Carnival in Catalonia kicks off with massive cake fight in seaside city

People across Catalonia gathered on Thursday to celebrate the start of this year’s carnival, known as the ‘Arribo’, with the arrival of carnival kings and queens.

The first day, also known as Fat Thursday, as it is the day to eat fatty foods, kicked off in the seaside town of Vilanova i la Geltrú, 30 minutes south of Barcelona, with the traditional cake fight, called ‘la Merengada’.

Kids and grown-ups alike dressed in disposable rain ponchos of all colors gathered outside the Blanch bakery for the sticky cake showdown.

This year as a drought measure, the cake fight was smaller than usual in order to reduce the amount of water needed to clean the streets.

Just north of Vilanova along the coast in Sitges, the Rei Carnestoltes or Carnival king, Big Mag Cigalupi, arrived at night with his entourage and met with his queen, Mimí Château, before appearing together on the balcony of the town hall, to kick off a week of extravagant festivities.

Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the beloved Carnival Queen Belluga arrived on la Rambla, where a parade of the traditional giants danced their way down to the Virreina palace.

There, spectators of all ages enjoyed a colorful show of music, acrobatics, and dance, that ended with fireworks and glitter.

The carnival will continue until Ash Wednesday, February 14.

Check out our guide to what to do during the festivities this year, and listen to our podcast on carnival in Catalonia: