Carnival arrives in Catalonia for a week of fun

Festival kicked off on ‘Fat Thursday’ with the arrival of the Carnestoltes King of Carnival in Sitges

The Sitges King of Carnival arrives at the party town to kick the 2022 festivities off (by Àlex Recolons)
The Sitges King of Carnival arrives at the party town to kick the 2022 festivities off (by Àlex Recolons) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

February 25, 2022 10:14 AM

The King of Carnival, ‘Rei Carnestoltes’, arrived in Sitges on Fat Thursday, and that can only mean one thing - it’s Carnival time!

Catalonia is in for a week of parties, parades, and costumes for the first normal carnival celebrations in two years, as the last major festival took place right before the pandemic was declared in 2020. 

Covid-19 indicators have been trending in a positive direction for the past few weeks, and very few restrictions remain in place

Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú, and Solsona will be three towns hosting huge celebrations throughout the week, and the festivities kicked off on ‘Fat Thursday’ and, as always, will last until Ash Wednesday, March 2. 

The King of Carnival arrived into the seaside town of Sitges in spectacular fashion full of color with a musical ensemble, lots of dancing flamingos, and a huge fireworks display to boot. In front of hundreds of adoring subjects, the Carnestoltes King proclaimed himself the figurehead of Sitges with full control of the town for the next seven days. 

At the opening ceremony of the party, His Majesty met with Sunna who will be proclaimed the Queen of Carnival at the Casino Prado this Saturday, who arrived with an entourage made up exclusively of women. 

She is an "empowered" goddess from the realm of ice. The legend of the character is based on a legend of the town of Sitges being frozen over by a lying and ruthless god who "sowed chaos among the wisest, tore the hearts of the most in love, and froze the voices of the most daring."

Carnival arrives in Barcelona

The traditional entourage of King Totila and Queen Belluga kicked off celebrations in the Catalan capital on Thursday night as well. 

The arrival of Barcelona’s carnival royalty, designed this year by the company Comediants, toured the lower part of La Rambla boulevard and paid homage to its kiosks before reaching the Santa Mònica area where they were met by dancing giants, ambassadors of the Barcelona old town, and representations of the seven deadly sins. 

Finally, the ‘Taronjada’ was celebrated, an event dating back to 1933 when the Consell de Cent banned the throwing of oranges. Orange confetti has replaced fruit in this contemporary version of the tradition.