Reus marked the start of its Sant Pere Festival on 11 June with a giant mosaic made by nearly 1,200 schoolchildren in Plaça del Mercadal. The event, called Hola, Sant Pere!, featured the city’s traditional Ball de Galeres dance.
Students from around 30 local schools arrived before 10am and followed instructions from artists Josep Prous and Xavier Oliach of Art Club Salou, who designed the mosaic with Jordi Romero. Once in place, the children lifted coloured cards, donated by Tomàs Barberà, to form the image of the galley ship.
A drone captured aerial images of the finished mosaic over Plaça del Mercadal. Canal Reus will use those images in a Sant Pere congratulatory video, due to premiere on Thursday, 11 June, during the Notícies Migdia programme. Canal Reus organised the event with support from Reus City Council. More local news
Hola, Sant Pere! has been running for more than 10 years. Previous editions have featured other festive figures from Reus, including the Àliga de Reus, the Lleó de Reus, the Mulassa de Reus and the Ball de Cavallets de Reus.
This year’s focus was the Ball de Galeres, a dance described by officials as unique to Catalonia and notable for its originality and character. It is part of the Coordinadora de Danses Tradicionals de Reus and is marking 25 years since its recovery.
Several local groups supported the activity. The Gremi de Forners de Reus i el Baix Camp provided breakfast for the schoolchildren, Reus City Council helped with logistics and coordination, Rabassa allowed children to take home a souvenir, and Dia de Granja sponsored the event.