Medina Festivals

The Novena of Our Lady of Peace is a place where take their children in the year of their birth. Diddernet days are dedicated to different religious events like families, catechists and youth. On January 27 is the celebration of the role of the Vow, which renews the Vote as Perpetua Mayor of the city.

The ninth ends with a Holy Mass presided by the Bishop of Cadiz and Ceuta. The Carnival of Medina Sidonia is in February. There are many and varied events during this week of carnival, for example, pasacalles baby piñatas and food stalls. These include the burning of the Witch Piti, an act typical of many municipalities’ gaditanos.

There are also competitions agupaciones for the different groups of the Cadiz Carnival. Over the weekend we celebrate the Grand Cavalcade of Comedy, which runs throughout the city, starting at the Sports Pavilion and the way to Plaza de Espana. After the ride you can enjoy the masked balls in the central Plaza de Espana and the awards ceremony that follows.

For the carnival a tent is erected for dancers, various carnival events and is usally in the Park Caminillo. Easter is a celebration deeply rooted in culture of asidonense. There are various focuses and one is the valuable imagery of it, with works such as the Cristo del Perdon made by an XVII century sculptor Pedro Roldan.

Among the events are processions where the icons are paraded through the streets from the image of the Nazarene dated 1616 of the Church of Santiago and the oldest in the procession through the streets of Medina the festival will be a hundred years old in the 2012 centennial festival.

The Corpus Christi procession is in June started in the XVI century with the image of Our Lady of Peace. In the procession cortege are children who have had made their First Communion and the streets of the route strewn with rosemary. The balconies are draped with cloaks and shawls.

The Gloria Processions start of out of Our Lady of Mount Caramel July 16, out of Our Lady of Victory August 15. The Evening Santiago July 25, The Pilgrimage of San Isidro Labrador in May in the rural town of San Jose de Malcocinado.The San Fermin Festival in July in the rural town of Los Badalejos.

Patio asidonense.
The Open Days in December last for ten days usually in early December. The activities consist of the Route of the Monuments, the Route of the Yards, and the route of exposures in addition, during the festival days a handicraft market is in place in Market Square and performances of Bunuel are staged.

Home of the Fair and Festivals of Medina-Sidonia

The Cattle and horse Fair in June, this is one of the oldest livestock fairs in Andalusia begun in the XIII century, The Equisidonia competition for Pura Raza or Pure bred Spanish horses and the Bovisidonia Spanish cattle festival.

The Patronale Fiesta January 24 is in honor of Our Lady of Peace. The image of the Virgin made in 1738 holds the title of Patron of Medina since 1802, and has reverence since its creation in the XVIII century. It is located in the Church of Santa Maria and has a Guild dedicated to the icon.

Other activities conducted during these days are theatres, concerts, children's activities and parties for younger people. In the Route of the monuments are the churches, the Roman archaeological site and the Calzada Romana.

Viewing by the public of the ruins of the Castle of Medina-Sidonia is now possible and the tour is accompanied by explanations on the actions and archaeological findings.

With regard to the Route of the Patios visits are arranged to around 25 properties from private houses and yards of neighbour’s asidonenses catering establishments. In this walk through the courtyards you can see fine houses with their courtyards and typical Andalusian style some ornate to bursting and others that can be considered museum pieces in themselves and others are restored to the smallest detail to preserve originality

Bethlehem is now developed along the Santa Maria, in the streets and squares typical of Historic and Artistic stages from San Francisco de Paula, Llanete Square, the street Bohorquez, San Jose, Plaza de la Mayor Church, Vicar Street and Victoria Street Martinez.

The number of visitors to these festivals and shows is growing each year to between 30,000 and 40,000 people. Other festivals during the summer months vary from festivals that are celebrated as the feast of the pepper, the snail, the greaves, the feast of the gazpacho, the burning of "Juanillo" to name a few.

The ExpoMedina also in December is a multi sectoral Trade Fair> The Bethlehem Living exhibition also in December with more than 600 participants, composed of residents of all ages, are responsible for giving life to the greatest possible realism to scenes that make up the 66 stages of the Bethlehem religious episodes from The Birth, the camp of the Magi, the Roman census office, craft workshops, field crop, pasture work, merchants, barbers, butchers and other places of interest to recreate Bethlehem.