Andorra International Jazz Festival
Andorra’s jazz festival is held in Escaldes-Engordany in July, and attracts well-known jazz acts from around the world. Previous years’ line ups have included the likes of Chano Dominguez, John Scofield and Madeleine Peyroux.
Jazz festival | ©Jimmy Baikovicius / Flickr
Horizon Festival
Held in the resort of Arinsal, the Horizon Festival is Andorra’s biggest ski festival. It’s a crazy fun-filled event held in the mountains with live bands, DJs, street food and activities such as paintballing. By day there’ll be ski classes and competitions, and by night, there’s everything from dancing and music to forest raves and spa discos.
Become a Culture Tripper!
Sign up to our newsletter to
save up to $800 on our unique trips.
ski festival | ©Edward Simpson / Flickr
Andorra la Vella Festa Major
Held during the first weekend in August, the Festa Major is celebrated in the capital of Andorra de la Vella, and is the country’s top summer event. The festival encompasses everything from street parades and concerts to traditional folk dances, a circus and lots of feasting. Most of the other smaller villages in Andorra also hold their own summer festival.
Plaça Príncep Benlloch, Andorra | ©Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga) / Wikimedia Commons
Narciso Yepes International Festival
Narciso Yepes (1927-1997) was a famous Spanish guitarist who is considered to be one of the best of the 20th century. Andorra honours the musician at the Narciso Yepes International Festival in Ordino every October, with a varied musical programme. Previous years have featured a Catalan musical parody of Harry Potter and and a violin and viola duet at Ordino Church.
Narciso Yepes | ©Piano Piano! / Flickr
The Bagpipers’ Meeting
A few places in northern Spain have Celtic connections, such as in Galicia and Asturias, and this is most evident through the traditional music, like the bagpipes. Bagpipes are also typical instruments in Andorra and many people play them here. Each August, Andorra celebrates this instrument by holding The Bagpipers’ Meeting in Ordino, when bagpipe players from across the region attend to perform and play together.
Bagpipers’ Festival | ©Frobles / Wikimedia Commons
International Women’s Clown Festival
Andorra is one of the few countries in the world to hold a International Clown Festival just for women. The Festival Pallasses attracts female clowns and comedians from across the world to perform, meet others in their field and share tips.
Female clown | ©CGP Grey / Wikimedia Commons
Revetlla de Sant Joan
Andorra celebrates the night of Sant Joan in mid summer like much of Spain, with plenty of bangs, sparkles and bonfires. On the night of June 23rd, villages throughout Andorra hold big bonfires in the village squares, accompanied by lots of music, dancing and fireworks. Something unique to the Pyrenees during Sant Joan is the tradition of creating balls from paper, bark and chickenwire, then setting them alight and swinging them round whilst dressed as witches and devils.
Les Falles de SantJoan | ©Roc Garcia-Elias Cos/ Wikimedia Commons
Pasqua
Pasqua means Easter in Catalan, and is celebrated in Andorra in a big way. On Palm Sunday everyone goes to mass and godmothers present their godchildren with palmons for the boys and palmes for the girls. Palmons are large pieces of palm leave, while palmes are delicately woven palm fronds in various colours. Easter Sunday is celebrated by eating Monas – traditional Easter cakes. The original ones are sweet bread rings with candied fruit and hard boiled eggs baked into the top, while modern versions are filled with jam and covered in chocolate.
Mona de Pascua, Andorra | ©Juan Emilio Prades Bel / Wikimedia Commons | © Juan Emilio Prades Bel / WikiCommons
Festival de Sant Julià de Lòria
The village of Sant Julià de Lòria holds its festival over five days during July. The main focus of the festival is music, and during the event there are many performances of bands, orchestras and individual musicians. Festival goers will also find lots of activities for children such as street games, waterslides and magicians, as well as traditional dance performances.
Classical Music Festival Andorra | Pixabay
Culture Trips launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes places and communities so special.
Our immersive trips, led by Local Insiders, are once-in-a-lifetime experiences and an invitation to travel the world with like-minded explorers. Our Travel Experts are on hand to help you make perfect memories. All our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
All our travel guides are curated by the Culture Trip team working in tandem with local experts. From unique experiences to essential tips on how to make the most of your future travels, we’ve got you covered.
Source link : https://theculturetrip.com/europe/andorra/articles/10-underrated-festivals-and-celebrations-in-andorra-to-visit
Author :
Publish date : 2017-08-28 07:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.