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Fira de Novembre 202

The Fira de Novembre 2022 will once again fill the streets of Vilanova i la Geltrú

3 things you must do at Fira de Novembre 2022

  • Enjoy all the gastronomic offerings at the stands, food trucks and the tapas route.
  • Roll up in the Agency of Secrets and play with augmented reality.
  • Taste sports such as rugby, fencing or golf.

The Fira de Novembre is one of the must-attend events on the calendar in Vilanova i la Geltrú. The main commercial event of the year brings the whole town out onto the streets, bringing together companies and organisations from all over the Garraf and Penedès regions.

After two very difficult years marked by the pandemic, the Fira de Novembre is back to 100% this year. From 11 to 13 November, the action returns to the public space of Vilanova and the forecasts are that the large numbers of thousands of visitors that the fair used to have every year before COVID-19 will be repeated. Watch out, because the 2019 edition had around 100,000 visitors.

In 2022, the multi-sector fair will once again be the perfect excuse to showcase, socialise and have fun discovering the full range of economic, cultural and leisure activities on offer in Vilanova i la Geltrú. The focus remains on the sector of innovation, knowledge and technology applied to different areas of everyday life. But the Fira arrives at its 31st edition in the modern era full of surprises, ready to adapt to new trends.

New exhibitor map

The return to the on-site format is accompanied by changes in the Fira’s different locations. This year the trade and local economic fabric stands will be located on the upper section of the Rambla, as far as Avinguda Francesc Macià. At Col-legi street there will be the city’s organisations and, from this point to the railway line, there will be stands for service companies.

In the Plaça de la Vila there will be the VNG Innova area, dedicated to future projects for a more sustainable city, and in the Baix a Mar park there will be the motor area.

During the three days there will be exhibitions of classic cars and motorbikes, and there will also be Formula 1 prototypes and racing motorbikes from the Vilanova i la Geltrú UPC Campus E3 Team, a global local engineering project. The youngest children, from the age of three, will be able to enjoy discovering drifting with the electric mini karts.

Expectations are high, because almost half of the participants, 44%, will be making their debut this year at the big fair in Vilanova. There will be food, automotive, commerce and services companies, entities, institutions and companies, many of them excited to present themselves for the first time at the Fira de Novembre.

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The Fira de Novembre is the biggest in the Garraf and Penedès: in the last edition before the pandemic, in 2019, it brought together more than 100,000 visitors.

Three spaces and a tapas route for foodies

As for the good food that is always the star of the Fira de Novembre, the traditional food outlets will go from the railway line to the monument to Francesc Macià, where there will also be a small stage and six food trucks. On the other hand, the food and wine area will be in Plaça de les Neus, with 14 food and drink tents and another stage for live music performances.

Finally, in Plaça Soler i Carbonell there will be a space dedicated to 0-kilometre products, craft beers and family activities, as well as an exhibition of carriages. And on the 11th you’ll be able to buy fish at a traditional “enchanted” auction, with the sellers singing the fish as they used to do in the old days.

In addition, the Fira de Novembre weekend coincides with the start of Destapa Vilanova, a tapas route that brings together local gastronomy and points of tourist or emblematic interest in the city. Each tapa is accompanied by a glass of local wine, chosen for the occasion by each of the eleven participating bars and restaurants.

The Agency of Secrets, an augmented reality game

The great novelty of this year’s VNG Innova space is the Agency of Secrets, an interactive and gamified experience that allows visitors to get to know Vilanova i la Geltrú through ten analogue, digital and virtual reality games.

Become an agent of the Agency of Secrets and discover the best kept mysteries of the city through ten different but interconnected games. Some require walking routes, others search for hidden symbologies in the streets or visit places that are invisible without virtual reality goggles. Together they form a fictional story inspired by real events linked to the history of Vilanova i la Geltrú.

This is a pioneering project, the largest gamified tourism promotion project in Spain, and promises to be a great immersive experience for the whole family.

