Sant Joan Festival in the Poble Sec Neighbourhood

This is Sitges doing midsummer the way the neighbours like it, away from the seafront crowds. Over five days around St John's, the streets of Poble Sec fill with long communal dinner tables, the click of sardana dancing in a ring, and habaneras drifting out over a glass of something cold. The verbena keeps the dancing going late, and the whole thing carries the easy feel of a district throwing a party for its patron saint rather than for the tourists.

You can simply turn up and wander in. The street events are free, though some of the sit-down dinners ask you to sign up or pay a little. Come hungry, expect to be chatting with locals before long, and don't be in any hurry to leave. It's the unshowy, genuinely Catalan side of Sant Joan, and all the better for it.