Catalanité Festival of Canet-en-Roussillon

Canet-en-Roussillon Celebrates its Catalan Roots

Every year at the end of August, Canet-en-Roussillon organizes the Catalanité Festival (Festa Catalana), a weekend dedicated to celebrating Catalan identity. This festival brings together the most emblematic traditions of Roussillon's Catalan culture in a festive and popular atmosphere.

Trobada de Gegants

The highlight of the festival is the Trobada de Gegants (gathering of giants). The two giants of the town, Guillem and Gueralda, welcome the colles geganteres (giant groups) from all over the department: Elne, Le Soler, Tautavel, Saint-Hippolyte, and other towns. The parade of giants, accompanied by traditional music groups including Els Salanc'aires, winds through the streets of the village of Canet in a festive and colorful atmosphere.

Sardanes, Folklore, and Gastronomy

The Catalanité Festival program combines traditions and conviviality:

• Sardanes with the Cobla Sol de Banyuls on the village square
• La Juventud folk group and traditional dancers
• La Llevantina Association and its sardane dancers
• Free tasting of Catalan snails and aioli
• Local Catalan products: wines, cured meats, pastries

A Strong Identity Event

The Catalanité Festival is a strong identity event for the inhabitants of Canet-en-Roussillon and more broadly for all Catalans of Roussillon. It testifies to the vitality of Catalan culture in France and the attachment of the municipalities to their ancestral traditions.