Blanes spain fireworks festival. Rest and sky in diamonds. A little trip to Blanes with fireworks

Calella (Calella) - like a smooth pebble rolling in your mouth. Since childhood, I have brought these black pebbles from the sea. Therefore, this association makes you feel comfortable and a smile spreads across your lips like the warmth of the sun.

Calella is located in the Costa de Barcelona-Maresme resort. This town began to be built in the 12th century, when the first fishing huts began to appear in this area. Calella has many charming old but well-preserved houses from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Therefore, walking around this town is very pleasant and interesting.

View of Calella beach

Church of Santa Maria and San Nicolau in the main square of the city. Double consecration because in Catalonia double patronage of saints is customary

Church sculptures

Calella railway station. The station platforms were located directly opposite our hotel, but strangely enough the noise did not interfere with sleep

link

The sea is great! clean and deep, half a meter from the shore.

Seaside Boulevard Manel Puigvert

Along the boulevard, with their facades facing the sea, there were low, but very different and cozy houses, each decorated in its own way - tiles, stucco, mosaics, fancy sculptures.

People in Spain, it seemed to me, are very friendly; if a person has a problem, they will definitely try to help. Here I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was part of one big family.

A cactus house accidentally discovered on the streets of the city

In Spain, it is customary to say hello - and everyone (no matter who you know or not) greets everyone: “Hola!” And because We are used to saying hello only to people we know; there is a feeling that in Spain everyone knows each other.

The balcony caissons are made with tiles. Ceramics - one of the folk crafts of Catalonia

Such a big, friendly group all over the country. And if you add that the Spaniards smile a lot, then you soon begin to feel very cozy, warm and really friendly. The children here are happy and unafraid, very appetizing, similar to olives - just as black, round, smooth and oily. And their almond-shaped eyes can also be compared to olives. There are a lot of dads walking alone with their children. And Spanish women are no, not beautiful, but rather sweet and charming.

Immediately upon arrival in Calella, on the first evening, we attended the festival of lamps.
A wooden stage was built on the seaside boulevard, around which long wooden tables were placed, and a “camp cafe” was located nearby, which deserves special mention. Desk-type tables were lined up in a large square, into which frisky old men and women climbed. They cut small loaves of bread and rubbed them with garlic and tomatoes to prepare a traditional Spanish dish. This is where sausages were fried, beer was sold, and sandwiches were made. And all this was done with such simplicity and friendship that it seemed to me that these were not volunteers, but one big family, or a warm company that often gathers like this - the whole city - in someone’s kitchen.

link

Meanwhile, the orchestra rose to the stage and began to play national melodies. How did I know it was them? Yes, everyone around just started dancing. What amazed me was that even the children, just not the babies, all knew the movements and, at the first familiar rhythms, they quickly organized themselves into circles, some of them just two, others numbering 10 people.

These are not pioneer dances at all, sardana

Sardana is an ancient Catalan folk dance. The Catalans, by the way, in every possible way distinguish themselves as a separate people and very carefully preserve their traditions. All signs in public places are duplicated in two languages: Spanish and Catalan.

Night Church of Santa Maria and San Nicolau

And yet, despite minor (from my point of view) differences, the Catalan language sounded very clear and pleasant. Slightly more inclined towards French pronunciation.
Finding myself in the whirlwind of Catalans, from the abundance of Spanish-sounding speech, I suddenly suddenly began to feel like I was in a TV series. And this strange, very funny feeling haunted me the entire trip! It was as if I was traveling to the country and came to watch TV.

Meanwhile, the celebration entered its climax: the stage was empty, and chairs for the jury were placed at an equal distance from each other on the central platform of the boulevard. Participants of the competition: children, teenagers, parents with infants - and the whole other motley crowd lined up in one long snake. Each one lovingly lit his own lamp, and behold, the procession began.
Strict and important judges evaluated all 80-odd lamps made by children and their parents.

Ah, Don Pedro! What kind of a man was this!

