Fat Thursday and Carnival

Happy Fat Thursday! (Dijous gras in Catalan). So begins the short but festive Carnival season here in Barcelona with pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomato) and botifarra d’ou (cured botifarra sausage made richer by the addition of eggs), which will continue until the morning of Ash Wednesday next week.

While Barcelona’s festivities aren’t nearly as famous as those in Brazil, or Spain’s Canary Islands. Welcome the Rei Carnestoltes (the traditional “Crack-pot” king of Catalonia’s Carnival festivities) tonight in Barcelona’s Born neighborhood, watch rues, or parades of costumed kids and adults in neighborhoods throughout Barcelona on Saturday (beware the crowds, eeh gads!) and attend the king’s funeral on Wednesday morning.

For more grown-up dress-up fun, take the short trip in public transport (RENFE) to SItges, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, well-known for its gay festivities.  Don’t miss fifty floats and over 3,000 costumed individuals (let’s here it for the drag queens) at the Debauchery Parade on Sunday, and The Extermination Parade on Tuesday, where sad-faced revelers say goodbye to Carnvial until next year….

As always, don’t be an idiot (that’s our friendly way of suggesting you be safe). If you plan to dress-up and indulge, don’t carry credit cards, or excessive amounts of cash, don’t walk home alone late at night, don’t get so drunk you fall down (at least not all by your lonesome with no one to pick you up), and don’t wander into any dark abandoned alleyways.

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