Vigo and the bonfires of St John, the reasons for the decline of a beautiful Galician tradition

Like many Galicians, last night I went to see the bonfires of St John, an ancient tradition celebrated throughout the Spanish region of Galicia.

Three very different images of the beaches of Vigo during the night of Saint John 2023
Bayona: A Bonfire of St John Next to Monterreal Castle

These bonfires take place on the night of June 23rd to 24th, that is, the night of St John. They are usually lit around midnight. Yesterday I walked along the Vigo coastline from the Berbés neighborhood to Bouzas, then went to Samil beach and finally ended in Corujo, next to Vao beach. During that long walk, I only saw three bonfires: Berbés, Bouzas, and Corujo. Almost all the photos in this post are from the Corujo bonfire, where I recorded this video yesterday:

Desde Vigo, ¡feliz noche de San Juan a todos! pic.twitter.com/ltIyRv6SZ4

— Elentir (@elentirvigo) June 23, 2025

When I arrived at Samil beach I found this image, which would have seemed very strange to the people of Vigo a few decades ago:

There were a lot of people on the beach, some even swimming in the sea (the temperature was very good, as it was hot in Vigo on Monday), but there wasn't a single bonfire: the mayor, the socialist Abel Caballero, banned bonfires on the beaches under threat of a 1,500 euro fine, claiming: "Bonfires cannot be made on the beaches because the remainder of the bonfire remains there for weeks and is therefore strictly prohibited". The City Council has cleaning services, but apparently it doesn't want to use them.

So, in a city with 296,000 inhabitants only 21 bonfires were lit yesterday. That's roughly one bonfire for every 14,000 people in Vigo. Curiously, the socialists also govern in the city of La Coruña but bonfires are allowed on the beaches there. It must be that the bonfires there are of a special type that do not damage the sand.

What happened with the San Juan bonfires is not an isolated incident. Today it was learned that the traditional summer festivities in the Coya neighborhood have been canceled, because the organizers cannot meet the City Council's exaggerated demands, which among other things required fencing off the festival grounds and having a capacity limit: "We're talking about an area of ​​122,000 square meters, what do they expect us to do, put up turnstiles?", says the organizer in Vigoé.

Canceling one of the city's most important festivals due to absurd bureaucracy is something that never happened even during Franco's dictatorship. This gives an idea of ​​the regulatory vortex some politicians have plunged us into, determined to impose all kinds of rules on our daily lives, even on the most trivial matters. Curiously, it's the same City Council that turns the entire center of Vigo into an amusement park for weeks every Christmas, much to the dismay of the residents of that area.

Furthermore, the fact that the bonfires of St John were held on a weekday last night was a disadvantage, which in itself discourages many people who have to get up early for work the next day. In my case, I'm self-employed and have more flexible hours.

To that we can add that there are fewer and fewer young people today. Thirty years ago, when I went to bonfires with my gang, there were many more young people than there are now. The demographic decline is noticeable.

Thus, San Juan bonfires in Vigo are being relegated to the outskirts of the city, to the more rural areas, where there are places to organize one. In fact, many vacant lots in the city center where bonfires used to be held have disappeared. Another reason for the decline.

Anyway, my friends, enjoy this tradition while it lasts. Perhaps one day we'll have to talk about it as something of the past, one that disappeared because of politicians who enjoy banning all sorts of things, because of a society in which young people are a declining species, and because of an urban center where there's no longer any room for traditions like these. What a shame.