From among the judges, I especially liked the elderly man with a mustache and a red shirt. Like a strict but kind judge, he carefully assessed all the lamps passing by him, which the children carried in their hands, as if guarded by their parents as if they were angels behind their backs. This judge, whom I silently dubbed “Don Pedro,” did not miss a single, even the smallest and most uninteresting lamp. Thoughtfully, he stopped overzealous contestants to examine their act. A line of adults and children of all ages walked by, rejoicing, not at all embarrassed and even proud of their simple crafts. And the parents - it was clear in their views - were proud of their children. And for every child - be it a baby or a teenager - there was at least one lamp: fish, jellyfish, lighthouses, a catalon with castanets, cartoon characters and God knows what else!

There were even these: mothers carried their already tired and sleeping baby, and with their free third hand they held a lamp made for him; but the girl, who is still so small that she cannot fully coordinate her movements, waves a stick with a lamp attached to its end, knocks her “house” on the ground; but two teenagers are carrying a cunningly constructed beacon almost their height with a power supply hidden in a backpack.

Towers (Les Torretes) and lighthouse (Far de Calella)

Of course, neither the lighthouse nor the towers are something extremely attractive in terms of tourism, but the road to them is very beautiful - and it just goes past those wonderful coves.

And although we had to climb a lot uphill to get to the towers and by that time the sun was at its zenith and justified the name of the country by all 35 degrees, our path ran under the spreading branches of trees - cedars and pines, whose needles strewn the ground around. It was pleasant and soft to walk on, even in light flip-flops there were no problems. And the air around acquired that unforgettable smell that we all remember from our childhood and trips to Crimea. When the fresh sea breeze mixes with the completely indescribable smell of pine needles - while alchemy creates a magical aroma that I thought I would never feel again. And according to such a fairy tale (though with a noticeable upward slope), we came to the towers, where the Observation deck to the city.

The Les Torretes towers were built in the mid-19th century and were part of a communications system that stretched all the way to the French border. Information was transmitted using optical signals, flags and lights, so with the advent of electricity, the towers lost their relevance and were abandoned.

Unlike the lighthouse. The little white lighthouse is now a real beauty surrounded by green palm trees. It was built a decade later than the towers in order to prevent attacks by pirates from North Africa. At first the lighthouse ran on oil, then on paraffin, and finally on kerosene. After 1927, with the advent of electricity, it was modernized - electric lamps were installed and optics were replaced.

Now it not only functions remarkably well (the beam of light from the Calella lighthouse reaches 35 miles), but is also one of the official symbols of the city. That is why at the festival of lamps there were so many crafts in the form of this lighthouse.

Dalmau Park

We read about Dalmau Park “with tropical vegetation” in free guide around town.

The park greeted us with silence, coolness, a sunny web of shadows and light, the same amazingly sweet “Crimean” air and that state when absolute joy and uncontrollable happiness just like that, for no reason, spills into the soul - remember, like in childhood when you walk to the point of self-indulgence in the yard and all the swings and horizontal bars seem more and more interesting every time.

Dalmau Park itself is small, and the main plant species in it are pine trees (that’s why the smell is so delicious), but it is also an arboretum, so during our wanderings along the paths we periodically came across signs with the names of plants.
If you walk through the park, going up, and turn your gaze to the sea, you can see a nice view of the city with its dominant feature - the bell tower of the Church of Santa Maria and San Nicolau.

Overall a very pleasant place, of course.

A little trip to Blanes with fireworks

Our time coincided with the annual fireworks festival in Blanes. This was very convenient since Blanes is very close to Calella.

The resort town of Blanes is the oldest of all the towns on the Costa Brava. There is information that on the site of the current city there were settlements already in the era of Romanization of the Iberian Peninsula (after 218 BC), one of them was named Blanda or Blande. The first mention of Blanes itself, or Forcadell Castle, dates back to 1002. From the 12th to the 14th centuries, the city came under the rule of the aristocratic Blanes family.

