Spaniards love to celebrate life and do so with a festival for just about every occasion. These extravaganzas are hallmarked by unbridled revelry. Ranking high among these events is La Tamborrada in San Sebastian on January 19, where the whole town dresses up and goes berserk. In late February, Carnaval is celebrated throughout the country. The most notorious locations for this event are Sitges and Cádiz.

In Valencia, there is a week long celebration every March known as Las Fallas, where they have parades and fireworks along with all night dancing and drinking. During the week before Easter the whole country celebrates Semana Santa with parades of holy images through the streets. The city of Seville counterbalances the religious fervor during the month of April with Feria de Abril. The popularity of this spectacle is such that people make hotel reservations well in advance to ensure securing accommodations.

Spain’s most famous event, the Running of the Bulls, put Pamplona on the map. It is known to the locals as Fiesta de San Fermin and it is celebrated in July. During the first half of August Semana Grande is celebrated all along thhe north coast. The last Wednesday in August sees the Valencian town of Buñol go bonkers with La Tomatina This celebration of the tomato harvest culminates in a free-for-all where the town’s inhabitants hurl the surplus of produce at each other.