Sant Joan (Midsummer Night) 2026
Catalonia's Midsummer Eve celebration, marking the shortest night of the year with the arrival of the Flame of Canigo, bonfires, music and festivities. A lively, atmospheric night that visitors can simply join in.
If you're on the Costa Brava on the night of 23 June, Begur is a good place to be. This is Catalonia's big midsummer party, and the spark for it travels: a flame carried down from Mont Canigo in the French Pyrenees reaches the town in the early evening, and from it the bonfires are lit. Things get going around half six and run long into the night.
Expect crackling fires, music in the streets, and the steady thump of firecrackers. Locals eat coca de Sant Joan, a sweet flat bread topped with candied fruit and pine nuts, usually washed down with cava. Nobody minds an outsider joining in, so wander down, find a fire and stay up late. It's free, it's loud, and it's the proper start of summer.