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Streets, beaches, private gardens and parks are lit with bonfires on the shortest night of the year. The city opens its arms to the summer season on the 23rd of June, a very special night full of dances around bonfires to honor Sant Joan. This is almost as if it was a ritual.
The Night of Fire, also known as the Revetlles de Sant Joan, is a magical night, in which not even the Metro goes to sleep. You’ll find a DJ in every single beach bar (which BTW, they all close at 6 o´clock that day), you can go on a picnic at the seashore and make bonfires on Barceloneta or Maresme beaches (Only allowed on Sant Joan). If you prefer hitting the streets of the city, you’ll find many bars with live performances for your entertainment.
They say fire purifies the soul and keeps it away from sins. So according to tradition, the one who lights a bonfire that night will be purified throughout the year. People usually burn old furniture, clothes, and useless things that keep the fire all night at its peak.
According to the tradition, if you want to have good luck, you should bathe in the sea after midnight. It is said that if you do so, you´ll be healthy the rest of the year. It is usual to find groups of naked guys swimming in the sea, due to the party mood and consumed alcohol.
During Sant Joan people drink and eat a lot, but the gastronomy highlight of the festival is definitively the dessert: coca. For those who don’t know what coca is, it is a sort of sweet bread with cinnamon and anise, to which you can add pine nuts or candied fruit depending on individual taste. Coca is the most traditional dessert and can be purchased during the days before Sant Joan in any bakeries in Barcelona.
Useful information: The Metro will work the whole night and the buses will work as usual. If you want to take a taxi, be aware that from midnight to 6 am, 5 extra Euros will be charged. Keep in mind that, it is difficult to find a free taxi that night.
Let me recommend you some places, where fun is assured:
In the Olympic Port you’ll find a very elegant nightclub called Carpe Diem Lounge, another option is Mac Arena Mar, which is located right in Port Fòrum (Sant Adria de Besos) or Aura Beach Club, in the Maresme (also in Sant Adria de Besos) and Sotavento Beach Club, on the seafront at the Barceloneta beach. The offer is so wide that only won’t have any problem finding the ideal place for you. No worries.
A Tip: Usually beachfront nightclubs don’t charge admission fees before 2 am, after 2 am the price depends on the DJ and the program the disco has prepared for this special night.
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