There are many Festivals that take place in and around Alghero throughout the year. Here are some of the highlights…………..

Cap D’Any (New Year) is very special in Alghero. Christmas includes a rich calendar of plays, music and attractions in the streets and squares of the city centre. Then the 31st December is a real spectacle where the New Year is brought in with a concert and wonderful fireworks display over the port that attracts visitors from all across Italy and beyond. Cap D’Any Festival involves a large number of local artists, cultural associations, musicians and theatre groups, who are joined by performers from all around the world to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

The Sagra del Bogamarì (Sea Urchin Festival) is one of the most celebrated of Alghero’s extravaganzas, and is a favourite not only of the locals but also of seafood lovers from across the globe. This event is held annually in February and March, when the particular climatic conditions ensure that the Sea Urchins are at their very best and Alghero’s chefs prepare special menus all based around the bogamarì (sea urchin). During the Sagra del Bogamarì stalls appear throughout the historical centre, where this delightful seafood delicacy is served up to locals and tourists alike

Also in February/March each year, Alghero and its surrounding villages host their Carnival the Carraixali de l’Alguer. The Carnival is a historic celebration that attracts thousands of visitors and combines tradition, modernity and spectacle. The historical centre buzzes with dancing and music and the old town provides the stage for Sardinia’s most impressive masked parade.

The Holy Week in Alghero (Setmana Santa de l’Alguer) is arguably the most striking in the whole of Sardinia and has a strong Catalan influence. There are processions around the city all week, starting on Holy Tuesday with the “Processione dei Misteri” (Procession of the Mysteries). Then building up to the very atmospheric candlelit procession “de las dames” accompanied by groups of male tenors from surrounding areas singing around the city. On Easter Sunday, the statues of Christ and the Glorious Madonna form two different processions then meet in front of a cheering crowd, the salvo’s of guns and fire crackers, followed by the cheerful ringing of church bells throughout Alghero.

The Festival of Saint Joan (Focs de Sant Joan) takes place at mid-summer, the closest Saturday to 21st June. Focs de Sant Joan is a Catalan festival of friendship. Anyone can take part. Couples of friends dressed in white will perform a purifying leap over flames together to the seal their friendship on the beach of San Giovanni.

The first Sunday of August sees the traditional celebrations of Nostra Signora della Mercede (Virgin of Blessings). Each year, the celebration is accompanied by a historic regatta, during which garlands of flowers are thrown into the sea to commemorate all of the Alghero natives who lost their lives at sea during the two World Wars.

Alghero’s patron saint Sant Miquel (Saint Michael) is celebrated on 29th September, with a festival that symbolically marks the end of the summer season. The squares of the historical centre come alive with art, music, games and spectacles, all leading up to the incredible fireworks display that illuminates the port.