Arrival in Baiona
Journey to the Age of Discovery
Baiona celebrates the arrival of the Pinta caravel with news of the New World
The town of Baiona was the first in Europe to have news of the discovery of America and more than 500 years later it commemorates it in style with a massive festival declared of International Tourist Interest. On the first weekend in March, knights, stilt walkers, craftsmen from all trades, gypsy women who read the lines of the hands, innkeepers and thousands of characters dressed in period costumes take the town back to more than 500 years ago.
The whole of Baiona is immersed in the Middle Ages during the events of the Arribada and crowds of people arrive from all over Galicia, numerous places in Spain, Portugal and other countries. The Royal Medieval Market now has more than four hundred stalls and exceeds the surface area of the historic centre. The hotel occupancy rate during the weekend reaches 100%.
Medieval jousting
The festivities begin with twelve shots fired from the fortress of Monterreal and the jousting tournament, in which knights compete for the love of a young lady from a noble family. There is also a training camp for the knights, and medieval olympics are organised. Falconry exhibitions, fencing competitions and archery trials are other of the most attractive spectacles, and the highlight is the theatrical representation of the arrival of the Pinta caravel to the town, on the sandy beach of A Ribeira.
The craft stalls in the Royal Market sell ceramics, leather, costume jewellery and toys, while in the gastronomic stalls you can sample products such as octopus, steak, pies, sweets, wines and liqueurs. In the alameda de los aprendices (apprentices' avenue), there are also workshops in up to ten specialities: pottery, period tapestries, coin minting, medieval writing, leather, confectionery, antique embroidery, gold and silver work, letter sealing and engraving. The towns twinned with Baiona are also present at the fair, with a stop made up of Palos de la Frontera, Santa Fe, Pornic and Vila do Bispo.
At the end of the 20th century, the 5th Centenary of the Discovery was commemorated through the solemn events that took place in Baiona, and in 1993 its historic centre was declared of Historic-Artistic Interest. The Arribada experienced an enormous growth until it was declared of International Tourist Interest in 2015.
