✨ San Xoán Guide 2026
Bonfires · Queimada · Midnight Rituals · Galicia
✦ 23–24 JUNE 2026 ✦
🔥 Queimada Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 litre aguardiente (Galician brandy)
- 200 g sugar
- Peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange
- A handful of coffee beans
- Optional: 1 cinnamon stick
Steps
- Pour aguardiente into earthenware cauldron
- Add sugar, peels, coffee, cinnamon
- Stir with wooden ladle
- Light with long match
- Stir while burning until sugar dissolves
- Wait for flames to die, serve in cuncas
🔥 Tip: Aguardiente at room temp. Never tilt cauldron when lighting. Keep water nearby.
🌿 The 7 Herbs of San Xoán
For facer o cacho — collect water from 7 springs on 23 June afternoon:
🌱 Fennel (fiúncho)
🌱 Rosemary (romeu)
🌱 St. John's Wort (hipérico)
🌱 Mallow (malva)
🌱 Lemon verbena (herbaluísa)
🌱 Broom (codeso / xesta)
🌱 Male fern (fento macho)
How to do it: 7 springs water + 7 herbs. Overnight under sereno (dew). Morning: wash face without mirror. All-year protection.
✅ Checklist — Schedule
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 18:00 – 20:00 | Bonfire setup |
| 20:00 – 23:00 | Outdoor dinner |
| 23:00 – 00:00 | Gaitas and atmosphere |
| 00:00 | 🔥 Jump bonfires! + midnight swim |
| 00:00 – 02:00 | Queimada rituals |
| 02:00 – 06:00 | Party until dawn |
| 24 June (holiday) | Herb wash. Family lunch. |
🚆 From Santiago to Cities
Trains from Santiago station (800m from old town). Tickets: renfe.com.
| City | Train | Air |
|---|
| A Coruña | 30 min ~€12 | ✈️ Airport LCG — 15min. Flights London, Paris, Barcelona. |
| Vigo | 1h15 ~€15 | ✈️ Airport VGO — 20min bus. Flights London, Dublin, Milan, Lisbon. |
| Lugo | 1h30 ~€13 | — |
| Pontevedra | 35min ~€8 | — |
| Ourense | 35-50min ~€10 | — |
⚠️ Safety
- No glass on beach (fines apply)
- Don't swim after drinking
- Small bonfires only, sober
- Kids: village bonfire better
- Plan return: transport saturated
- Check weather — rain possible