Calendar of events 2008

13 January - 24th Sitges Half Marathon - A contrast to the usual slow pace of life in Sitges.

31 January to 6 February - Carnaval - Sitges goes wild to mark the beginning of Lent. Witness fishmongers in the market dressed as pirates, serving their wares to bank managers dressed in fishnet stockings and wigs. There is a full programme of parades, parties and dinners, culminating in a large carnival parade on the promenade that encompasses the whole community on the Sunday and Tuesday evenings.

20 to 31 March - 50th Barcelona to Sitges Vintage Car Rally - An impressive array of antiquarian vehicles (and drivers) descends on the town.

21 to 24 April - Semana Santa - Holy Week and Easter processions. The most impressive are on Good Friday evening and begin from the Church at around 10pm, when massive religious images are paraded around the narrow streets of the town, accompanied by a booming brass band and dolorous women wearing mantillas.

23 April - Sant Jordi - Festival of St George (patron saint of Catalonia as well as England!). Party time again when books and roses are exchanged.

25 May - Corpus Christi - Entire families work all through the preceding night preparing vast mounds of flowers, before hours of painstaking work are put in to laying them out into stunning intricate designs throughout the streets of Sitges, culminating in the Flower Carpet Competition. Be sure to witness them during the day, before a religious procession tramples over them in the evening.

18 to 26 July - 34th Sitges Internation Chess Open. Serious contemplation.

July/August - Spanish Beach Volleyball Championship.

5 August - Festival of Our Lady of Vinyet. Processions around the Vinyet area of Sitges, where the miraculous statue of the Virgin is paraded around the streets with much solemnity.

21 to 27 August - Fiesta Mayor - During the day, men and children form "human towers" and women dance the local sardanas in honour of Saint Bartholomew. Fire-breathing dragons parading through the town shower spectators with firecrackers (protective clothing and sunglasses a must), followed by giant human figures. Late at night on 23 August, the beach bursts into life with a massive fireworks display.

22 and 23 September - Feast of "Santa Tecla", Co-patroness of Sitges.

26 September - 23rd "Club de Tast" Festival. Gourmet food.

2 to 12 October - 41st International Film Festival of Catalonia. The number one fantasy film festival in the world which represents, at the same time, the cultural expression with the most media impact in Catalonia.