Best places to celebrate Sant Jordi 2024 in Catalonia outside of Barcelona

Sant Jordi is Catalonia's most romantic day, with people buying books and roses for their loved ones on April 23.

Read on to find out what there is to do in Catalonia, outside of Barcelona, or check out the many events in the Catalan capital here.

Girona 

In northern Catalonia, bookshop owners and florists have asked for the Sant Jordi celebrations to return to La Rambla boulevard. This allows for more space and for more people to pass through without blocking the street.

Sant Jordi overlaps with Girona's Spring Festival, where visitors can spot a doll hanging above the streets on a rotating bar, the mascot of the festival. 

Activities for Sant Jordi will start on April 19 and there will be plenty of children's activities as well as the opportunity to dance traditional sardanes dances at Plaça de la Independència on April 23 at 5pm.  

Tarragona 

In the south of Catalonia, Sant Jordi will be celebrated with stalls selling books and roses on the Rambla Nova boulevard. On the street there will be traditional castellers, or human towers, at 8pm. Those wanting to dance sardanes can do so at Verdaguer square at 7pm. 

There will also be various book signings with authors at different bookshops around the city. 

Lleida 

To the west, Lleida's central celebration point will be concentrated between Rambla de Ferran boulevard and Francesc Macià avenue. There, book and rose sellers will set up their stands for the day's joyful celebrations.  

A new addition this year will be the newly opened location of the Morera museum on Rambla de Ferran boulevard. There will also be a stage for musical performances and to dance sardanes at 7pm. 

169 requests have been made to set up a stall in the reserved area, promising a wide variety of books, roses and more. 

Badalona 

Badalona, just north of Barcelona, will hold its yearly Sant Jordi fair on Carrer Francesc Layret. Shops and organizations will participate and sell products related to Sant Jordi, such as flowers, pastries and books. 

Some bookshops will set up on Plaça de Pompeu Fabra selling their books, while others will be present at Plaça de l'Ajuntament. These celebrations will start on April 20. 

There will also be another celebration on the Sant Elies square from 5pm to 7pm with workshop and children's activities. 

Vic 

In the inland city of Vic, Sant Jordi will be celebrated with literature and cinematography. On April 23, the town is presenting the works of Jordi Lara, a Catalan writer, journalist and director. 

Lara won the 2017 Serra d'Or Critics' Narrative Prize, a prestigious Catalan literature award. The writer will be presenting pieces from his own movies on April 23 at 8pm. 

Calonge i Sant Antoni 

In the Costa Brava municipality of Calonge i Sant Antoni, Sant Jordi really takes over. 

Calonge is considered a book town, a first in Catalonia, and features many bookstores among its streets. 

A few days before Sant Jordi, from April 18 to the 27, Calonge will have stands with books and roses, shows and authors signing books to celebrate Catalonia's most romantic day. Five bookshops in the town are participating in the initiative.