Pilar Festival in Zaragoza

The Pilar Festivals are the main festivals of Zaragoza and a great collective celebration of Aragonese identity. Devotion, jota, flowers, music, street theater and family activities occupy Plaza del Pilar, the historic centre and numerous spaces in the city for several days.

Celebration date

The central day is 12 October, festival of the Virgin of Pilar. The festive calendar usually covers around nine or ten days around that date, although the beginning, end, times and venues are set in each municipal programme.

12 October is a national public holiday as the National Holiday of Spain. This legal condition is different from the origin and development of the Zaragoza festival in honour of the Virgin of Pilar.

Venue

The Plaza del Pilar concentrates the proclamation, large concerts and offerings, with the basilica-cathedral as a devotional reference. The events are also spread across the streets of the centre, Plaza de los Sitios, José Antonio Labordeta Park, the Expo site, Valdespartera and other municipal venues. The exact routes and spaces change depending on the edition.

Also check out the festivals of Zaragoza.

Origin and history

The Zaragoza City Council documents civic and religious celebrations around 12 October for centuries: in 1613 the Council agreed to keep that date and in 1723 there were celebrations between 12 October and 20. The current model was built gradually, incorporating fairs, shows and events of popular participation.

The Crystal Rosary was born in 1891; The Offering of Fruits was incorporated in 1949 and the first Offering of Flowers was celebrated in 1958. The latter went from gathering around two thousand people at its premiere to becoming the most massive and recognisable event of the festivities.

Ofrenda de Flores

During 12 October, groups and individuals in regional clothing walk along the access roads to Plaza del Pilar and deliver their bouquets to a reproduction of the Virgin. The flowers form a large mantle over a structure installed in the plaza. Individual participation and that of organised groups are regulated each year by municipal regulations.

Main events and traditions

Proclamation from the Town Hall and parade of supporters clubs that opens the programme.
Offering of Flowers on 12 October and Offering of Fruits on the 13th.
Rosario de la Aurora and Rosario de Cristal, with their lanterns and glass floats.
Jota and Aragonese folklore on stages, streets and offering events.
Comparsa de Gigantes, Cabezudos and Caballitos, and the Tragachicos for children.
Concerts, theater, circus, dance, fairs, gastronomy and closing fireworks.

Gigantes, cabezudos y cultura popular

The municipal troupe extends a tradition documented since the beginning of the 19th century. Their figures travel through different neighbourhoods accompanied by music and especially attract children. The Tragachicos, a large walkable figure that functions as a slide, recovers another historical element of Zaragoza animation.

Who organises and participates

The Zaragoza City Council coordinates programming and public services. The Metropolitan Council, brotherhoods, regional houses, clubs, cultural associations, folk groups, artists, companies, merchants and hoteliers participate. The Offering incorporates thousands of groups and individual participants from Aragon and other places.

Reconocimiento turístico

The Pilar Festivals are declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. The recognition corresponds to the celebration as a whole and does not in itself make all its events or venues permanent: to attend it is advisable to always check the current municipal programming.