Vilagarcía de Arousa Water Festival
For San Roque, the inhabitants of Vilagarcía de Arousa celebrate the Water Festival, the water festival par excellence, which in 2006 was declared of National Tourist Interest.
The festivities of San Roque last more than 10 days, but the big day is the 16th of August in the so-called Water Festival. The events begin with the transfer of San Roque from the parish church to the chapel, a massive procession to the sound of the pasodoble "Triunfo". After the procession, the pilgrims ask the villagers for water to refresh themselves and they throw buckets of water from their balconies, drenching everyone.
Origin of the festival
The Water Festival arose spontaneously in 1984 when the pilgrims who carried the saint in procession became tired and overheated and asked the villagers for water. A neighbour, it is not clear, came up with the idea of throwing a glass of water from the balcony, to which more people joined in, and the pilgrims gratefully asked for more. Someone came up with the idea of replacing the glass with a bucket and water became the protagonist of the fiesta from then on.
Subsequently, the fiesta has evolved in such a way that Civil Protection uses hoses so that the water reaches every corner.
The festival evolves every year according to the circumstances, and in years of drought it is considered to suppress the hoses to save water so necessary in the countryside and for the people.
The Vilagarcía de Arousa Water Festival attracts visitors from all over Spain and even from abroad, and more and more people are coming to enjoy this Galician festival.
