When is the Castanyada in 2026?

Saturday 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. 1 November 2026 is a Sunday.

What are castanyeres?

The women who sell roast chestnuts in the street. Around 1800 there were some 200 in today's Ciutat Vella in Barcelona, according to betevé.

What do you eat on the Castanyada?

Roast chestnuts, panellets and roast sweet potato, often with moscatell.

Where can I find a chestnut fair this year?

The biggest, Viladrau's 31st Chestnut Fair, already took place on 24–25 October 2026. On the night of the 31st there is still Viladrau's Ball de les Bruixes; the table lists the other events with a confirmed date.

Is the Castanyada the same as Halloween?

No. It is a Catalan tradition tied to All Saints; today it coexists with Halloween in many towns.

Festivals and traditions

Castanyada 2026: the date, the castanyeres and where to go

Saturday 31 October: Viladrau's Ball de les Bruixes, the events with a confirmed date, who the castanyeres are and what to eat.

Published on 18 September 20264 min readVerified on 18 Sept 2026

Chestnuts roasting over a fire during the Castanyada — Representative image of the Castanyada tradition. Illustration generated with artificial intelligence.CatalunyaInfo

On this page (6)

Castanyeres: who they are and where they come from
Castanyada 2026 events, day by day
Viladrau, the one to pick
Barcelona: the everyday version
What to eat
Keep reading

The Castanyada 2026 is on Saturday 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day, which falls on a Sunday this year. Its symbol is the castanyera, the chestnut seller roasting on a street brazier. That night Viladrau holds its Ball de les Bruixes, and the children's show "On són les castanyes?" plays Valls (30 October), Capellades (31), Maçanet de la Selva (1 November) and Bellver de Cerdanya (2). Viladrau's 31st Chestnut Fair already took place on 24–25 October.

The short version

When: Saturday 31 October 2026 (All Saints: Sunday 1 November)
What you eat: Roast chestnuts, panellets, sweet potato
What you drink: Moscatell, a sweet muscat wine
The figure: The castanyera, who roasts chestnuts in the street
The context: All Saints, and remembering the dead
On the night of the 31st: Viladrau's Ball de les Bruixes

Castanyeres: who they are and where they come from

The castanyera is the figure of the night: an older woman, well wrapped up, roasting chestnuts on a brazier on a street corner. According to a report by Barcelona's city broadcaster betevé, quoting historian Xavier Theros, around 1800 there were some 200 of them in today's Ciutat Vella alone, and an 1839 ban on lighting fires and roasting chestnuts in the street forced them to work with a fired-clay pot called a copa.

Barcelona City Council notes that historians believe the chestnut tradition comes from the food served at funerals in the past, when people recited the rosary for relatives who had died. Sources: Ajuntament de Barcelona and betevé.

Castanyada 2026 events, day by day

Only events whose date is published by the organiser or in the Generalitat's official cultural agenda are listed, checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and times can change: confirm them on the organiser's site before you go.

Castanyada and autumn events with a confirmed date, 2026
Date	Place	What
Sat 31 October, 10:00	Barcelona, La Pedrera	Family workshop "La Castanyera a La Pedrera!" (1 h 30, €9.50; under-3s free)
30 October to 2 November	Valls (30, 17.30, free), Capellades (31, 18.00, €3), Maçanet de la Selva (1 Nov, 17.30, free) and Bellver de Cerdanya (2 Nov, 18.00, €3)	Children's show "On són les castanyes?"
Sat 31 October, at night	Viladrau	Ball de les Bruixes (Witches' Dance), held since 1997

Sources: Viladrau town council; La Pedrera; Catalonia's cultural agenda (Generalitat open data).

Viladrau, the one to pick

If you can only go to one, go here. Viladrau town council confirms that the 31st Chestnut Fair took place on the weekend of 24–25 October 2026, with Viladrau chestnuts raw and roasted, a chestnut-eating contest, guided walks through the chestnut woods and tastings.

Viladrau sits in the heart of the Montseny, Catalonia's great chestnut massif. If you go next year, expect crowds; arriving early helps.

On 31 October, the night All Saints begins, the village holds its Ball de les Bruixes, which it has done since 1997. Official information: the fair and the dance.

Castanyada or Halloween?

There is no need to frame this as a conflict: the two now coexist in most towns. In many places the Castanyada is celebrated at school, and All Saints' night mixes elements of both calendars.

Barcelona: the everyday version

Barcelona has no single central Castanyada festival, and it would be false to present one. What it has is a street tradition, with chestnut sellers on corners and panellets in the bakeries, and neighbourhood events such as the La Pedrera workshop in the table.

What to eat

Roast chestnuts, hot, in a paper cone. Panellets, small marzipan sweets with pine nuts, coconut, coffee or almond. Roast sweet potato. And moscatell alongside.

If you want landscape with it, autumn colour reaches much of the country in these weeks, and there are more autumn food fairs.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Castanyada in 2026?: Saturday 31 October, the eve of All Saints' Day. 1 November 2026 is a Sunday.
What are castanyeres?: The women who sell roast chestnuts in the street. Around 1800 there were some 200 in today's Ciutat Vella in Barcelona, according to betevé.
What do you eat on the Castanyada?: Roast chestnuts, panellets and roast sweet potato, often with moscatell.
Where can I find a chestnut fair this year?: The biggest, Viladrau's 31st Chestnut Fair, already took place on 24–25 October 2026. On the night of the 31st there is still Viladrau's Ball de les Bruixes; the table lists the other events with a confirmed date.
Is the Castanyada the same as Halloween?: No. It is a Catalan tradition tied to All Saints; today it coexists with Halloween in many towns.

Official events listing: Catalonia's cultural agenda.