Manilva dresses up for a festive weekend to celebrate one of its most traditional and deeply rooted events: the Fiesta de la Vendimia (the Grape Harvest Festival). On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, the streets of the town centre will host activities combining tradition, culture, music and fun.
The main settings for the celebration will be calle Mar and the Plaza de la Vendimia, with a programme designed to offer both the most traditional events and a wide range of music that will continue into the early hours.
Saturday 5 September: Mass, grape offering and music into the early hours
The events will begin on Saturday at 19:30 with Holy Mass in honour of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, sung by the Coro de la Escuela Municipal de Música at the Iglesia de Santa Ana.
Afterwards, the image will leave in procession towards calle Mar, accompanied by the Banda Municipal de Música, where the traditional grape offering will take place.
Next, one of the competitions linked to the town’s wine-growing tradition will be held: the heaviest bunch of grapes contest.
The evening will continue from 22:30 with music and dancing on calle Mar, where Latidos and Orquesta New Velada will perform.
Meanwhile, the Plaza de la Vendimia will have resident DJs Becerra, Pablo Drazza and Pájaro providing the music for the party throughout the night.
And for those who want to keep the party going into the small hours, at 02:30, in the early hours of Sunday, Santo Perreo will perform, with DJ Tony Toba.
Sunday 6 September: the big day of the Vendimia
Sunday will bring the central moment of the celebrations with the traditional Domingo Rociero, a day on which Manilva revives and celebrates its roots in grapes and wine.
At 13:00 the daytime fair will start on calle Mar, with tastings of local wine and grapes and traditional gifts for those attending.
Half an hour later, at 13:30, the traditional parade of horse riders will take place along calle Mar, with the collaboration of the Peña Caballista de Manilva.
Music will take centre stage from 14:00, with performances by Latidos, Orquesta New Velada and Compás Flamenco, who will play continuously on the various stages set up in the street.
The party will also move to the Plaza de la Vendimia, where from 16:00 resident DJs Becerra, Pablo Drazza and Pájaro will continue to liven up the day.
The traditional grape treading
One of the most eagerly awaited moments will come at 19:00 in the Plaza de la Vendimia with the traditional grape treading and tasting of the first wine.
It is one of the most symbolic events of the celebration, representing Manilva’s historic link with vine growing and winemaking.
The day will continue in the evening on calle Mar. At 22:00, the group Olivetti Versiones will provide the musical finale to the programme with a repertoire of covers ranging from the great hits of the 1980s to the present day.
A festival linked to the history of Manilva
The Fiesta de la Vendimia is much more than a festive celebration. It is part of Manilva’s identity and of the wine-growing tradition that has been linked to the town for generations. The grape harvest marks the end of one agricultural cycle and the beginning of another, becoming each year an opportunity to celebrate grapes, wine and the customs associated with this activity.
The celebration thus brings together tradition, food and drink, music, horses and community spirit, making calle Mar and the Plaza de la Vendimia the epicentre of activity throughout the weekend.
