The Amposta City Council has unveiled the official program for the XVIII Market Square Festival, a historical reenactment event that this year comes of age. This celebration is considered one of the most participatory in the city, highlighting the involvement of residents who dress in period costumes to remember the ancestors who built modern-day Amposta.
“"Part of its success lies in the involvement of the neighborhood that participates and dresses in period costumes to commemorate the ancestors who forged today's Amposta."
The central theme of this eighteenth edition is the commemoration of the centenary of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya's passage through the Pont Penjant, a historic event that occurred in 1926. For this reason, the great-grandson of one of the most prominent cyclists of that era in Amposta will be the town crier for the festival. In addition to cycling, the festival will also pay tribute to the Amposta Football Club, a centenary entity that celebrated its 110th anniversary last 2025, with several historical reenactment matches throughout the weekend.
This year's program includes a total of 111 activities that combine traditional festival elements with notable new features. The Market Square Festival will officially begin on Friday, May 15, with the inauguration and proclamation, and will conclude on Sunday, May 17, evening with the traditional “Lo Passeig” parade.
On Saturday afternoon, a reenactment of the Volta Ciclista will take place, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings, period football matches will be played. There will also be new activities, such as a night route, and established favorites like the Enigmatic Race with Les Serenes, the Dinner in the Dark, or the Taste the Night Market.
The organization has reminded that the “Pepito de Canes” costume contest remains a key element to foster the atmosphere in the streets, where this year more characters and trades from centenary Amposta will be seen than ever before. Tickets for the various shows and activities will go on sale starting this Tuesday at 9 AM, available on the official website and at the Culture Office.
As a pre-festival activity, on Thursday, April 30, the Ebro Lands Museum will host the talk “From the Rice Field to the Velodrome: Cycling in Amposta at the Beginning of the 20th Century,” led by the grandson of one of the honored cyclists, to explore the importance of bicycles at the turn of the last century. Additionally, traditional games with schools and institutes will be repeated, this year incorporating a bike ride and activities led by students from the Institut Montsià.
