Barcelona-Sitges International Vintage Car Rally
The Barcelona-Sitges International Vintage Car Rally is a motoring and popular celebration that takes historic vehicles from Plaça de Sant Jaume in Barcelona to Sitges. Its procession combines motoring heritage, period dress and a route watched by large crowds.
Celebration date
It is held once a year, usually in March or April, although the organisers set the dates for each edition. The programme commonly includes preliminary exhibitions, the parc fermé and the Sunday run to Sitges.
Route and main locations
The official start is in Plaça de Sant Jaume. The procession crosses Barcelona and towns in Baix Llobregat before taking the Costes del Garraf road. In Sitges it follows streets through the town and Passeig de la Ribera to La Fragata, where the vehicles are displayed.
Origins and history
The first edition took place on 8 February 1959 with twenty cars. Ever since, clothing appropriate to each vehicle's manufacturing period has been one of its defining features. In its early years it also included a regularity test on the Costes del Garraf governed by sporting rules.
Sitges Tourism states that the festival was declared an Event of National Tourist Interest in 1980 and presents it as an annual showcase for vintage cars and motorcycles.
Vehicles and period dress
Vintage cars and motorcycles admitted under each edition's regulations take part, many from private collections. Drivers and passengers wear outfits connected with the vehicle's period, making elegance and historical atmosphere as much a part of the spectacle as the machinery.
How to experience the rally
- See the vehicles close up at the exhibitions and parc fermé.
- Watch the Barcelona start or the procession in one of the towns along the route.
- Wait for the Sitges arrival, follow the town-centre parade and visit the final display at La Fragata.
- Follow traffic instructions and keep off the carriageway while the procession passes.
Organisation and audience
Foment de Sitges organises the rally with institutional and private partners. Collectors, support crews, authorities and motoring bodies take part. Spectators generally watch from open urban spaces, although individual exhibitions or activities may have their own conditions.
See also the guide to local festivals and public holidays in Barcelona.