La Tamborrada, San Sebastian, northern Spain takes place January 20th, also known as the festival of the drums its one of the noisiest festivals in Spain, which is saying something.
It’s thought that the Tamborrada was originally meant to mock the occupation by the French in Napoleonic times. The event starts at midnight on 19th January from when locals parade through the streets of San Sebastian dressed as chefs or soldiers to the sound of many drums.
San Sebastian is a lively city with an atmospheric old quarter the Parte Vieja where the parade begins with the raising of a flag in the impressive Plaza Konstituzioa (which has some great tapas bars), it carries on from there, much cognac and wine flows and there is no sleep for anyone for 24 hours until midnight of 20 January. The local children have their own version of the parade in the morning.
San Sebastian is a thriving port. It’s an interesting place to visit any time of year and it often attracts tourists staying just over the border near Saint Jean de Luz and Biarritz in France who come for the day.
It is also close to the point of arrival and departure for many holidaymakers travelling by car to south west France, all parts of Spain and even Portugal, via the Brittany Ferries car ferry which does the Portsmouth/Plymouth to Sanatander route and the newly opened Portsmouth to Bilbao crossing.
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