La CastanyadaPopular festivals and traditions, Halloween & Castanyada
10/31/2024 - 11/01/2024

La Castanyada is a traditional festival that is deeply rooted in Catalonia and celebrated on the evening of 31st October and 1st November, All Saint's Day. People eat chestnuts – castanyes in Catalan –, panellets - small balls of almond paste coated in pine nuts –, sweet potatoes and other autumnal produce. You can make panellets at home or buy them in the pastry shops and bakeries of Barcelona.

This public holiday is celebrated with family, friends and even in schools. It is often accompanied by chestnuts and panellets (traditional marzipan cookies) served with sweet dessert wine. Around the time of this celebration, specialist vendors take to the streets to sell their hot freshly-roasted chestnuts.

The Castanyada (Chestnut Festival) and All Saints Day indicate that summer is over and that colder weather is on the way.