May 30 to June 1 Annual Potato Fiesta in La Puebla!

4 days of potato celebration culminate in a giant Spanish omelette in the Cartagena countryside

One of the facets of life in Spain which never ceases to surprise visitors and residents from northern Europe is the number of quirky (and, some might say, surreal) fiestas which take place during the year, and a good example of this is taking place over four days until Sunday June 1 in La Puebla.

La Puebla is an outlying village in Cartagena between the city and the Mar Menor and the annual fiestas are held in June in honour of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús: However, the events are best known as the Fiestas de la Patata, and have established themselves in the local and regional calendar on the first weekend of June.

Now reaching its 16th edition, El Día de la Patata is a tradition which was started by local farmers keen to make the public aware of the quality of the potatoes they grow, and has quickly become a very popular event indeed. This year, as usual, everyone is invited to Potato Day, where there will be a special potato exhibition, potatoes on sale direct from the fields of the Campo de Cartagena, a competition to throw potatoes into the pot and of course various potato tasting sessions, which include omelettes as well as roast and boiled spuds.

The program of events during the day (and previous days) includes the following:

Thursday May 29

21.30: A talk on the nutritional qualities of the potatoes of La Puebla at the Asociación de la Tercera Edad.

Friday May 30

11.00: A meeting of agricultural professionals at the CEDE in Cartagena.

12.00: The annual Potato Tapas Route begins at local bars and restaurants in La Puebla, El Algar, Pozo Estrecho, Los Camachos and La Aparecida, lasting until 15^th June.

22.00: The crowning of the fiestas dignitaries at the Local Social, including the naming of José Galindo Fernández as this year’s “Ambassador of the Fiesta de la Patata.

Saturday May 31

12.30: Annual potato cooking competition at the Salón Parroquial, the only requirement being that each dish includes potatoes from La Puebla.

Sunday June 1

8.30: Direct sales begin, potatoes direct from the fields to your kitchen or pantry!

10.00: An arts and crafts market starts.

11.00: The great potato exhibition opens, featuring all of the main varieties grown in the Campo de Cartagena.

11.30: Chlidren’s and adults’ potato throwing competitions begin.

12.30: Photography competition prizegiving.

13.30: Let the tasting begin: roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, chips and a giant potato omelette for as many as 700 people!

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What's on section of Murcia Today.