Romería (religious pilgrimage)
of San Sebastián (22
January)
Popular local festival celebrating the community’s
heritage, in which the statue of the patron saint is carried
in procession out to the El Colorado pine forest, followed
by a throng of local people and visitors. A very convivial
atmosphere is guaranteed.
Carnavales (February)
Shyness and embarrassment are cast to the winds in this
cathartic festival that virtually invents itself in the
streets of Conil, with dances, fancy dress competitions
(watch out for the roaming groups of masked fun-lovers),
street theatre and more…
Ruta del Atún de Almadraba (Route
of the tuna nets)
(June)
 La
Ruta del Atún is a celebration both gastronomic
and cultural, given over entirely to the annual tuna harvest,
when the tuna are running in migration in the waters off
Conil. Almadraba is a word of Arabic origin describing
a form of fishing that is both age-old and ecologically
sustainable, if not for the fainthearted. In Conil, as
elsewhere, a network of nets is set in the sea, quite near
the shore, which catches shoals of passing tuna as they
head in from the Atlantic to their Mediterranean breeding
grounds, a journey known as ‘la ida’, the departure.
The nets need three months to install (they involve hundreds
of anchors to set them on the sea bed), three months to
complete the tuna harvest, and a further three months to
dismantle and prepare a new almadraba. The wild red tuna,
which is the chief species found here, produces meat of
great quality and exquisite cooking, and is much prized
both nationally and in the international fish market. It
is an excellent source of proteins valuable in human biology,
rich in vitamin A, B and D, as well as minerals. It has
the added advantage of being low in saturated fats, and
high in Omega 3 anti-cholesterol content.
This year some 20 restaurants will take part in
the gastronomic festival, with a tempting diversity
of tuna preparations, using recipes from both traditional
and modern cooking. On 15 June, Conil will hold a gastronomy
convention, with tastings, and an exhibition of a ‘ronqueo’,
the skilled carving of tuna by expert fishery workers.
We look forward to welcoming you to Conil and its ronqueo. ¡¡¡Buen
Provecho!!!
Virgen del Carmen (16 July)
The celebrations for the fiesta of the Patron Saint of fishermen
begins with a mass, after which the statue of the Virgin is taken from the church of that name and down to the fishing
port, where the Virgin is carried out to sea by a flotilla
of boats. Festivities are organised around the fishing port
itself, culminating in a procession in which the Virgin,
safely back on land, is carried around the streets of the
town.
Feria in honour of Ntra. Sra. de Las Virtudes (Our
Lady of the Virtues) (7 de Septiembre)
With a festive and animated atmosphere, this is the festival
where you can see the colour and vibrant nature of life in
Conil, as it celebrates the day of its patron saint. |
About
Conil
