An Octopus Eating Festival in O Carballiño? You must be squidding!

The Octopus Fair in O Carballiño is the best place to try this Spanish delicacies, among other dishes / Flickr

30 July 2018, 17:06

The Fiesta del Pulpo

When: 12th August 2018
Where: O Carballiño, Spain
Website: spain.info

One of the most popular festivals in Spain takes place on the second Sunday of August and is called the Octopus Festival (Fiesta del Pulpo). It is held in O Carballiño in the province of Ourense in Galicia and was declared to be of International Tourist Interest in the seventies.

Thousands of people from different parts of Spain and the world take part in this event, coming to taste the over 50,000 kilos of Galician-style octopus that is made during this gastronomic festival. Yes, octopus, but before you go running for the hills, give this tasty seafood delicacy a chance. How bad can it be if 2.5 million Galicians swear by it for any special occasion?

The Ourense fiestas are very well known and this type of celebration has become an essential event on the calendar for many Galicians. Octopus is a classic local dish that can be served with either white or red wine, if that makes it more palatable for you. Don’t hesitate – be brave and get down to the Octopus Festival this August.

Tourism in O Carballiño

You may well wonder what to see in O Carballiño to make the most of your stay. It’s a really beautiful and charming little town where you can enjoy a few days of much-deserved vacations.

It is worth visiting the Temple of the Veracruz, a magnificent building of contemporary architecture where Romanesque, Byzantine, Gothic and pre-Romanesque influences can be seen. The same is true of the town’s baroque buildings, such as the Church of Santa Baia de Banga and the manor house of Banga de los Quiroga, which you can't miss for anything in the world.

However, one of the main attractions of the municipality is its thermal spa baths, which have existed since Roman times, including the Great Spa and the Caldas de Partovia. The landscape and ecology of O Carballiño are also impressive with its native forest and its vineyards in the southern part, which produce the famous Ribeiro wines.

Eating octopus at the Fiesta del Pulpo

The Octopus Festival started in the sixties when the members of a certain workers’ union decided to organise a very special evening with octopus. That meal turned out so well that they proposed to hold it every year, and it ended up turning into the enormous festival it is today.

Eating octopus in Ourense is part of a tradition and this festivity has only helped to increase its importance in the region. The octopus tentacles are cut into slices and can be either boiled or fried. It is then often served with oil and paprika on top for a truly typical and tasty dish. At this carnival, though, you can try octopus cooked in all sorts of ways.

The other key to the success of the festival lies in the fact that it has many more things to offer than food, such as traditional dances and the natural scenery where it is set in the Municipal Park.

The festivities in O Carballiño are very special as it is one of the most outstanding gastronomic events in Galicia and all of Spain. Visitors and local citizens spend the day eating kilos and kilos of the best ingredients – not just octopus but also meat, potatoes, and empanadas, accompanied by litres and litres of good wine.