Saint-Jean du Canigou Festival

Vernet-les-Bains, cradle of the Canigou flame

Vernet-les-Bains, a spa town nestled at the foot of the Canigou massif, is the starting point for the flame that will light the Saint John's fires throughout Catalan country. Every June 23rd, the mountain guides of Vernet bring back the regenerated flame from the summit of Canigou, the sacred mountain of the Catalans, for a ceremony imbued with solemnity and joy.

Regeneration of the flame

A week before Saint John's Day, during the Trobada, volunteers and association members climb to the summit of Canigou with bundles of vine shoots to prepare the pyre. The gigantic bonfire is lit at the mountain's summit, and the flame is then brought down by the guides to Vernet-les-Bains, from where it will be distributed to all Catalan towns and villages.

Festival Program

The Saint John's Day festival in Vernet-les-Bains takes place throughout the day and evening of June 23rd:

• 11 AM: Return of the flame carried by mountain guides
• Regeneration and transmission of the flame
• 5 PM: Sardanes with the Cobla Principal del Rosselló
• 6 PM: Catalan choir
• 9:45 PM: Lighting of the great bonfire
• Tasting of muscat and Catalan fougasse
• Distribution of ramallets (Saint John's bouquets)
• 10:30 PM: Dance party

A living and universal tradition

The Saint-Jean du Canigou Festival is inscribed in the intangible cultural heritage of Catalonia. From Vernet-les-Bains, the flame is carried by messengers to Perpignan, Céret, Collioure, and hundreds of villages on both sides of the border, symbolizing Catalan unity and fraternity. The International Congress of the Canigou Flame is held annually in a different city in the Catalan world.