The sea licks the shore clean

And in this city of Blanes, since 1906, a traditional International festival fireworks display, which coincides in time with the main holiday of Blanes - in honor of St. Anne (the holiday itself is very popular throughout Spain).
For a whole week, every evening in Blanes one of the best world-famous teams shows their art of pyrotechnics. And all week the city has had a terrible situation with transport and accommodation.

According to established tradition, fireworks are launched from a platform located on the rock of Sa Palomera protruding into the sea, dividing the bay of Blanes into two parts, from which the Costa Brava originates. Therefore we chose have a nice walk on a boat with a coda in the form of viewing fireworks from the water (all my life I dreamed of seeing flashes of fire scattered in the velvet sky and reflected in the black surface of the sea).

In the soft rays of the setting sun, we were one of the first to take our places on the pleasure boat. And, blown by the still warm breeze, they smoothly set off to gather spectators in all the other towns.
I must say that especially for this boat trip I bought myself a feeling of lightness, in the sense of a dress – long and loose. And what a lot of work it took to stay on your feet and not fly off the upper deck!

View of the Blanes promenade

Meanwhile, the sun was hiding behind the mountain, and the waves were caressing towards sandy shore. However, the romantic idyll soon came to an end. At one of the stops, the upper deck of the boat was filled with a crowd of extremely active Catalan pensioners. It was like an invasion of jackdaws and Brownian motion at the same time. How loud they are, they all said something to each other, walked back and forth, waved to each other, sang songs! And when they saw someone they knew on a neighboring boat, the whole crowd rushed to one side so eagerly to convey air greetings - that I thought we would end up somersaulting. They were so cheerful and so full of life that I involuntarily envied them on behalf of our pensioners. And in general - there is so much energy - anyone can envy here!

Those same lively pensioners

Meanwhile, we had already sailed to the place, stood in a cove next to Blanes, and treated ourselves to champagne and cake from the organizers. And they took a strategically advantageous position for observations.
However, oddly enough, as soon as the fiery extravaganza began, the talkative pensioners fell silent as if on cue. And all the passengers on our yacht gazed in fascination and admiration at the fiery flowers blooming in the night sky.

Let's just take a look.

link

As we later found out, it was a Polish team. But I never found out who won the festival.

Technical information
We bought tickets for the boat to Blanes to watch the fireworks from our guide at the hotel. Although, in principle, they could do it themselves. True, we would have to worry about this much in advance, because... All seats on these flights are sold out very quickly.
In general, any tickets for boats can be bought at Dofi Jet Boats booths. They are easy to identify by the corresponding emblem - here’s how it is on the website (you can also see the routes there). In Calella, I noticed two of them - both stood on the beach, one is closer to the beginning of the city (from the Barcelona side) - this one is called Calella, the other is at the end of the city (just near “our cemetery” and the beach we loved;) and it is already called Poblenou .
The boat stops at both stations - so, carefully study where it is more convenient for you to get on and off, so that you don’t have to walk through the whole city.

Photos are mine and

24.04.2017 15:20:56

During the summer months, the Costa Brava becomes the epicenter of entertainment for tourists.

Catalans generally love fun, bright and noisy entertainment, and the fireworks festival is a bright and noisy event in every sense.

In 2017 resort town Blanes is already hosting the 47th International Fireworks Festival. According to tradition, the event is scheduled for July 22-26.

What is the Costa Brava International Fireworks Festival?

This is one of the most incredible and original events on the coast, for which many Europeans specially come to Blanes in the second half of July.

What tourists can expect at the fireworks festival in 2017

Imagine you are sitting on the balcony of your apartment on a warm summer evening with a glass of wine - and suddenly the skies are lit up with thousands of bright flashes! A fantastic play of light and color transforms the sky around S’Abanell beach for several hours, and the sound of fireworks can be heard far beyond the city.

