The Setmana Medieval began on 16 May 1987 with a single performance of the legend of Sant Jordi (Saint George) during the town fair; the Associació Medieval de la Llegenda de Sant Jordi was founded that September and still organises the event. Its premise comes from folklorist Joan Amades, who placed the saint’s fight with the dragon outside Montblanc, whose walls include a stretch called the Muralla de Sant Jordi. The festival was recognised as a festival of tourist interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 1993 and as a ‘Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional’ by Spain in 1997.
The 39th edition ran 17–26 April 2026 across the two weekends around 23 April. The ticketed headline shows in 2026 were ‘Dracum Nocte i els quatre elements’ (Friday 17 April, 22:00, at El Foradot: a 40-minute dragon-invocation spectacle with video projections on the wall, recommended for ages 12 and over), the 80-minute ‘Representació de la Llegenda de Sant Jordi’ (Saturday 18 April at 21:15 and 23:00, El Foradot), the ‘Justa i honor’ jousting show (Saturday 25 April, 21:30, Baluard de Santa Anna) and a 40-minute children’s cantata of the legend staged several times over the two weekends. The Entrada Reial, the royal entry parade on the second Friday (24 April, 18:30, Plaça Sant Francesc), and the rose ceremony on 23 April, in which the four noble houses dance before Saint George gives the princess a rose, are free.
Around the shows the streets and squares host a free medieval market of about 130 artisan stalls (daily 10:00–20:00), a villagers’ camp with craft demonstrations (11:00–19:00), a wine and cava market with tastings from €2, a school of chivalry with archery, shield-making and riding (some workshops paid), knights’ tournaments, witch-hunt and tavern-ambush street theatre, acrobats and musicians.
In 2026 tickets cost €22 for the Legend (members €15, children 4–12 €5), €8 for Dracum Nocte (members €5), €15 for the joust (members €10) and €7 for the cantata (members €3, under-3s free), sold online through the official site. Montblanc is about 110 km west of Barcelona: regional trains (lines R13/R14) from Barcelona Sants take roughly two hours, and drivers should use the car parks marked on the festival’s access map, as the walled town is closed to traffic.
