Alt CampAlt EmpordàAlt PenedèsAlt UrgellAlta RibagorçaAnoiaAranBagesBaix CampBaix EbreBaix EmpordàBaix LlobregatBaix PenedèsBarcelonèsBerguedàCerdanyaConca de BarberàGarrafGarriguesGarrotxaGironèsLluçanèsMaresmeMoianèsMontsiàNogueraOsonaPallars JussàPallars SobiràPla d'UrgellPla de l'EstanyPrioratRibera d'EbreRipollèsSegarraSegriàSelvaSolsonèsTarragonèsTerra AltaUrgellVallès OccidentalVallès OrientalAlt CampAlt EmpordàAlt PenedèsAlt UrgellAlta RibagorçaAnoiaAranBagesBaix CampBaix EbreBaix EmpordàBaix LlobregatBaix PenedèsBarcelonèsBerguedàCerdanyaConca de BarberàGarrafGarriguesGarrotxaGironèsLluçanèsMaresmeMoianèsMontsiàNogueraOsonaPallars JussàPallars SobiràPla d'UrgellPla de l'EstanyPrioratRibera d'EbreRipollèsSegarraSegriàSelvaSolsonèsTarragonèsTerra AltaUrgellVallès OccidentalVallès Oriental
CA|ES|EN

Diari de Catalunya

Montblanc Kicks Off 39th Medieval Week with Grand Shows and Novelties

The walled town in Conca de Barberà transforms until April 26 with theater, music, and historical reenactments.

Image of a medieval square with people and festive decorations in Montblanc.
IA

Image of a medieval square with people and festive decorations in Montblanc.

The walled town of Montblanc, in Conca de Barberà, today marks the start of its 39th Medieval Week, a celebration that will transform its streets and squares with an extensive cultural program until April 26.

This edition, spanning ten days, promises the return of major productions, new cultural proposals, and a second weekend packed with prominent events. The festival combines theater, music, markets, historical reenactments, family shows, and large-scale productions.
The festival's inauguration will take place this afternoon with the Royal Entourage and the celebration of La primera Rosa de l’any in the Plaça Major, featuring journalist Maria Xinxó. The highlight of the night will be the show Dracum Nocte i els quatre elements at Foradot, a spectacle recommended for ages 12 and up, blending light, sound, pyrotechnics, and video projections onto the wall. Afterward, the streets of the old town will host a new correfoc (fire run).
The first weekend will concentrate many of the most popular events. On Saturday, April 18, Montblanc will be filled throughout the day with musical animations, itinerant shows, a medieval market, a crafts fair, a wine market, and a village encampment. The day will include notable events such as the Medieval Plenary Session at the Church of Sant Miquel, where Joan M. Sanfeliu de Miguel will be posthumously named a favorite son, as well as the Judici al cavaller i a l’alcavota (Trial of the Knight and the Procuress), knightly combats, the Templar Reception at Pont Vell, and the Gran Dansa (Great Dance) in Plaça de Sant Francesc, commemorating 20 years of the Dúcties.
On the same day, two sessions of the 39th Representation of The Legend of Sant Jordi, the central spectacle of the festival, will be held at 9:15 PM and 11:00 PM at Foradot. The night will conclude with the Les Nits Malignes concert at the Pavelló del Casal, featuring performances by Crim, Periferia, and DJ Oscar Sánchez.
On Sunday, April 19, the program will maintain its intensity with new street animations, the medieval market, a knightly school, the village encampment, and shows such as Cerverí a la cort, Euphorium, knightly combats, and the La Rosa de Sant Jordi event at Foradot. During the week, the festival will continue with a more cultural and informative aspect, including the Colloquia Draconis sessions, the presentation of the books Fra Bernat i altres contes medieval per riure and Jusquiam Negre, l’ombra del dubte, and the events of Sant Jordi's Day, with a dragon exhibition, rose delivery, and a mass in honor of the patron saint.
The second weekend, starting on Friday, April 24, the Medieval Week will focus on school participation, institutional visits, and the Royal Entry into Plaça de Sant Francesc. In the evening, the streets will host Les Rondes Trobadoresques, before the celebration of La Nit de l’Ofrena, an evening where villagers and artists will offer dances, music, and performances before the King and Queen.
Saturday, April 25, will be one of the most prominent days, featuring the traditional Medieval Market and Crafts Fair, in addition to shows like Conspiració, El recaptador Cara-rata, L’Auca de la Llegenda de Sant Jordi, El gegant i drac de vímet, El drac Manelic, and a new performance of the family musical La Llegenda de la Princesa i Sant Jordi. Among the notable novelties is the return, after more than 25 years, of a living chess game with L’Escac del Destí, and the incorporation of the Jordi Savall Festival with the concert Danses imaginàries at the Church of Santa Maria. The Parellada area will host the Jocs Nazarins and, at night, the spectacle Justa i Honor, with horseback and lance combats. The day will conclude with La Bevenda, a festive procession through the town's streets.
Finally, Sunday, April 26, will bring the festival to a close with a day of itinerant animation, market, village encampment, and small-scale shows, before the closing ceremony at the Church of Santa Maria. The Medieval Week will conclude with the representation of the Corts Catalanes of 1414, a historical reenactment that the organization considers one of the public's most beloved events and aims to be a solemn finale for this 39th edition.
This edition also incorporates fundamental novelties, such as the desire to make the festival more inclusive with pictograms on the map, a new format for the village encampment, and the international projection of Montblanc through the European Cultural Route of Sant Jordi and the Dragon project.

Related News