Vilanova rolls out the red carpet for visitors

La Rambla will act as the backbone of the Fira de Novembre 2022, an idea that the official poster for the event aims to convey. The design celebrates the return to the origins, the exhibition in the street, showing as a graphic element a DNA chain that represents La Rambla and at the same time refers to the concepts of innovation, knowledge and technology that the fair wishes to represent.

In addition, to pay tribute to the true protagonists of the Fira de Novembre, this year the Rambla will have a section with a red carpet, special lighting and a decoration with photographs of emblematic places in the city. This VIP area in the style of the big film festivals will be 42 metres long and will be installed at the height of Avinguda Francesc Macià. It will undoubtedly be a must-see selfie spot.

All so that visitors can enjoy yourselves as the real protagonists that you are. The organisers wanted to express in this way how they have missed the public over the last two years.

Activities for all tastes

The Fira de Novembre’s programme of activities is more packed than ever with all kinds of proposals.

  • If you are looking for a new sport to practice, you can try fencing, rugby or golf with different introductory activities. 
  • If you are passionate about technology and gadgets with your family, you can fly drones, learn how to create video games, build virtual reality scenarios, draw with a computer…

If you want to discover Vilanova’s artistic and cultural heritage, during the Fira all the city’s museums are free of charge, and you can also get discounts for the shows promoted by Escena Vilanova.

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This year there are more exhibitors than ever, and 44% of them are making their first appearance at the Fira.

2022: the year of the relaunch of Fira de Novembre

La Fira de Novembre 2022

The Fira de Novembre 2022 should be a turning point and a relaunch of the country’s leading multi-sector fair thanks to the new model agreed between the city’s political, social and economic agents. In the words of the mayoress, Olga Arnau: “We continue to focus on the innovation sector, knowledge and technology applied to different areas of everyday life.

We are moving forward with a new Fira format to adapt to new trends and, above all, to reinforce the positioning of our Fira de Novembre not only as an economic benchmark within the Penedès region but also to project Vilanova i la Geltrú as the economic capital of the country“.

We look forward to seeing you in Vilanova i la Geltrú this Novembrer – don´t miss it!

Practical information

Fira de Novembre
Dates: From 11 to 13 November
Place: Different venues in Vilanova i la Geltrú: https://firadenovembre.cat/planol-de-la-fira

Thanks for reading, sharing on your social networks and commenting!

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Laura Rangel
Journalist

 7 activities to enjoy the outdoors in Vilanova i la Geltrú

Vilanova i la Geltrú and its surroundings are perfect for outdoor activities, in full contact with nature. In addition to its wonderful beaches, the coastal path and the walks through its rich urban heritage, the town is surrounded by three natural parks: Garraf, Foix and Olèrdola. Its “inland” nature hides little-known surprises that we suggest you discover on foot, by bicycle, on horseback or by practising other active tourism activities.

Horse riding in the natural park

Vilanova i la Geltrú is an ideal setting for horse riding.The Rosper Riding Club offers beginners’ classes for children and adults. But the most attractive way to get into riding are the routes around the Garraf Natural Park, through vineyards and forests and enjoying the views of the Mediterranean Sea.

They have options of one or two hours and of different difficulties, with an introductory class to learn the basics or routes with a little more slope if you already have some experience.

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The peculiar karstic geology of the surroundings makes it rich in chasms, caves and other places perfect for beginners in potholing or abseiling.

Caving for everyone

Through the year, the Garraf Natural Park organises an introductory caving activity in the Esquelets cave. The level of difficulty is low and it is suitable for the general public from the age of seven. A great opportunity to discover the underground world by descending with ropes through this 18-metre chasm. In addition to the sporting activity itself, you can enjoy the silence of this natural space, the calcite formations and perhaps the sighting of a bat.

Another option is the excursion to the Black Cave, in the municipality of Sant Pere de Ribes. After the 25-metre entrance and after crawling through a narrow passage of about five metres, you will be amazed by the beauty of the limestone formations in the main room. Don’t forget your torch!

