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[title]Jornades gastronòmiques de l'abadejo (Tortosa)
Salted cod has an important place in the gastronomy of the region and Tortosa celebrates a yearly gastronomic festival dedicated adabdejo, which is the name given to this fish in the Ebro region. With the slogan 'from the market to the dish', the Platigot restaurant association makes sure that during the festival, dishes of cod are present in the bars and restaurants of Tortosa and for six weeks, brandade, cod fritters, cod in ratatouille and cod in cheese sauce become the protagonists of their menus. The festival also includes cooking demonstrations that are held on Friday mornings in the municipal market.
Fira Literària Joan Cid i Mulet (EMD Jesús - Tortosa)
(Around the Feast of Saint George)
This fair is a meeting place for writers and readers in the Terres de l'Ebre, Matarranya and northern Valencia regions. The programme features discussions with writers from the area, musical performances, storytelling and a book fair in the street. During the days of the fair, usually before the feast of St. George, a number of book launches, book club events and literary award ceremonies take place in recognition of the research work carried out by young people, inspired by literature, language and exile.
Fairs in Tortosa (Expoebre and Festast)
Springtime is fair time in Tortosa. Expoebre, the most traditional multi-sectorial fair in Terres de l'Ebre, in which dozens of machinery, automobile and food industry companies show off their latest products, is held every year around the 1st of May. In addition, every two years sees the celebration of Festast, a food fair that brings together a diverse range of products and services in the hotel, catering and food industries.
La Passió de Vilalba dels Arcs
(Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday)
At Easter, the streets and squares of the historic town of Vilalba dels Arcs are transformed into the settings in which Jesus lived during the last days of his life, from his entrance into Jerusalem to his crucifixion. Oil lamps, the light of torches, hessian clothes, the smell of herbs and the sound of crows are the elements that make up this humble passion play that eschews special effects. It's a clear example of pure theatre, as the audience also participates in the twelve scenes mingling with the actors and actresses. Holy Saturday morning also sees the opening of amphorae in a tasting involving all the wineries in town during which the participants taste the wine of the passion for the first time after being sealed away some months before.
Diada de l'Ostra del Delta and Jornades Gastronòmiques de l'ostra (L'Ampolla)
(Beginning of March)
Another star seafood product from l'Ampolla is the oyster. At the gates of summer, this tasty mollusc becomes the main protagonist in the town's restaurants and fishing port, where you can try as many as you want.
Fira ramadera i d'artesania de Rasquera
(First Sunday in May)
The white goat is a native breed that's unique to Catalonia, and specifically to the Terres d'Ebre region. Rasquera has traditionally been the village with the largest head of goats and nowadays hosts an annual fair in which these animals share the spotlight with popular crafts.
Mostra d'Arts i Oficis + Mostra intercomarcal de vi Tastavins d'Ascó
(Third week of May)
Just before summer begins, the old town of Ascó dressed up in period costume in order to pay its own particular tribute to Catalan crafts, becoming the place that attracts the largest number of artisans in Catalonia. Ceramicists, basket weavers, beeswax makers, wood crafters, leather workets and potters, among others, display their skills and hold workshops for those who want to try their hand. In addition, the Arts and Crafts Show is held in conjunction with the Tastavins Wine Show, with more than thirty wineries from nearby wine-producing areas.
Spring fiestas in Alcanar and Deltebre
Around the Feast of Saint Isidre on May 15, Alcanar celebrates one of the most keenly awaited fiestas of the year, especially by those who like to feel adrenaline pumping through their veins as bulls go running along the streets. A few days later, around the May 20, Deltebre celebrates its Festes de la Segregació, which marks the segregation of the town from Tortosa in the year 1977. Its independence is commemorated in a week full of cultural and sports activities organised by local associations.
Festa de la Mel d'Arnes
(Last weekend of May)
The name and the shield of this village leave you in no doubt, Arnes (in Catalan an 'arna' is a beehive) has a strong connection with bees and honey. Every year since 2003, the historical centre of the village has attracted exhibiters and visitors who come here to buy and sell honey. The village also hosts the Honey Interpretation Centre, which will give you all the information you need about its tradition of honey production.
Jornades Gastronòmiques del llagostí
(June)
If the prawn is king in winter, when summer arrives the lobster comes to claim the crown. Tasty, fresh and prepared in thousands of ways is how you'll find it in the restaurants of Alcanar, les Cases d'Alcanar and Alcanar Platja, which have special menus to coincide with the lobster festival.
Festes de La Plantada (Deltebre and l'Ampolla)
(Mid June)
In the heart of the Ebro Delta you live surrounded by rice; immense, flat rice fields that change colour with the passage of the seasons. Planting takes place at the beginning of June and the season is celebrated in Deltebre and l'Ampolla with festivities which commemorate the old ways and tools used by the local farmers. Visitors can learn about these ancient techniques in a festive atmosphere with a market selling local products, musical performances and a mass lunch, among other activities.
Litterarum. Fira d'espectacles literaris and Fira del llibre ebrenc (Móra d'Ebre)
(First weekend in June)
Books, literary acts and writers come together to meet and make themselves known during this weekend in the capital of Ribera d'Ebre. Stage productions of literary works and literary production in Terres de l'Ebre are the protagonists of this consolidated event in which love for the Catalan language and the emotional power of the word leave no one indifferent. Here you'll find performances, concerts, book presentations, roundtable discussions and many other activities. www.llibresebrencs.org
PinellArt (Pinell de Brai)
(Second weekend in June)
El Pinell de Brai is a town of artisans. People working with everything from wood, iron, glass and tin to textiles, ceramics and painting have been coming together at the town's cooperative winery, designed by the modernista architect Cesar Martinell, every year since 2008. It's an excellent craft show which focuses on a different craft every year.
Diada de la Cirera + Fira dels Canterers (Miravet)
(Third Sunday in June)
Red, sweet and pretty, the cherry is the queen of the summer fruits and the star of this fair in Miravet. When the fruit is at its best, the town dedicates a festive day in its honour that's full of popular activities that allow visitors to taste and buy cherries directly from local producers. The same can be done with pitchers made by Miravet's potters, practitioners of one of the town's oldest professions.