Tavern singing contest
Melodies heard in traditional taverns
If you visit our city, make sure you attend one of Vigo’s tavern singing contests. Galicians not only sing with an accent, we sing all the time. We like singing so much that we invented tavern songs, a truly unique celebration.
This ancient tradition from Vigo involves taking traditional pieces sung with tambourines and making new arrangements for more instruments or voices, and after a rehearsal, going from tavern to tavern singing the new songs. They are usually Galician songs or boleros, habaneras and other exciting and emotional melodies brought back by migrants from across the Atlantic.
Vigo’s tavern songs never disappeared, and the best way to enjoy them is in contests like the Cancións dos Nosos Barrios (Songs from our neighbourhoods), which takes place in the San Roque estate in August. This is when folk groups from different neighbourhoods get together, organized by the San Roque Brotherhood of Devotees.