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Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain
The summer solstice festival of fireworks will take place throughout the country on Friday night, June 23 into the early hours of Saturday
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__11686904995_large.jpg)
Summer is literally around the corner, and its arrival heralds the launch of the biggest and most famous festival in Spain: Noche de San Juan (Night of San Juan).
After the longest day of the year (June 21), the summer solstice festival takes place – June 23 into June 24 – an incredible fiesta of fireworks, bonfires and open-air dances on the beach.
For one night, Christian and mystical tradition come together in an electric melting pot for this festival that symbolises the triumph of light over dark and aligns with the summer solstice of the Northern Hemisphere.
What happens on San Juan? Origins and traditions
According to folklore, the fires of San Juan would kill off any bad spirits still lurking in the dark and even cure disease, and it was considered that if people jumped over a bonfire three times on the feast of Noche de San Juan, they would be cleansed and their problems would be burnt away.
The festival actually originates from pagan festivals thousands of years ago in honour of the birth of Saint John the Baptist, and today, is traditionally celebrated on beaches.
The infamous bonfires ('hogueras' in Spanish) see tens of thousands of people flock to Spain's coastline where the different traditional rituals are performed, including jumping over the flames for good luck.
The custom has been adopted by young people in recent years, and students use the bonfires to burn their notes after finishing their exams before the summer break.
So where can you enjoy the festivities? Here are five typical beaches in Spain to celebrate Noche de San Juan:
1. Sant Joan d'Alacant
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__21686905251_large.jpg)
2. Sant Joan de Ciutadella in the Balearic Islands
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__31686905344_large.jpg)
3. Playas Riazor and Orzán, La Coruña, Galicia
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__41686905407_large.jpg)
5. Matalascañas beach, Huelva
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__51686905559_large.jpg)
5. La Barceloneta, Barcelona
![Noche de San Juan: Top 5 towns to celebrate the beach bonfire festival in Spain](https://bullastoday.com/images/articles/23/06/2167475__61686905643_large.jpg)
For those who aren't lucky enough to celebrate Noche de San Juan on the coast, every year local councils stage a host of activities in parks, and on river and lake beds so that nobody misses out on the festivities. It's worth checking out your local town hall website to see what's planned.
Image 1: El Puig Turistico
Image 2: Comunitat Valenciana
Image 3: Menorca.org
Image 4: Turismo de Galicia
Image 5: Ayuntamiento de Almonte
Image 6: Ayuntamiento de Barcelona
Image 2: Comunitat Valenciana
Image 3: Menorca.org
Image 4: Turismo de Galicia
Image 5: Ayuntamiento de Almonte
Image 6: Ayuntamiento de Barcelona
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