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FESTIVALS

The annual calendar of Castellón offers a wide variety of diverse folklore, activities and entertainment.

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January

The San Antonio Abad festival is celebrated in some way or other in every town in Castellón. The animal parade happens everywhere, with the blessing of the horses, the sharing of the blessed bread and fun. An essential aspect is fire, with large bonfires being lit in the square of each town (the la Santantonada is Vilanova d'Alcolea is one of the most spectacular).

February

At carnival time a visit to the Vinaròs Carnivals is essential; it is now famous throughout the country and attracts visitors from the whole of Spain.

March/April

The Fiestas de la Magdalena take place on the third Sunday of Lent and are the main festivals of the Castellón capital. For the whole week, Castellón enjoys its Festa Plena, which has a variety of popular activities and festivities: the first bullfighting event of the year, religious processions, etc.
Around the 19th March, the day of Saint Joseph, some of the towns in the province celebrate the Fallas festivals. Burriana was the first, but other towns have joined it, like Vall d'Uixò and Benicarló. A series of festivities mark this occasion like the Cabalgata del Ninot, la Plantà de la falla, la Ofrenda Floral and la Cremà.
The arrival of Holy Week brings to the province popular representations of the Passion, such as in Borriol, Torreblanca and Chilches.

May

The onset of spring in May brings a large number of rogations and pilgrimages to shrines and pilgrimages in the province (Els Pelegrins pilgrimages of les Useres, the Catí procession to Sant Pere de Castellfort, the Vallivana rogation, etc.). Other popular festivals which attract tourists are also held, like those of Almassora and Vila-real. In Almassora it is traditional to share out calderes of rice (special local stew) between neighbours, in memory of when this was done for the poor. Other towns like Cabanes, Castellfort, Forcall and Lucena also have festivals in May.
In Morella they celebrate the Corpus Christi festival with the traditional giants and large-headed figures of biblical characters, and along with this, spectacular traditional medieval dances.

June

In the province the festivals of San Juan and San Pedro are celebrated a lot, mainly in Vinaròs and Grao de Castellón. The San Juan celebrations are particularly strong in towns with pagan origins. It's traditional to have a swim in the sea at midnight and dance around the bonfires all along the Azahar coast.

July

At the Grao de Moncofa beach the landing and then procession of Saint Mary Magadalene takes place, which is fascinating for visitors.

August

Many festivals take place in the towns along the Costa Azahar, mostly dedicated to the August Virgin and to San Roque.
One of the most interesting festivals is the Sexenni de Morella, so-called because it takes place every six years, in honour of the Virgin of Vallivana. The town is decorated with carpets and architecture to produce one of the most festivals with most character, variety and folklore in the province. The Virgin procession from the shrine to the village is a medieval-style parade

September

Zorita, in the region of Els Ports has the incomparable Virgen de la Balma shrine, which makes a live exhibit, with a mixture of old-fashioned costumes and Marian faith.
In Peñiscola, the traditional Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) festival, also of medieval origin, has the impressive Papa Luna castle as a backdrop to the festivities. The Segorbe festival is also unusual, where the entry of bulls with horse has been declared of Tourist Interest.

October

The Tordo de Onda festival, coinciding with the close of the hunting season.
These are excellent popular festivals and in many cases unique in their design and originality, adding another attraction for the visitor to the Costa Azahar.