What to do in Galicia from April 25 to May 1

April 29 – may 01

Exhibition exaltation of the wine of the Ribeiro area (Ribadavia, Ourense)

The fair returns this year to show the potential of this product of fame and millenary tradition, element of identity par excellence of the region. This Ribeiro Wine Exhibition Fair offers the opportunity to discover and taste the variety of red and white wines from the wineries and wine growers of the area, produced in the lands of the rivers Miño, Avia and Arnoia.

The first few days of the fair are aimed at professionals in the sector, with technical seminars attended by hoteliers, importers, restaurateurs and the specialized press. At the weekend, the public takes part in a popular tasting competition and a craft market is organized in the Plaza de la Magdalena. 

The programme includes various activities to promote Ribeiro wines: sport, musical entertainment, open-air dances and an exhibition of agricultural machinery.

April 30 – may 01

Fiesta de la Trucha – Trout Festival (A Pontenova, Lugo) 

The Trout Festival of A Pontenova, in the Mariña Lucense, will take place in the town square. For 30 years, this festival has attracted fishermen from all over Galicia, Asturias and other communities to the festival’s setting: the river Eo, the source of life and work for the inhabitants of A Pontenova and one of the symbols of the town council, as it is the salmon-fishing river par excellence in the whole of Galicia.

Most of the participants take part in the trout sport fishing competition, which has been declared of national sporting interest by the National Fishing Federation. Prizes are awarded to the person who catches the most fish, to the person who catches the heaviest trout and to the youngest competitor. 

On the 1st of May, the fishing competition is held in the morning, and in the evening there is a free trout tasting in the Town Hall square. The festival includes sporting activities, parades, exhibitions, fishing demonstrations, horse training and a street party.

01 may

Filloa Festival of Muimenta (Cospeito, Lugo) 

The neighbour of Cospeito Marica Campo composed the “Oda á filloa” to praise one of the most famous examples of traditional Galician pastries: the crêpe known as crêpe in other places and called filloa or freixó in Galicia. 

The Filloa Festival was born with the aim of raising funds for the organization of the Mostra Exposición Muimenta. This annual livestock event includes the Galician Blonde Breed Exhibition, the Friesian Breed Competition, an exhibition of agricultural machinery and an auction of selected livestock. Since then, the inhabitants of Muimenta have managed to restore the filloa to its rightful place in the gastronomy of the area, as well as recovering the typical griddles for its preparation.

Since 1992, this gastronomic festival has been celebrated in the parish of Muimenta, coinciding with Workers’ Day. Filloeiras and filloeiros make thousands of filloas made of water, flour, salt and egg, to be enjoyed together with the churrasco and chorizos criollos, typical of this festival. At the fairground there will be artisans such as zoqueiros, blacksmiths and basket makers who sell their designs and give demonstrations of their old trades.

April 29 – may 08 

Choco Festival (Redondela, Pontevedra)

Since the 80s, Redondela celebrates this festival of exaltation of the choco that comes from the Ensenada de San Simón, ending up gathering more than 30,000 people and 5,000 kilos of consumption.

In the tent of the Alameda you can taste this cephalopod prepared in various ways by the restaurants of the town, from the most traditional recipes to the most avant-garde. 

The activity par excellence of this festival is the gastronomic contest in which anyone can participate. The prizes to be awarded are in different modalities: to the best creative recipe, chocos in its ink, chocos with rice and empanada de chocos. It also has other festive-cultural activities such as music bands, sports and children’s games, among others.

1 may

Ourense Mayos Festival (Ourense, Ourense)

Formerly, the festivities of the Mays were celebrated because of the arrival of spring, season of obtaining good catches. Currently, they are the last folkloric manifestation that celebrates in Galicia the end of winter. 

Highlights the exhibition of the Mays of Ourense in which figures are built based on natural elements, such as moss, wild flowers, eggs, sticks, and more. Then it is sung around them with the accompaniment of sticks, couplets, ironic songs and criticisms with current facts or characters.

There are several types of constructions: the figurative, the castizas -predominate those of conical or pyramidal shape elaborated with lattices of rods or reeds, covered with plants and decorated with brave oranges and eggs – or the artistic – more modern representations of monuments, granaries, boats and others.

In addition, every year a Contest of Mays and Coplas is convened in which all kinds of social and cultural groups participate.

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