The International Fireworks Competition of Blanes

July and August are prime time for vacations, festivals and celebrations of all sorts across Spain. The International Fireworks Competition in Blanes, Focs de Blanes, is one of the most memorable, accessible, and loudest among them in the Costa Brava.

The fireworks on July 26, the day of the town's patron saint Saint Anne, are just as common as the castellers (human "towers" of nimble enthusiasts of all ages) or sardana in other Catalan towns and villages. Back in 1891, a local writer complained to himself in his journal about how hard it was to head back to work after a long night of celebrations with wine, singing, dancing and fireworks. It's highly likely that Blanes had had fireworks even before that—there just weren't any written records of them. In the 20th century, the only break from pyrotechnical delights happened from 1936 to 1943, for understandable reasons, and despite the ongoing war, the fireworks returned to town by 1944.

The 1960s beach tourism boom in Spain promoted healthy competition among the popular seaside towns which, in a fight to attract more visitors, would come up with exciting events and festivals. The municipality of Blanes was no exception, and in 1970, an international pyrotechnics competition was established... to coincide with July 26, of course!

The backdrop to the fireworks is the spectacular rock Sa Palomera, one of Blanes' prime natural attractions. It's said that the Costa Brava begins with Sa Palomera, stretching towards the northeast from this picturesque point, commemorated by a monument. During the fireworks festival, the whole area is cordoned off by police and is monitored 24/7 to prevent unauthorized petards from going off.

The organizers quote impressive numbers of visitors for the duration of the fireworks. Daily (or, rather, nightly) attendance is estimated at 150.000 people, which is three times the size of the population of Blanes proper. Half an hour before the fireworks begin, the town beach is more crowded than in the daytime.

The competition is open to any organization or private citizen of any nationality. Applicants have their portfolios and proposed fireworks scenarios reviewed by a technical committee at the beginning of April, and by mid-May, the list of four participants is announced, joined by the winner of the previous year's competition. Each finalist is awarded €19,000¹ for related expenses, paid for by the municipal government of Blanes.

The winner is chosen by two judging panels—one professional and one "people's" jury—and is announced on the evening of July 27th. The grand prize is €6000 in the coveted silver trophy Trofeo Vila de Blanes decorated with semi-precious stones, plus the honour of participation in the following year's competition.

Visitor information

The usual timeframe for the competition is July 22-26. You can check the calendar of shows and access videos of previous years' competitions online on the official website of Focs de Blanes.

The first rockets fly into the air at 10:30 pm; the whole show lasts about 25 minutes. Arriving right before the start is not recommended, as the town centre is closed to traffic and parking may be extremely difficult.

Getting to Blanes around 6 pm is optimal. You can park in the underground garage on Plaça Catalunya right next to Sa Palomera and visit the botanical garden Jardí Botànic Marimurtra, considered to be one of the most beautiful on the whole Mediterranean coast, and then enjoy an unhurried dinner at one of the seaside restaurants close to the beach.

Don't run to your parking spot right after the fireworks end — you won't be able to leave for another half an hour at the very least. Take this time to take a walk to the square next to City Hall and check out the preparations for the Saint Anne Day celebrations.

¹⁾Remunerations from 2016 data.