Festivals and traditions that remind us
the roots of our past.

All the villages, even if they are very small, have got their own festivals and traditions to celebrate. Ripoll has been able to keep the most traditional ones and to create new ones, so it has increased its spare-time offer. We explain to you the most remarkable ones, but during the whole year a lot of different kinds of festivities and activities has been celebrated for all the likes and dislikes: fairs, pilgrimages, mountain trips, competitions: dances, musical performances, representations, spectacles and popular celebrations, between other ones.

Festa Nacional de la Llana i Casament a Pages (National Festivity of the Wool and Farmer Wedding

Organized by the Initiatives and Tourism Center ( Centre d´Iniciatives i Turisme –CIT-), it is celebrated in the middle of May and it tries to revive the ancient traditions of shaving the sheep and a traditional farm wedding. The main attraction of the festivity – besides the folkloric sample – is the fact that the connection is usually true and it can count with the presence of important people of the country, that act as best men. The festivity is completed by a market of hand-made products and a meeting of antic salesmen.

Celebration: the weekend after the Festa Major.

Festa Major de Sant Eudald, patron saint of Ripoll

In the year of 1004, the saint was acclaimed as the patron of the village and Festa Major was established on the eleventh of May. There used to be a stage when the festivity was famous for the bull races, the ox with rope, the typical catalan dance –sardana– with the orchestra playing on the belfry of Sant Eudald’s church, the processions and religious solemnities. Nowadays, the festivity is modernized and it follows the characteristics of the time; it is popular and free of charge.

Celebration: 11th of May

Mercadal del Comte Guifré. Comte Guifré market

This market was born in 1997, inspired in medieval markets, and it consists out of performances that take place in the streets of the town. This festivity brings us back in time, and the merchants of Ripoll center get dressed up and they offer spare-time activities to the visitors.

Celebration: days 10th and 11th of August

International music festival

This celebration emerges from an idea of Montserrat Caballé soprano, that since the first editions she acted free of charge in benefit of the Montserrat center, that is the body that helps and promotes the mentally handicapped. Organized by the musical section of the Initiatives and Tourism Center (Centre d´Iniciatives i Turisme), it has been taking place since 1980 during the months of July and August, and performers from different disciplines of worldwide classical music perform in the festival.

Celebration: July and August

Fira de les 40 Hores, una fira multisectorial (The Fair of 40 hours)

The name of 40 hours answers to the fact that, in the old times, the two last days of the lent and the Sunday of Passion, the Saint was exposed for 40 hours in the monastery. Nowadays the fair is used as a window shopping experience to display the products that have been made and have been negotiated in the region, and it consists out of commercial kiosks to typical stands. There are also different spare-time activities to give this fair more festival character.

Celebration: the weekend before the Palm Sunday.

Fira de Santa Teresa i Fira catalana de l’ Ovella (Santa Teresa Fair and catalan Fair of the sheep)

In the year 1853 the town hall agreed its establishment. At the beginning the transaction of the livestock was its main objective; nowadays it is only celebrating the fair of the ripollesa sheep, that, join to the sale of different daily objects, it gives the fair color and life.

Celebration: October

European cheese fair

The fair brings together cheese producers from all over Europe and also small producers from the nearest territory every year. This fair is a great opportunity to taste and buy internationally renowned cheeses in our town. One of the most remarkable attractions of this cheese show is the participation of only cheese producers. It is the added value of the knowledge of the product on the part of those who sell it, without intermediaries, thus being able to know the history of each cheese first hand.

Celebration: September

Esotèric Shopping Night

Fair with esoteric stalls, attractions and occult professionals. There are tarots, seers, witches, mediums, clairvoyants, among other alternative therapies such as palm reading, numerology, medicinal herbs, energetic cleanings… and thus the streets of Ripoll are filled with magic and the occult. In addition, the town’s establishments open their doors or take to the streets.

https://esotericshoppingnight.com

Other festivities and celebrations

– Festivity of the 27th of May
– Stamp and Money exhibition.
– International Football tournament of Ripollès (June)
– Welcome to Canigó Flame and Midsummer Night celebration. (23rd of June)
– National Day of Catalonia and the election of Ripoll’s heiress. (11th of September)
– Halloween (1st of November)
– International Race of long-distance running of Ripollès (November)
– Christmas Fair (December)