This is an enchanting event during which tons of pyrotechnic products explode. Tens of thousands of tourists from neighboring resort settlements come to watch the fireworks festival. Golden week for restaurant owners and tourists in and around the area!

Every year, rockets are launched from the convenient and secluded site of Sa Palomera - a huge rock jutting into the sea that separates the two city beaches of Blanes. Onlookers, several hours before the first launches, flood the entire coastline- there is nowhere for the apple to fall.

The International Fireworks Festival, officially called Focs de Blanes, is always held during the Festa Major de Santa Ana de Blanes, the city's main festival that lasts eight last days July.

It is not yet known for certain which pyrotechnic companies will participate in the festival in 2017, but we can say for sure: the spectacle is preparing to be amazing!

Last year's winner, Murcia-based pyrotechnics firm Pirotècnia Hermanos Ferrández, knows how to please its audience.

By the way, since 2012 the show has been held for five days instead of four. Then, during a period of acute economic crisis, the local government temporarily reduced the holiday program by one day.

It's good that this is behind us!

Like all public events on the Costa Brava, the Focs de Blanes festival is well organized and carefully guarded by the police. Thank God, the coast of Catalonia lies far from troubled France and Germany, where people are afraid to go out on holiday.

The best places to watch the festival in the resort

Similar to last year, the pyrotechnic show should begin at 22:30, although the most comfortable places occupied for viewing approximately an hour before launch. We advise you to take care of elevated places for observation in advance.

Is it any wonder! In the post-crisis year of 2013, the number of tourists at the festival reached 80,000 people - this is double more population Blanes. In 2014, the number of viewers exceeded 100,000, and in 2014 the absolute record was broken - 250,000 people!

As we have already said, fireworks are launched from the Sa Palomera rock - for most tourists it is just “the rock”. This place visually separates the old urban center of Blanes from the new development (El Pins), where modern hotels and campsites are located.

The best viewing spots are on the hills surrounding the "rock".

For example, on the hill of St. Juan. But don’t worry if you didn’t manage to get a place in the front row - this miracle can be seen from all over the coast. As an option for wealthy tourists, you can rent a yacht and enjoy the show from the sea.

History of the Blanes fireworks festival

One of the oldest festivals on the Costa Brava, first held in 1891. But it’s hard to say when it became an annual tradition. We only know that the competition was stopped for a while Civil War in 1936. It was resumed only in 1944, and since 1970 the organizers have not missed a single year.

The pyrotechnic show initially lasted three days, but was expanded to four days in the mid-1980s, and to five days in 1996. You already know about the further difficult fate of the event, which was overshadowed by the financial crisis.

Don't want to miss Focs de Blanes?

Then plan your vacation to Blanes at the end of July!

The International Fireworks Competition in Blanes is one of the largest fireworks festivals in Europe. The festival usually attracts up to 500,000 visitors from all over the world and the most important thing is that the competition takes place annually during the celebration of the Main Festival (on the 20th of July).

This year 47th International Fireworks Competition Costa Brava are planned to be held from July 22 to 26. Every day the fireworks show starts at 22:30, lasts 20-24 minutes and fireworks are launched from the mountain Sa Palomera.

This year the following pyrotechnic companies will present their fireworks:

And here are the photos from last year, except for the first day, when there were fireworks from the Chinese company (the camera froze, probably the Chinese parts of the camera went on strike):

Moreover, during the celebration Main festival there will be other very interesting events. One of which is Correfoc- (translated as running fire) - this is probably the brightest, most spectacular and amazing of the customs of Catalonia. This is a parade during which people dressed as devils spin burning firecrackers over their heads, and the rest try to run under the flying sparks as close as possible to the “evil spirits.” Another obligatory participant in the fire parade are no less terrible papier-mâché figures of dragons with sparklers and fakirs who set these figures on fire.

