FIESTA

Saffron Rose Festival

The Saffron Rose Festival is celebrated every year in Consuegra during last full weekend of the month of October, the date varies, trying to coincide with the celebration of picking of the flower.

The main function of the Festival is to promote the cultural essence of La Mancha through gastronomy, craftsmanship, history and popular traditions. It was established in 1963 and is declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest.

The reason for choosing saffron is due to three fundamental causes:

Firstly, it is a unique product within the Spanish agrarian landscape as 90% of the production is concentrated in La Mancha, associating itself with the natural space where it is produced, with all its cultural characteristics, so it could be considered as a sign of identity of the region.

Secondly, it is by right associated with quality, and this is not only in the internal sphere, but also in ancient cultures, such as the Sumerians or Akkadians, where saffron is considered as a luxury item.

Thirdly, it is one of the products, that Castilla-La Mancha can assure that it has in its territory, as the best in the world.

Throughout its long history, the festival has been adapting to the changes, evolving together with society. In the more than fifty years of history, gradually transforming from a farm-livestock event to another of tourist-commercial characteristics, as the social fabric of visitors along with the change in people who support it.

The soul of this festival is its acts. It is presented in such a way that they combine interest, tradition and peculiarity, recovering old habits and even serving as a catalyst for the recovery of a crop that is on the verge of extinction, today.