What to do in Salou in September: King Jaume I Festival and Medieval Market

Salou. Costa Dorada. 24 August 2022. In September, summer is not over yet and there is much to enjoy, especially in Salou, which celebrates the 27th edition of the King Jaume I Festival to commemorate the fact that in 1229 the Catalan monarch set sail from the port of Salou to conquer Mallorca, and thus began the expansion through the Mediterranean of the Catalan-Aragonese crown.

In 2022 the festival is celebrated from September 1 to 4 and offers as its main novelty the incorporation of new characters to the royal procession that parades on September 3 through the main streets of Salou. In addition, the Rei Jaume I will debut a new wardrobe, as well as his horse, thanks to the work carried out jointly by the Salou City Council; the Jaume I Institute of Salou, through a project coordinated by the professor of History of Art, Esther Lozano, doctor in the matter; and the Grup de Dones de Salou, an entity that has sewn all the suits, with the advice of the fashion designer and pattern maker Olivia Garzón. The objective of this work is to bring the historical recreation of the Feast of Rei Jaume I closer to the medieval life of the 13th century.

Another novelty of the Festival this 2022 is the inauguration of a bronze statue of King Jaume I in what was the natural port of Salou, at the end of Calle Colón, in Pilons, next to the cove of Ferreries. The sculptural ensemble is the work of the artist Natàlia Ferré.

Salou Medieval Market

One of the main attractions of the Rei Jaume I Festival is the Medieval Market.

• Dates of the Medieval Market: from September 1 to 4, 2022
• Where is the Medieval Market: on Calle Iglesia, Ponent, Pins, Rafael Casanova, Joan Miró and Plaza Bonet.
• Medieval Market Hours: every day from 10.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• What can we find in the Medieval Market of Salou: artisan workshops and demonstrations of ancient trades; stalls selling food products, children's games, thematic exhibitions, attractions, the tavern, and even the creation of a camp where different shows and dramatizations about the military world in medieval times will be held. The Market features fantastic musical, dance and fire performances; acrobatics, fights and combats, sounds of the East, circus performances, theater and humor.

Rei Jaume I Festival Program

September 1, 2022

• at 11 a.m.: Opening, with the subsequent proclamation and the welcome parade
• at 6:30 p.m., at the Municipal Library of Salou, conference “El Llibre dels Feits de Jaume I el Conqueridor: the first royal autobiography of the Crown of Aragó”, by Gerard Puig Gavarró, graduate in Catalan Philology and doctor in Medieval History from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), currently associate professor at the URV of Medieval History of the Crown of Aragon and History of women in the Middle Ages.

September 2, 2022

• at 7:00 p.m., in the Torre Vella courtyard, a conference “From the medieval past to the present in Salou: the value of collective construction with citizenship in mind”, by Esther Lozano, PhD in Art History. Attendance is free and without previous invitation, with limited capacity.
• at 8:00 pm, in the Torre Vella, opening of the exhibition “Towards the conquest of Mayûrqa. Protagonists, clothing and colors of the medieval past”, relating to the new clothing of King Jaume I, as well as the characters who also premiere image. Attendance is free, without prior invitation, with limited capacity.

September 3, 2022

• at 7:00 p.m., royal procession from the Plaza del Teatre Auditori in Salou. The route will take place through the TAS square, Via Roma, Barcelona street, Via Aurelia and Torre Vella.
• At 8:00 p.m., the Rei Jaume I and his entourage depart from the Torre Vella towards the Via Aurelia, the Via Roma, Barcelona Street, the Pier Pier and the Llevant beach.
• at 9:00 p.m., performance by all the entertainment groups and final show on the Llevant beach

September 4, 2022

• at 7:30 p.m., inauguration of a sculptural group of King Jaume I, installed in the old natural port of Salou (at the end of Calle de Colón; los Pilons, next to the Caleta de las Ferreries). It is a group of bronze sculptures made up of four figures, including Rei Jaume and three children playing around him.

From September 8 to 10

Regatta XXXVI Rei en Jaume, which is held in the waters of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, under the direction ofl Club Nàutic Salou.

In the presentation of the program for the Rei Jaume I Festival 2022, the mayor of Salou, Pere Granados, stated that "this year we will have a Rei Jaume I Festival different from all those that have been so far, since we have worked background our history and we will offer a new vision of the characters that will enrich us as a people and give added value to one of the celebrations that gives us the greatest identity”.

For his part, the Councilor for Cultural Services, Xavier Montalà, said that "the main objective is to provide the festival with historical rigor, through the characters and their clothing, typical of the 13th century".

For the Councilor for Economic Dynamization, Hèctor Maiquez, “the Medieval Market in the streets of the old town is a very positive event, since it combines commercial activity with a historical setting; and this theme allows us to live a different experience, with evocative and suggestive sensations”.

Finally, the municipal government of the capital of the Costa Dorada deeply appreciates the collaboration of all the people and entities participating in the Fiesta del Rei Jaume I 2022.

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