Can you imagine what a week-long, over-the-top, mega celebration in honor of a guy who wrote about someone who couldn’t tell the difference between a windmill and a dragon might look like? Imagine perhaps the most intense of renaissance fairs overflowing from the city’s central plaza into the narrow, cobbled streets and you’re almost there. This is the image of Semana Cervantina, a festival held annually in Alcalá de Henares, the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote.
Located right outside Madrid, the city makes no secret of its pride in producing one of the greatest classical Spanish writers, with numerous statues, plazas, and murals in honor of him and his work dotting the city. It’s impossible to travel anywhere in Alcalá de Henares without seeing some evidence of Cervantes, but during Semana Cervantina, you’d truly be living under a rock if you somehow missed the celebration in his honor. The city pulls out all the stops, making sure there’s something for everyone.
During this one week in October, the city transforms completely, transporting its citizens and visitors to a more mystical time. Among the many festivities, you can find jousting, fencing, music and dancing, and so much more. As you wander the streets to peruse the items for sale in the Mercado Cervantino, you’ll occasionally find yourself wrapped in the midst of parades of live performers dancing, singing, or even dressed as Don Quixote and his trusty companion Sancho Panza. And as for the Mercado itself, there’s no shortage of unique gifts and souvenirs you can find. Don’t forget to come hungry! You won’t regret sampling any one of the many foods for sale.
At the end of the week, the banners are once more rolled up, the booths closed, and Cervantes once again fades into the past. But he never quite disappears. Just wait till next October; the celebration always returns.