History and origins

Until the 18th century, Ferrol was a small village of fishermen and fish salters. In 1726 Philip V made it the headquarters of the Northern Naval Department and ordered the construction of the Royal Arsenal, and under Ferdinand VI a large shipyard was built. Within a few decades the population grew from some 1,200 inhabitants in the old quarter of Ferrol Vello to tens of thousands.

The population was mostly male: soldiers and shipyard workers who came from all over Spain, from the Basque Country, Catalonia, the Levant and Andalusia. At one point in the 19th century, 84% of the inhabitants were men and only 16% were women.

In such a diverse Ferrol, music and song became a common language. Military band musicians brought their skills and wrote the scores of the first Ferrol songs. Arsenal and shipyard workers earned a steady wage and had time off on Sundays and holidays such as Saint Joseph's Day, patron saint of carpenters and shipyards, because ships were built of wood.

Added to this were the trade links with the Americas, especially Cuba. New musical trends, including habanera rhythms, reached Ferrol before other parts of Spain.

Origin of the name and the date. Many years ago, the names Josefa and Pepa were very common. "Pepita" is the diminutive, and the serenade on the eve of Saint Joseph's Day (19 March) became a tribute to every Pepa and, by extension, to all the women of Ferrol. The 18th of March was chosen because the following day was a holiday, so people could celebrate into the night.

The first rondallas were linked to Entroido (carnival): the Pepitas began as an extension of those festivities, a month later. But instead of the mockery and satire of traditional carnival, Ferrol's Entroido devoted itself to singing the praises of women, an adaptation attributed to the city's military character.

How old is the festival?

The festival has more than a century of documented history, and its roots go back to the mid-19th century. Its exact origins are not documented, but it has been held almost without interruption since 1903, apart from the breaks caused by the Civil War and the post-war years, the pandemic and a few postponements.

The rondallas

According to the Royal Spanish Academy, a rondalla is a musical ensemble of string instruments. In Ferrol the word means something more: a vocal and instrumental group, with singers, its own uniform and a central role in the Night of the Pepitas. Outside that night, the rondallas perform all year round at Holy Week, Christmas concerts, festivals, fairs and charity events.

At first, the festival relied on temporary groups that formed for the occasion and then disbanded. The first rondalla with continuity was Armonía (1959; a permanent organisation from 1964), and from the 1980s onwards today's permanent rondallas took shape.

Today there are seven rondallas in Ferrol, and groups from the surrounding area join them every year. In 2026, twelve took part, from Ferrolterra, Eume and Ortegal.

There are also rondallas formed by people from Ferrol living in Madrid, such as Barlovento and Virgen de Chamorro. Over the years, more than a hundred musical groups have been formed in Ferrol and the surrounding area.

Music. The lyrics and melodies have Romantic features, with rhythms from the Americas. Dances, waltzes and habaneras predominate. Some rondallas widen their repertoire with boleros, tangos, Galician music and modern songs.

Instruments. Mainly plucked strings: guitars, bandurrias, lutes and mandolins, sometimes with flute, clarinet or percussion. The 2026 programme also lists violins, double basses and accordions.

Costume. Like university tunas, the rondallas wear their own costume: a dark cape (black or navy blue) lined with satin in the rondalla's colour, a long-sleeved white shirt, a bow, tie or similar, a scarf, and colourful ribbons and rosettes pinned to the cape. Each rondalla has its own colours and flag.

The "pañuelos". Each rondalla hands out a "pañuelo" to the audience: a leaflet with the lyrics of the night's songs, so that everyone can sing along.

Dates and venues

The Night of the Pepitas is held every year on 18 March, the eve of Saint Joseph's Day, and it is the grand finale of a week of events. As Saint Joseph's Day is no longer a public holiday in Ferrol, the date has sometimes been adjusted, for example because of Holy Week (2008) or to hold it at a weekend. In exceptional cases it was postponed: to December in 1919, to May in 1972 (after the death of two workers at the Bazán shipyards) and to September in 2020 (because of the pandemic). In 2026 it is held on Wednesday 18 March, with 19 March a regional holiday.

The events take place on foot in the centre of Ferrol, in the area protected as a Site of Cultural Interest (the Magdalena and Ferrol Vello neighbourhoods). The three main venues are:

• Jofre Theatre (Praza de Galicia, s/n, Magdalena neighbourhood), venue of the official ceremony and starting point of the parade.
• City-centre streets (Magdalena neighbourhood): the parade route to Praza de Armas.
• Praza de Armas (Praza de Armas, s/n), venue of the rondalla festival in a marquee. In other years the concert has been held in Praza de Amboage.

