Catalan for liga in Spanish)

May 13, Valencia: FC Barcelona and Athletic Club de Bilbao plays the final of the Copa del Rei.

May 15, Calafell (Baix Penedès): Festa de la Cultura Penedès and Reconneixements culturals collita 2009. A celebration of the Penedès culture and those who - according to the Institut d'Estudis Penedesencs - do the most to build and spread it.

May 15-17, Vilafranca (Alt Penedès): Les Fires i Festes de Maig - o dels enamorats – a multisectoral (wine, cava, food, cars and agricultural machinery) May trade fair with a history dating back to the 12th century.

May 16-17: The International Museum Day: A Day of Open Doors at the Victor Balaguer museum of Vilanova (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and Vinseum in Vilafranca (Saturday and Sunday).

May 16: The Eurovision Song Contest. I have to list this – firstly, because I come from Eurovision crazy Sweden and secondly because it is one of the few annual activities which manages to create pan-European experience, like it or not.

May 17, Vilafranca (Alt Penedès): Colles Castelleres de la Veguria Penedès. A major joint castellers performance where, among others, the Castellers de Vilafranca and the Bordegassos de Vilanova will take part.

May 27, Rome: At 20:45, FC Barcelona meets Manchester United in the Champions' League Final. In Vilanova the game will be shown on big screens in the Plaça de les Casernes (organised by the Bordegassos) and in front of the church in la Geltrú (organised by the neighbours association). In Vilafranca the neighbours association of Sant Julià will show the match in Plaça de la Sardana and in el Vendrell the big screen can be found in Plaça Francesc Macià.

May 29-31, Vilanova i la Geltrú (Garraf): The Trapezi Circus Festival. Find here my blog entry on Trapezi 2008.)

Exhibitions:

Trans-lúcids at La Sala in Vilanova i la Geltrú (Garraf)

Fotomaig, Sitges (Garraf) – Sitges’ annual May photo festival starts at the Espai Cultural Pere Stämpfli.

Castellers:

For castellers (human tower) performances outside the Penedès area, please, refer to the tag Agenda Castellera at the Coordinadora de les Colles Castelleres de Catalunya, or the Calendari at LaMalla.cat/castellers.


General:

Wirdheim in Vilanova will to the greatest extent possible refer to official pages (usually in Catalan) for information on the time and location of all events and can unfortunately not guarantee to present the latest up-dates or changes of program.

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Technorati tags: Castellers, Catalonia, Expat, Festa, Garraf, Penedès, Sitges, Vilanova

8 comments:

Michael said...

Thanks for posting this list of activities! You've inspired us to visit this summer, when we hope to learn about such events in Vilanova and nearby.

Iain F said...

Thanks again for your useful info and for the events list - a great idea! We'll be in Vilanova 25 May to 1st June and I think the kids will enjoy the Circus Festival.

Do you know when the castell season starts?

Erik Wirdheim said...

Michael,

Thanks for your encouraging comment. Give me a hint about when you will be here and I will be happy to broaden my relatively narrow personal perspective to a more general tourist perspective.

Ian,

I am confident that not only the children but also you yourself will like Trapezi - there will be street performances all around Vilanova.

The Castell started on the Dia de Sant Jordi. It is a pity that you will not be here for the Diada in Vilafranca (May 17). I will keep my ears and eyes open and try to find something for the weeks after. Alternatively, pass by the practice hall of the "Bordegassos" in "Plaça de les Casernes".

//Erik

Anonymous said...

thanks for the post! I´m an American expat living in Cubelles and we´re always looking for something to do close to home. Most calendars list events in Barcelona which can be a bit of a drive for us.

Iain F said...

Erik - do you know of any public events in Vilanova for the Champions League final?

Just wondering if there would be a big public screen anywhere or some other events that would make it a bit more of an occasion than sitting at home!

Erik Wirdheim said...

Anonymous,

Thanks for encouraging me. Since you live in Cubelles you might also be interested in my new entry series "Penedès News".

If you want information for a certain weekend, please, make sure to come back here in the Friday evening, right before. By then I up-date with what I learn in the weekly issue of "Diari de Vilanova".

Ian,

Oops, only today do I realise that I have not answered your question. No, there are not any big public screens here. Having said that, down at the beach walk there are several pubs which show the games. In case my wife can take care of the children, I will go there myself - possibly to George's. It
is a bar, but they have big screens.

//Erik

Erik Wirdheim said...

Ian,

On May 31, Vilanova's Bordegassos will be at a high profile castellers meeting in Sabadell (http://www.lamalla.cat/castellers/calendari/article?id=259035). Unfortunately that is quite far from here. On the same day there seem to be a small performance in Castelldefels - that is only 15 minutes from here and easily accessible by train.

//Erik

Erik Wirdheim said...

Ian,

I hope that you will read this on time: there will be big public screens in Vilanova as well. I plan to be at the Plaça de les Casernes at the beginning of the game and take it from there.

/Erik