Where are Spain’s best cultural festivals celebrated?

Second place was award to the Carnival of the Indianos in Santa Cruz de la Palma, winning 19.7% of all votes. Third place was awarded to the Nava Cider Festival in Asturias, with 16.6 % of votes.

• Renaissance Festival (Tortosa, Tarragona). Tortosa transports itself back to the 16th century every year with this festival. The town centre is transformed, buildings are decorated, and the town’s inhabitants dress up to recreate the early modern period featuring shows, workshops and food tours.
• Nalón Folklore Festival (Pola de Laviana, Asturias). The townspeople decorate diverse boats and sail down the River Nalón.
• Battle of Flowers (Laredo, Cantabria). A spectacular parade featuring floats decorated with more than 25,000 flowers and petals travels through the streets of the Cantabrian town of Laredo. It takes place on August 26th.
• The Medieval festival (Cazorla, Jaén). The town transforms into a medieval setting with actors dressed as characters from the period. It is usually celebrated between the 27th September and 3rd October.
• Dance of the Stilted Men (Anguiano, La Rioja). A historic ritual that celebrates María Magdalena de Anguiano, the town’s patron saint. 8 men parade through the cobblestone streets of the Riojan town in a traditional dance on 50-centimetre stilts. The festival is set to take place on the 21st, 22nd and 23rd July.
• The Devil’s Jump Festival (Castrillo de Murcia, Burgos). This festival is held every June 19th to mark Corpus Christi and is probably one of the most unique festivals in Spain. The traditional “leaping over babies” is done in order to represent bad energy being taken away from the children and as a fertility ritual.
• Baixada dels Raiders (Coll de Nargó, Lleida). Boats decorated by their own crews sail down the Noguera de Pallaresa River. The festival consists of an exciting boat race that finishes at Pont de Claverol. It’s celebrated on August 14th.
• Astures & Romans (Astorga, León). The town of Astorga is transported back to the Roman Empire each 22nd June. The celebration marks the fight between the Astura peoples and the Romans during the conquest. It is designed to represent the life and conflicts of the times.
• Viking Festival (Catoira, Pontevedra). On the first Sunday of August, this festival recreates the Viking defence of Galicia against pirate attacks and Normans invasions by bringing these characters to life as the festival’s main characters. An authentic recreation takes place, featuring theatre plays and concerts along the Banks of the river that runs through the town of Catoira.
• Nava Cider Festival (Nava, Asturias). The Best Natural Cider Competition and the International Cider Sommeliers Competition take the forefront at this celebration that runs from 8th to 10th June.
• The Carnival of the Indianos (Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands). Each February 28th, La Palma’s streets turn a spectacular white during this festival marking the return of islanders from Cuba in the 19th century. A party filled with white talcum powder and white outfits to show off the riches that islanders brought back from the Caribbean.