Xinzo de Limia Entroido
The Entroido transforms Xinzo de Limia for five weekends and combines its own rituals, satire, music and intense participation in the streets. The Pantalla, a masked character exclusive to the town, symbolically presides over a celebration recognized as a Festival of International Tourist Interest.
Date and duration
The calendar depends on Lent. The cycle usually begins three Sundays before Entroido Sunday and concludes on Piñata Sunday, after Ash Wednesday. Domingo Fareleiro, Domingo Oleiro, Domingo Corredoiro, the big days of the Entroido, the Enterro da Sardiña and the Piñata follow one another.
In Xinzo, Entroido Tuesday can be declared a local holiday through the municipal work calendar each year; Tradition alone does not convert all the days of the cycle into public holidays.
View the official programme of the Xinzo de Limia Entroido 2026.
Venues
Praza Maior and the historic centre are the heart of the festival. The routes occupy streets such as Dous de Maio, Avenida de Madrid and Avenida de Ourense, while Praza de San Roque and Praza Carlos Casares host great performances. The Galician Museum of Entroido is the starting point for Screen meetings and traditional events such as the wave car.
Also check out the festivals of Xinzo de Limia.
La Pantalla
The Screen represents the festive authority. He wears a white shirt and pants, a red or black cape, and a mask topped with a decorated crest. He carries cowbells and hits two inflated bladders to produce the sound that announces his passage. Sunday Corredoiro marks its first official appearance within the cycle.
Its function is not that of a simple costume: it walks the streets imposing the recreational rules of the Entroido and embodies an identity transmitted by generations of neighbors. The collective concentration of Screens is one of the most characteristic moments.
Main days and traditions
- Domingo Fareleiro: the flour is distributed and the fareladas They cover the Praza Maior and the old town in white.
- Colgamento do Meco: Meco is carried and hung as a satirical figure that will accompany the rest of the cycle.
- Sunday Oleiro: Participants pass clay pots around until they fall and break; There is a children's modality and a general one.
- Sunday Corredoiro: The Screens officially take to the streets and gather in a collective tour.
- Días de Entroido: desfiles, comparsas, carrozas, charangas, crítica humorística, actividades infantiles y verbenas.
- Enterro da Sardiña: procession, testament and burning say goodbye to the central days.
- Piñata: games, mascarita dance, prizes and taking down the Meco close the celebration.
History, continuity and recognition
The Galician Entroido preserves a long popular tradition and was one of the celebrations that maintained its practice even during times of carnival prohibition. In Xinzo, this continuity is articulated in an extraordinarily long cycle, with local characters and rituals that differentiate the festival from other carnivals in the province of Ourense.
In 2019, the competent Ministry granted the Xinzo de Limia Entroido the declaration of Festival of International Tourist Interest. The Xunta de Galicia then presented it as the first Galician carnival and the first festival in the province of Ourense to reach that category.
Quién organiza y quién participa
The Municipality of Xinzo de Limia, through its festivals, youth and culture areas, coordinates the public programme with local groups, musical groups, security forces and municipal services. Screens, troupes, associations, educational centres, hospitality, neighbourhoods and visitors maintain an open party, but based on respect for their traditional codes.