All over Catalonia there are a lot of events that have cuisine and wine as protagonists. Beyond the traditional markets and fairs of the wine world, almost every town and village has a fair or a festival dedicated to a dish, a culinary tradition or a product. We have made gastronomy a reason to celebrate life, cuisine, history, landscape, heritage and food craftsmanship. The weekly markets A good option to start is to go to the square, what the Catalans call going to the market. There are weekly markets in Catalan towns, cities and towns. They are the best showcase of what grows in the allotment, what is caught in the sea and what is cooked at home. Some of the most popular markets are those in Vic, Granollers, Balaguer, Tordera, Solsona, Tortosa, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Tàrrega, la Seu or the many municipal markets in Barcelona. Many are of medieval origin and form the core of village life. Catalan food fairs and festivals: savour them If you want to take a deeper dive into Catalan gastronomy, to taste new flavours and recipes, it is best to visit one of the gastronomic days and festivals, where cuisine and wine are mixed with other cultural elements, such as music, cinema or the theatre. The red prawn, the galera, the cim i tomba, the mushrooms, the ratafia or the snail are the stars of these festivities and a way to enjoy Catalan cuisine. Some have become unmissable appointments for lovers of good cuisine. Some examples are events and fairs such as the Barcelona Beer Festival, the All Those Food Market, Orígens of Olot, the Mercat de Mercats, the great festival of the Calçotada, the Fira del Gall in Vilafranca del Penedès, the fair of the Borges Blanques oil or the one dedicated to the Siurana PDO, the Vic Ram Market or Benvinguts a Pagès which is celebrated throughout the year. We propose a few food festivals, organized by season. Winter holidays The cold invites the most succulent and full-bodied cuisine. You can see it for yourself at La Garoinada – the days dedicated to the garoina, in Calella de Palafrugell–; the Ruta del Xató in Calafell, Vendrell, Sitges, Vilafranca del Penedès and Vilanova i la Geltrú; the Trinxat Festival, in Puigcerdà; the Tòfona Fair, in Centelles; the Artichoke Gastronomic Days, in Amposta; the Rancho de Ponts; the Great Festival of the Calçotada in Valls; the Gastronomic Days of the Galera and the Seafood Cuisine of Cambrils, and the Gastronomic Days of the Galera in the Terres de l'Ebre. Spring events With the arrival of spring, the vegetable garden is in bloom and the dishes are filled with colours. It's time for the Temps de Pèsol Gastronomic Days; the Cassoles de Tros Festival, in Juneda, and the Cassoles de Tros Competition, at Palau d'Anglesola, the Ram market, in Vic and, also in the capital of Osona, the Lactium fair, the Catalan cheese festival. There is also the Sant Climent de Llobregat Cherry Festival, the Papiol Festival of the Cherry and gastronomy, the Torrelles de Llobregat Cherry Festival and the Miravet Fair, now with craft and agri-food products, which includes cherries; the Strawberry Fair, in Sant Cebrià de Vallalta; Firabril, the honey and oil fair of Catalonia, l Perello; the Rice Planting Festival in Deltebre, Amposta and other towns in the Terres de l'Ebre; the Tuna Days, in Vandellòs and Hospitalet de l'Infant; the Fideus Rossejats Festival, in L'Ametlla de Mar; the Aplec del Cargol, in Lleida; the Asparagus Fair, in Gavà; the Xarel·lada, the Xarel·lo Festival, in Cunit; the Mediona Artisan Beer Show, and the Spring Markets, at Món Sant Benet. Food festivals during the summer The arrival of the heat marks the beginning of the harvest and the consumption of fruits with more water. It's time for the Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana Tomato Fair and the Bages Tomato Festival; the Ordal Peach Market; the Festes de la Sega, which take place in Terres de l'Ebre; the Firagost de Valls, dedicated to the Catalan countryside; the La Cuina del Cim i Tomba gastronomic campaign, in Tossa de Mar; the Fair of Sant Bartomeu –Fira del Meló d'Artesa de Segre–, and the popular Musclada of Canet de Mar. Autumn events After the outbreak of summer, it's time to gather together and the first bit of cold weather. It is the time for the days dedicated to the potato, the Bufet Potato Market, in Orís, and the Prades Potato Festival, the Barbens and Ullà Apple Fairs; those dedicated to cheese, such as the Sant Ermengol Fair, in La Seu d’Urgell, and the Cheese Fair in Lladó; the Gastronomic Day of the Forgotten Plants, in Igualada; the Santa Coloma de Farners Ratafia Festival and the Besalú Ratafia Fair; the Arenys de Mar Squid Gastronomic Days; the Ràpita Octopus and Rice Gastronomic Days; the Partridge Fair, in Vilanova de Meià; the Nougat and Chocolate Fair at Pedra d’Agramunt; the Girella Fair, in Pont de Suert; the Coca and Mató Fair, in Monistrol de Montserrat, and the Bean Fair in Castellfollit de Boix, among others. Wine fairs and festivals The wine fairs and festivals deserve a chapter aside, many linked to the harvest and others to more cultural issues. They are a way of doing wine tourism. Good examples are the Vella Terra festival, Off the record, the Saló dels Vins Naturals in Barcelona and, outside the city, the Cavatast, the Wine Festival and the Vintage in Poboleda, the Temps de Vi in Vilanova i la Geltrú, the Vijazz Vilafranca, the ViBa Fair, the Cota, the Mediona High-Altitude Wine Festival, Tast Tiana and the new wine festivals, the most and the Alella Harvest Festivals, Sitges, Cubelles or Bages, in Artés. And among the must-see events, there are some long-awaited ones such as the Falset Wine Fair, the Gandesa Wine Festival, the Lleida Wine Festival, the DO Tarragona Wine Fair, the Cambrils Wine and Gastronomy Festival, the Vivid Festival on the Costa Brava, the Empordà Wine Trade Fair in Figueres, the Arrels del Vi in Sant Martí d'Empúries, the Verdú Harvest and Wine Festival, the DO Harvest Festival Conca de Barberà, in L'Espluga de Francolí, and the Pirineu Wine Fair, in Talarn. Festivals of the new oil In winter, it is the time to obtain the new oil, which is sometimes called green oil. It is worth delving into the world of oil tourism. Come to one of the fairs and days dedicated to the new oil, such as those of Reus (DOP Siurana), Maials and Les Borges Blanques (DOP Garrigues), Fatarella, Godall, Jesús and Móra la Nova (DOP Baix Ebre-Montsià) and Espolla (DOP Empordà). Take the calendar and start booking time for the food fairs and festivals in Catalonia. Taste the festival. Celebrate life.