L'Aplec del Caragol is a meeting that is held annually, on a weekend in May, on the banks of the

river Segre The Segre ( or ; french: Sègre) is a river tributary to the Ebro (''Ebre'' in Catalan) with a basin comprising territories across three states: France, Andorra and Spain. The river Segre, known to Romans and Greeks as Sicoris, and to the Arabs ...

and the Champs Elysees in

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

since 1980. It is a gastronomic event where snails are the protagonists and which incorporates music, brass bands and

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

s through the city. In 2010 there were 200,000 visitors and twelve tons of snails were consumed. These are shipped in from Spain, North Africa and South America. Apart from the snail feast, the event includes numerous other activities such as concerts and charanga music,

castell A ''castell'' () is a human tower built traditionally at festivals in Catalonia, the Balearic islands and the Valencian Community. At these festivals, several ''colles castelleres'' (teams that build towers) attempt to build and dismantle a t ...

s, performances, and competitions.

History

In 1980, with about 12 clubs an event which incorporated a

through the city of

was born. About 300 club members participated in the first Aplec and around 4,000 visitors attended the first gastronomic demonstration of

. The club of the Order of Caragol was l’Aplec’s mother club. The Order of Caracol gathered a group of 18 clubs to spend the day on the shore of

. Thus they asked collaboration and authorization to the

City Council to make the Aplec in the poplar grove next to the river in the neighborhood of

Cappont Cappont (, often spelled Cap-Pont) is a neighbourhood in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. It stretches along the eastern bank of the Segre river. Cappont contains the city's largest park, the Camps Elisis, and a University of Lleida The University ...

. On April 1, 1981, the Order of Caragol sent the first notice to the clubs where they informed of the main agreements adopted at the last meeting of representatives of clubs and of the registration of 34 clubs and 2,300 participants in the following Aplec del Caragol. Also in 1981, the Aplequet or Aplec de Tardor was born. In the first weekend of October, it gathered up to 60 clubs and 3,000 club members with a tribute to the origins of Aplec when it was a one-day celebration. Castellers a l'Aplec del Caragol

In the fourth celebration of l’Aplec del Caragol an album with folk songs from

including one dedicated to the snail was recorded. In 1986, l'Aplec del Caragol was included in the program of la Festa Major de

. A week before the celebration of l'Aplec, on May 8, 1988,

entered the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

with the achievement of a world record: the realization of the world's largest tray of snails. In 1990 a new edition of the album l’Aplec del Caragol was presented with nine popular songs from

with lyrics and music of the brothers Angel and Joan Martinez and with the collaboration of Manuel Peralta, Eduardo Quijada and the Federation of Clubs of l 'Aplec. In 1994 the first democratic assembly of the Aplec is constituted. The Aplec of 1997 was starred with the celebration of the first Cultural Week and the first Caragol Rock, with the participation of Terrorvision, Los Sencillos and Café Soul. Aplec went on hiatus in 2020-21.

External links

Official website

Images

Lleida's turism website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aplec del Caragol, L' Recurring events established in 1980 Culture in Lleida