After the festival, each rondalla follows its own route around the bars and restaurants of the city centre. See how to get to each event venue.

The events in detail

Below are the events of the 2026 programme (Wednesday 18 March).

Pepitas Week

The big night is preceded by a week of events. Each rondalla publicly presents its godmother or godfather at its premises and rehearses its songbook in cultural centres and community centres. The mayor and the city council welcome the godmothers and godfathers at the Jofre Theatre. Shops decorate their windows and take part in a competition, pastry shops make the Pepita "bico", and the festival poster is usually chosen through a competition among design students at CIFP Leixa in Ferrol.

Official ceremony (4:45 pm, Jofre Theatre)

The day opens with a formal ceremony celebrating the cultural role of the rondallas. The rondallas are presented with their godmothers and godfathers, the "honorary rondalla member" badges are awarded, and Ferrol's twinning with the municipality of Mondoñedo (2004) is commemorated, a bond based on their shared diocese and on the festivals of Saint John and the Pepitas. In 2026 there were also historic tributes to the Añoranzas, Bohemios and Nas Ondas do Mar rondallas. The theatre, opened in 1892 and reopened in 2005 after lengthy restoration, is one of the city's landmark buildings. Admission is free, by invitation, because seating is limited (522 people).

Rondalla parade (6:00 pm)

The groups leave the Jofre Theatre and walk along Concepción Arenal, Magdalena, Carme, Real, Amboage, Méndez Núñez and Dolores streets to Praza de Armas. This is when the festival takes to the streets and the city fills with music.

Rondalla festival (7:00 pm, Praza de Armas)

This is the main event, held in a marquee set up in the square. Each rondalla performs three pieces: a parade march (pasacalles), a waltz and a dance. They may be new works composed for the occasion or pieces recovered from the old Cancioneiro das Pepitas songbook. The lyrics are handed out in print to the audience, in the "pañuelos", so that everyone can sing along.

Performances around the city

Once the festival is over, the night takes on its most traditional and popular character. Each rondalla follows its own route around the centre, goes into bars and restaurants, and sings beneath windows and balconies to the "pepitas" and "pepitos" who lean out, with its colours, its godmother and its pañuelo. By tradition, the night ends for each rondalla when its godmother decides to go home: they walk her to her front door and sing her one last song.

Godmothers and godfathers

Each rondalla chooses and presents its godmother (madrina), who accompanies it throughout the year on behalf of all the women of Ferrol, the "Pepitas". There is no record of rondallas regularly choosing godmothers until the 1960s (except Juventud Ferrolana of Havana, in 1908). Since 2019, Só Elas, an all-women rondalla, has chosen a godfather. The O Son do Mar rondalla also alternates between a godmother and a godfather each year. Every year the City Council pays tribute to people and groups connected with the festival.

Cultural value

The Night of the Pepitas is a unique popular festival: there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. It was declared a Festival of Tourist Interest of Galicia in 2013, and the City Council is working towards its recognition as a Festival of National Tourist Interest.

• Ferrol's historical memory. It is a living symbol of the city's naval and industrial past and of the generations who worked in its shipyards: a society that came from all over Spain and found common ground in music.
• Ferrol song. A distinctive intangible heritage, with Romantic melodies and rhythms from the Americas. Poets and composers have written for the Pepitas, and rondallas such as Club de Campo have added works in Galician, including what is considered the first habanera in Galician.
• A different kind of rondalla. It breaks with the traditional idea of a rondalla as a string group, adding singers, a uniform and each group's own colours.
• A living tradition. It is renewed with new songs and rondallas and adapts to society: women have gained a growing presence as instrumentalists and singers, and in 2019 Só Elas was founded, made up only of women and with a godfather.
• Public participation. It is a celebration open to everyone, the only limit being the capacity of the Jofre Theatre for the official ceremony. Bars, restaurants and shops take part with their window displays and the bico, and local residents sing along with the rondallas.
• Twinnings. The twinning with Mondoñedo (2004) and the musical link with Vila do Conde (Portugal), dating back to 1973.
• The Pepitas "bico". A heart-shaped cake of orange sponge with a dark chocolate coating, introduced at the initiative of the Pontedeume Catering School and now a symbol of the festival.
• A protected setting. The events take place on foot in the Magdalena and Ferrol Vello neighbourhoods, an area declared a Site of Cultural Interest, highlighting this heritage.