Friday, 22 June 2012

July is a Great Month to Discover Penedès!

Already before I started to compile calendars over Catalan traditions and other events in Penedès, did I have a feeling that July was too crowded with festivals. So it is this year as well, although the recent cuts in municipal budgets have made quite a few of them disappear. Here in Vilanova i la Geltrú, for example, we have lost the world music festival FIMPT and the innovation fair Attic.

Now this is an opportunity for Penedès as a territory. The distances between our towns are short, so hopefully people here will now realize that we cannot all have “our own” festivals for all possible tastes but rather ought to explore what our neighbour towns can offer.

Today I have finally published the Penedès Agendas for July 2-18 in English, and they are full of unique events. The most spectacular one is the European Hot Air Balloon Festival in Igualada (see: Anoia) but I assume that the wine, cava and jazz festival ViJazz of Vilafranca del Penedès (see: Alt Penedès) will attract a much bigger crowd. And during the same time period we will see the first big town festivals Festa Major – in Cunit and Calafell, respectively (see: Baix Penedès) while Sitges hosts the more niche oriented festival Gay Pride Sitges (see: Garraf).

As soon as I have published the main structure of the agendas in all seven languages, it is my plan to try to come back with detailed translations of some of the individual programs. Let us see how much I will manage to do – I do, after all, hope to "live" many of these festivals as well. And I recommend you to do the same. July is a great time to Discover Penedès!

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By Erik Wirdheim – your guide in English and Swedish to the wine region Penedès (Catalonia, Spain).

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