{"id":5440,"date":"2014-06-23T20:47:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-23T18:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=5440"},"modified":"2016-10-03T13:08:23","modified_gmt":"2016-10-03T11:08:23","slug":"nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Night of the Year: Nit de Sant Joan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Every year Barcelona celebrates the summer solstice (when the day is longest) with the festival of Sant Joan. This takes place over several days but the main date is the 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, nit de Sant Joan, which involves huge amounts of partying and pyrotechnics. The festival is adapted from the pagan practices of worshiping times of year and is celebrated in the Christian tradition as John the Baptist\u2019s Birthday. However, many of the pagan traditions remain, the first being the symbolism of fire as fertility and purity. This tradition of using fire has remained a key to the celebrations of Sant Joan in Barcelona. This takes the form of fireworks and huge sparklers being set off across the city. Today, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>ShBarcelona<\/strong><\/a> will tell you a bit more on the Nit de Sant Joan.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/holidays-celebrations-2019\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Holidays and Celebrations in 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona\/#What_goes_on\" title=\"What goes on?\">What goes on?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona\/#The_Best_Places_To_Go\" title=\"The Best Places To Go\">The Best Places To Go<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona\/#Something_to_Eat_and_Drink\" title=\"Something to Eat and Drink\">Something to Eat and Drink<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/nit-de-sant-joan-barcelona\/#Transport\" title=\"Transport\">Transport<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_goes_on\"><\/span>What goes on?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5441\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Palam\u00f3s_-_Focs_de_Sant_Joan_2.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5441\" class=\"wp-image-5441 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Palam\u00f3s_-_Focs_de_Sant_Joan_2-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Palam\u00f3s_-_Focs_de_Sant_Joan_(2)\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5441\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The nit de Sant Joan is often called the nit de Foc, (foc = fire), by Catalans and this is the focus of the evening. As mentioned fireworks are used all across the city. Just before the celebration temporary firework shops pop up on the streets and people often queue to get some. The locals here invite their friends up onto <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/peaceful-terraces-to-enjoy-a-drink\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>terraces<\/strong><\/a> to drink, dance and watch the fireworks. So if there&#8217;s anyone you know with one its likely they\u2019ll be having a party. If you can\u2019t get yourself to one of these local shindigs, there is plenty else to enjoy.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Best_Places_To_Go\"><\/span>The Best Places To Go<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">One of the main areas to visit is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/beach-barcelona-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>beach<\/strong><\/a> where there are parties from sunset to sunrise. Many people go there with picnics and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/cava-catalonias-sparkling-wine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cava<\/a><\/strong> and make bonfires. It\u2019s a great place to watch the fireworks start with their bright explosions reflected in the waves and fires lighting up the crowds. It begins to fill up around early evening, so it\u2019s best to go early to grab a good spot.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are also \u2018revetllas\u2019, open-air street parties, organized by local communities in different Barrios. These will feature live bands playing rumba catalana or flamenco, DJ\u2019s playing techno, house and reggae and lots of dressing up. The dressing up culminates in displays in placas involving slightly scary devils and hooded figures holding huge sprinklers. You can find your local revetllas on a handy map <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barcelonayellow.com\/bcn-events-articles\/128-nit-de-sant-joan-saint-john\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">However, it does have to be said, the whole city comes alive, so don\u2019t worry if you can\u2019t get exactly where you wanted too. Every corner and street will be filled with revelers. It is mayhem and is to be enjoyed, so take it easy and relish every moment. Even better the 24<sup>th<\/sup> is a public holiday so you\u2019ll have ample time to recover the next day.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Related article:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/bachelor-party-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Suggestions for a Great Bachelor Party in Barcelona<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Something_to_Eat_and_Drink\"><\/span>Something to Eat and Drink<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_5442\" style=\"width: 245px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5442\" class=\"wp-image-5442 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/sant-joan3-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"300\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Photo via Visualhunt<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The traditional dish of Sant Joan is the Coca or coquets (plural). This is a form of brioche bread served for dessert, it is usually filled with a sweet such as marzipan, chocolate, candied fruit or cream. The most traditional form is anise-flavored bread (aniseed), with candied fruit and pine nuts. These can be bought in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/the-greatest-bakeries-in-barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>bakeries<\/strong><\/a> anywhere in Barcelona and there will be piles of the stacked up in the supermarkets in the run up to the festival. These should be washed down with great quantities of cava, which is produced in Catalonia and is delicious<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Transport\"><\/span>Transport<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Transport on the night is a breeze, the Metro is open all day and night during the celebrations and taxis are still available for those wanting them. However, if you are staying a short distance from the celebrations it is wonderful to walk around the city to look at the events and get a fee of the electric atmosphere that surrounds Barcelona on Nit de Sant Joan.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Have you been in Barcelona during Sant Joan? Where did you go to celebrate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"5440\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 132.5px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">4.5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">2<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            votes        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year Barcelona celebrates the summer solstice (when the day is longest) with the festival of Sant Joan. This takes place over several days but the main date is the 23rd, nit de Sant Joan, which involves huge amounts of partying and pyrotechnics. The festival is adapted from the pagan practices of worshiping times of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4498],"tags":[8926,8925,4685],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5440"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97954,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5440\/revisions\/97954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}