Discover medicinal plants

On the outskirts of Vilanova i la Geltrú we find the traditional Catalan farmhouse Mas d’en sa Font, which, through the Garraf Natural Park, organises guided walks in the surrounding area to learn about the traditional and ancestral uses of medicinal and edible plants. A relaxed activity to learn to relate to the environment in a different way.

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Vilanova i la Geltrú is surrounded by three natural parks: Garraf, Foix and Olèrdola.

Walks through the wineyards

The Sports Station offers hiking routes for all levels in the surroundings of Vilanova i la Geltrú. If you are looking for a pleasant walk along comfortable paths and without technical areas, we suggest the walk through the vineyards, a circular route of 15 kilometres.

And if you are wine fans, in Sant Pere de Ribes there are several wineries with interesting wine tourism proposals. 

Torre del Veguer offers different packs that include visits to the winery, which is listed as a historic-artistic monument by the Generalitat de Catalunya, walks through the vineyards observing the vegetative phase of the vines depending on the time of year, a wine tasting…

The Vega de Ribes winery also offers visits to the vineyards and the winery, wine tastings and even pairings with cheese or Iberian products.

On foot from Mas de l'Artís to Pla de Querol

If you fancy a long walk, we suggest a 25.71-kilometre route of moderate difficulty that crosses the Garraf Natural Park from Mas de l’Artís in Vilanova i la Geltrú to Pla de Querol in the municipality of Sitges. Following the Mediterranean Path, the GR-92.4, this excursion passes through beautiful geological landscapes and heritage elements.

The terrain of the Garraf marvels visitors with its unique landscape, rich in limestone karst forms and chasms, dolines and lapiaces.

The hand of man over the centuries can be seen along the route, especially in the form of vineyards of native varieties of the D.O. Penedès such as xarel-lo, malvasia and sumoll. There are also small buildings such as the circular vineyard huts, which were once used to shelter from the rain and keep food fresh while working in the fields.

Other large buildings along the route, such as the Torre del Veguer and the Valgrassa farmhouse, are also related to wine production. The Torre del Veguer is a fortified farmhouse dating from 1359, while the farmhouse of Vallgrassa, which gives its name to the whole valley in which it is located, currently houses an experimental arts centre where artistic and cultural activities are carried out.

The Castell de Ribes, in the municipality of Sant Pere de Ribes, has been documented since the 10th century and is classified as a Cultural Asset of National Interest. It can be visited at weekends.

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In the area around Vilanova there are walking and cycling routes suitable for all levels. Some of them can be done with children, but there is also a first-class mountain pass that has been part of the route of the Tour of Spain.

Feel like a Vuelta cyclist

If road cycling is your thing, from Vilanova i la Geltrú you have access to a  wide variety of routes with different levels of difficulty and duration. One option for those of you who are fitter is the Rat Penat (the bat) route. This is a short but quite demanding route, which passes through a first category pass that was one of the highlights of the 2010 Tour of Spain.

The route leaves Vilanova in the direction of Sitges along the C-31, better known as the Les Costes road. This stretch, twisty and with constant changes of gradient, will allow you to enjoy magnificent views of the literal Garraf. 

At the first roundabout we turn off towards the Vallbona housing estate to begin the ascent to Rat Penat: 4.4 kilometres of ascent, with a gradient of 455 metres and an average gradient of 10.3%.

We then cross the Garraf Natural Park for a few kilometres and finish with a steep ascent to Les Piques, up to the Can Grau farm school. From here the descent begins, passing through Sant Pere de Ribes to return to the starting point.

Golf

Portal del Roc is one of the most attractive Pitch & Putt courses in Catalonia, and it is also the first to be awarded the Biosphere certification for its strong commitment to the environment and sustainability. It is a beautiful 18-hole course with prices starting at 14 euros for non-members. They also offer lessons for adults and children. If you already have some experience and fancy a bit of competition, there are tournaments every Friday in the summer, and they have a continuous calendar throughout the year. 

Thank you for reading, sharing on your social networks and commenting!

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Laura Rangel
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After
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Vilanova i la Geltrú

18/11/2021
18:30 a 21:00h