And for those who have never attended this holiday, you can view photo galleries of the years:

And in conclusion, I advise everyone who loves photography and photographic art to take part in the photography competition, which is dedicated to the Main Festival in Blanes. Last year I participated and made it to the finals, but did not take a prize. So try it, maybe someone will be lucky enough to take a successful shot!!!

Here are a couple of photos from the competition:

P.S. And in the next article I will write about what you need to participate in a photography competition and how to prepare for it.

July-August is a time not only for vacations, but also for all kinds of holidays and festivals. International pyrotechnics competition Focs de Blanes- the brightest, noisiest and most accessible of them.

Fireworks on July 26, the day of the city's patron saint, St. Anne, are as common a phenomenon in Blanes as castellers (living towers) or sardana (folk dance) in other Catalan pueblos. This tradition is no less than 125 years old. In 1891, one local writer complained to himself in his diary about how difficult it was to go to work after a holiday with wine, songs, dances and fireworks. Surely, fireworks were held on the city day before, there is simply no documentary evidence of this. In the last century, there were no fireworks in Blanes only from 1936 to 1943; in 1944, the tradition was already restored, despite World War II, which was raging in neighboring states.

In the 60s, tourism in Spain, primarily beach tourism, gained good move. The Costa Brava has become very popular destination, and a struggle for the attention of guests broke out between the seaside towns. The city hall of Blanes, keen on competition, decided to convert good habits into international interest and in 1970 established a pyrotechnics competition. Since then, July fireworks displays in Blanes have stretched for almost a week. No matter what happens in the country and the world, the competition is held regularly every year; in 2016, the holiday for vacationers took place for the 46th time.

From the very beginning, the Sa Palomera rock, one of the miraculous landmarks of Blanes, has been and remains the stage for pyrotechnic performances. It is commonly said that it is from this place that the Costa Brava stretches to the northeast, and so that tourists realize how important a point of the coast they are at, a monument reminding of this is erected nearby.

During the competition, the area around the rock is cordoned off and under 24-hour police surveillance to prevent unplanned fireworks.

Organizers claim that the daily audience of performances reaches 150,000 people, which is three times the population of Blanes. It is significant that half an hour before the start of the fireworks there are more people on the beach than during the daytime.

Any company or even an individual, regardless of their country of residence, can apply to participate in the competition. In early April, applicants submit a portfolio and performance script to the technical commission. After a month of deliberation, the commission selects four participants and adds the winner of last year's competition to this list. The municipality of Blanes allocates 19,000 euros to each contestant for upcoming expenses.

The winner is determined by the combined assessment of two juries - professional and "popular" and is announced on the evening of July 27. The prize for winning is 6,000 euros, in addition to money, the Trofeo Vila de Blanes cup made of silver and semi-precious stones is awarded and the right to unconditional participation in the next year's competition is granted.

Hermanos Ferrández won 2016, blowing up the skies of Blanes on Tuesday 26 July. This is not the first victory for pyrotechnicians from Murcia; they already won here five years ago.

Visiting information

The usual time for the pyrotechnics competition in Blanes is from July 22 to 26. On the official page of the competition you can see who is performing on what day, and for old-time teams - videos of their shows from past years.

The first rockets take off at 22:30, and the entire fireworks display lasts approximately 25 minutes. It is not recommended to arrive directly to the beginning - the entrances to the center are blocked and it is impossible to predict how long it will take to park the car and walk to the performance site.

It is optimal to arrive in Blanes around 6 pm, leave your car in the large underground parking lot at Plaça Catalunya, which is right next to Sa Palomera, and spend time visiting botanical garden Jardí Botànic Marimurtra, considered almost the most beautiful in the entire Mediterranean, and a leisurely dinner in one of the restaurants on the city embankment.

There is no point in running to the parking lot immediately after the fireworks have died down - the exit from it will be closed for at least another half hour. Instead of waiting in the car while the fence is removed, it is better to walk three hundred meters to the square next to the government house and see a little of what local artists have prepared for the residents of Blanes for St. Anne's Day.

It might be useful to read: