San Pedro Festivity (Fishermen's Patron Saint)

This is one of Peñíscola's own days rather than a tourist set-piece, and it shows. Things kick off mid-morning with a gathering at the Plaza de la Llotja Vella, the old fish market square, before everyone walks up to Santa María church for Mass. The part worth catching comes around midday: the image of Saint Peter is carried down to the old port and taken out to sea by boat, then brought back into the harbour to bless the fleet that keeps the town fed.

Afterwards it relaxes into something more sociable, with a vermouth at the market and lunches at the local restaurants. You don't need to be religious to enjoy it. Stand near the harbour, watch the boats, and you'll get the gist of why this stretch of coast still calls itself a fishing town. Free to watch, and genuinely local.