Carnival 2016 – What not to miss!

  • SITGES CARNIVAL 2016! - What to Expect!

    Sitges Carnival takes place from the 2nd to the 10th of February, 2016, attracting more than 300,000+ visitors.

    Book your Carnival Hotel Now!

Carnival returns to Sitges in FEBRUARY 2016. Dress to impress!

This year Sitges Carnival will be celebrating its 41st Anniversary. The carnival has been held without interruption in its present form, each year since 1976 where it began as “el Carnaval de la Democràcia” – The Carnival of Democracy. However, the Carnival tradition dates back much further with the oldest document relating to Sitges Carnival dating from the 15th century.

This year the carnival will attract an estimated 300,000 visitors and will feature 2,500 people on more than 50 floats. You can follow all of the action on Facebook and Twitter via #SitgesCarnaval16.

BEARS BAR CARNAVAL 2016

Bears Bar - Open Every Night

BUKKAKE CARNAVAL 2016

Enjoy the dark rooms in Bukkake

CARNAVAL PUB 2016

Home to the best Carnival Bar - Parrots
Sauna Sitges 2016

Sauna Sitges 2016

Sauna Sitges - Returns with a fresh new look

CAROUSEL CARNAVAL 2016

Go Back to School with Princess Disgrace
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GETTING TO SITGES for Carnival 2016

45,000 additional seats will be added to the Barcelona to Sitges train route as well as high frequency buses throughout the event. On the Monday and Wednesday mornings, trains will furn from 01.29H every 20 minutes. Buses will run every 30 minutes, from 23.30 to 05.40 for the duration of the carnival.

International visitors traveling from Barcelona or the Airport should check out out Getting To Sitges section for detailed information.

THURSDAY (Dijous Gras) 4th of February

  • Arrival of the King!

    5.30 PM – The king and his entourage begin their tour of the town – from Cap De La Villa. Route Details

  • Arrival of the Queen

    7.30pm, – The Queen of Carnival will arrive with her entourage at La Fragata for a spectacular show and then meet the King at the corner of Calle Parellades – Route

  • The Predicot

    9.15pm the King of carnival will take over responsibility for the Village via the “Predicot” – the reading of his manifesto, Plaça de l’Ajuntament.

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Arrival of the King of Sitges Carnival
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The King of Carnival is the master of proceedings. Each year, he is a different character, depending on the Carnival theme. We’ve had cowboys, ghosts, french courtiers and pop stars!

FRIDAY 5th February

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The Gran Venetian Ball is in its Second Year  in Sitges and aims to bring a sense of style and sophistication to the Carnival.

  • The Grand Venetian Ball

    From 7pm until 11pm, The “GRAN GALA DE VENÈCIA 2016” will take place at the Palau de Maricel de Sitges.

  • Dress Code

    Directed by Giorgio Manni, this charity event aims to evoke the style and sophistication of the Venice Carnival. The event will be black-tie or venetian dress and will be the first masked ball of the Carnival season.

  • Tickets

    Space is limited, for ticket information contact the Hotel Platjador

SATURDAY 6th February

The bed race or CURSA DE LLITS DISFRESSATS DE SITGES as it is known, is one of the craziest, most colourful races you will ever experience. People in various types of costume (think a Camp Meets Carnival) race beds, or anything with wheels, through the streets of Sitges!

At 12, noon the annual “Bed Race” will make its way through the steets of Sitges, via the following route; Casino Prado, Francesc Gumà, Jesús, Cap de la Vila, Parellades, Sant Pau, Passeig de la Ribera, Sant Pere, Parellades, Bonaire i Passeig de la Ribera finishing at Restaurant Eguzki Lizarran, the event sponsor.

If you are looking for the ideal spot to see the best of the race action, head to the corner of C.Bonaire. You will notice all of the bales of hay! These are the crash barriers that protect the racing participants as they whizz round the corners of the narrow streets in a race to get to the finish line!

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Sitges Bed Race
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If you manage to survive partying on Friday night and wake up on Saturday early enough, then check out the Sitges Carnival annual “bed race”. We say “bed”…but really its just an excuse to race anything with wheels while wearing crazy costumes!

SUNDAY 7th February – Main parade – RUA DE LA DISBAUXA (The Debauchery Parade)

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Whatever you do, make sure you dress-up and enjoy the experience. The parades are wonderful, but you are missing out if you are not in costume. You can be whoever you want to be!

  • The Main Parade

    Sunday is one of the biggest days of the Carnival festivities. The main parade takes place from 8pm.

  • Parade Route

    Cap de la Vila, Sant Francesc, Espalter, Pl. del Pou Vedre, Bassa Rodona, Passeig de la Ribera (muntanya), Fragata, Passeig de la Ribera (mar), Av. Sofia, Mossèn Llopis Pi, Plaça del Pou Vedre, Espalter, Sant Francesc y Cap de la Vila.(Note this year there is a change in the route – the Parade will take either C.Parellades or C.Bonaire)

  • Our Top Tips

    This year there are bleachers at the corner of Fragata where you can see the entire parade on free seats! But get there early. They will fill fast. Plan your night in advance. You should grab your spot before 8pm to see the parade, but be prepared to wait. The main parade can take several hours to get through he streets. Head to your chosen gay bar party before the parade ends, so as to avoid the mad rush of people once everything finishes!

TUESDAY 9th February – Main parade – RUA DE L’EXTERMINI (The Extermination Parade)

  • The Second Parade

    On Tuesday things get a little crazier as the Carnival nears the end of its journey! The parade kicks off once again at 8pm.

  • Parade Route

    Cap de la Vila, Sant Francesc, Espalter, Pl. del Pou Vedre, Bassa Rodona, Passeig de la Ribera (muntanya), Fragata, Passeig de la Ribera (mar), Av. Sofia, Mossèn Llopis Pi, Plaça del Pou Vedre, Espalter, Sant Francesc y Cap de la Vila.(Note this year there is a change in the route – the Parade will take either C.Parellades or C.Bonaire)

  • Top Tips

    Its a little (although not by much) quieter on the Tuesday night v’s the Sunday night parade. If you managed to catch some of the Sunday parade, then head out a little later to see some of the floats you might have missed!

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Tuesday Carnival Parade
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If you manage to survive partying on Friday night and wake up on Saturday early enough, then check out the Sitges Carnival annual “bed race”. We say “bed”…but really its just an excuse to race anything with wheels while wearing crazy costumes!

WEDNESDAY 10th February – The Last Goodbye & The Burial of the King!

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The death of the king and burial of the Sardine are elaborate affairs! The king’s Widows can be heard on the streets of Sitges and beyond!

At 7 pm the traditional “Burial of the Sardine” (ENTERRRO DE LA SARDINA) takes place with the death of the Carnival king and his procession through the town via the following route, Major, Cap de la Vila, Parellades, Bonaire, Passeig de la Ribera and finishing at La Fragata.

At 8 pm the last will and testament of the King will be read and the carnival will be officially closed in a spectacular Farewell Ceremony!  Althoughh the death of the king is a sad affair, the event is beautifully choreographed!  The king’s many “widows” are battle it out to be the most “mournful”. Many of the most famous windows will be dressed in Drag! Once the event concludes,  its on to the bars and clubs for the “Widows Night”.

Special Dinners take place with aperitifs taking place at Parrots Pub and Locacola followed by a superb dinner at Le Patio.

Best Views!

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Hotel Calipolis
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Hotel Calipolis offers stunning views of the Mediterranean!

Hotel Calipolis – 4 Star, Central Location.

Check Rates

Best Pool!

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Hotel Antemare
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Hotel Antemare has a stunning pool & great poolside service.

Hotel Antemare – 4 Star, 10 minutes walk to centre.

Check Rates

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