Sitges is an adorable beach town, about forty minutes by train down the coast from Barcelona.
PHOTO KAELA TRUTNERFor many European countries, Carnaval is the most fun week (or longer) of the year. Unless you do not enjoy a single aspect of Halloween, 4th of July, the San Francisco Pride Parade, or Disneyland, Carnaval could be one of the best festivals you ever experience. Try to imagine all of the best parts of these celebrations mixed up and enhanced by the fact that you’re in Europe! I was lucky enough to be in Sitges this year for Carnaval.
My group and I went to the town of Sitges for the Rua de la Disbauxa or Parade of Debauchery, one of the more fun and important parades held throughout the festival (the other falling on Tuesday, which is the equivalent of Mardi Gras). Sitges is an adorable beach town, about forty minutes by train down the coast from Barcelona.
I mentioned Disneyland in my explanation of Sitges Carnaval because walking through the little alleyway streets reminded me of walking through New Orleans Square in Disneyland – Sitges is a real-life fantasyland. Sitges is also apparently the gay community’s favorite place to party, and no event (except perhaps SF Pride) welcomes drag costumes more than Carnaval, so this place has really become one of the most vibrant and fabulous Carnaval sites in Europe!
The kids’ parade takes place during the day, and leaves the city covered in colorful confetti and candy, attracting children of various different ages and costumes to join in the fun with their peers. Before the adult Parade of Debauchery, my friend and I ordered drinks at a bar full of people being face painted, preparing to dance the night away on their respective floats. We then had to find a place to watch the parade: there are so many streets going everywhere in Sitges, none of which are particularly prominent. So, finding a good viewing point for the parade was difficult, but the final view was definitely worth the search.
PHOTO KAELA TRUTNERAs we walked throughout the town, there were all different types of costumes, ranging from mere animal ears worn by foreigners who didn’t know what to expect, to store-bought pirate or superman costumes donned by Spaniards and other Europeans. The real stars of the show, however, were the parade participants and prideful drag queens dressed as elaborately decorated birds, Vikings, and of course, Madonna. Comparatively, I did not adequately represent San Francisco Pride, despite my glittery gold cowboy hat and mask. There were all different types of people there; we met locals, and even people who had traveled clean across the EU from Italy to see the Sitges Carnaval.
I could just tell how special the night was to all the locals and travelers alike. I strongly recommend that anybody in Spain during Carnaval make sure to spend at least one night celebrating in the fantastic beach town of Sitges.
