Mayor of Barcelona presented the official program of the San Celestino Fair 2026

Published at: 18/03/2026 06:18 PM

The San Celestino Fair 2026 celebrates its third consecutive edition after 20 years of absence and seeks to consolidate itself as the most important economic and cultural engine of the Anzoátegui state.

The schedule for these festivities was announced this Wednesday, March 18, by the mayor of Barcelona, Sugey Herrera, accompanied by the governor of the entity, Luis José Marcano, at a meeting with the media in the Plaza Nicolás Rolando in the Barcelona Historical Center.

Herrera reported that the agenda of activities will formally begin on Friday, May 15 with the traditional Solemn Mass in honor of the Patron Saint, at 5:00pm in the Cathedral, a temple that has protected the first-degree relics of Saint Celestine Martyr for 249 years.

That same day, in parallel, Plaza Libertadores will receive more than 1,300 high school and university students in the “Knowledge Challenge”, an academic competition involving educational institutions from the municipality.

The local president stressed that from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 next May, the largest square in Venezuela will host events for the whole family, such as the Livestock Fair, a space that will feature animal exhibitions, contact farms, agricultural machinery and musical performances.

In the gastronomic field, the brand “Barcelona Tiene Sabor” will organize competitions to choose the best master griller and the best cachapa, in addition to the inauguration of the Expo Café, a sensory and immersive experience for lovers of this sector.

For his part, Governor Luis José Marcano congratulated the mayor's office for organizing this 2026 edition and highlighted the importance of the fair as “the main showcase of the capital of the state of Anzoátegui to project the economic potential and values of its people, promoting culture, sports, faith and the right to leisure.”

The fair includes the traditional San Celestino Half Marathon, a highly competitive sporting event that will take place on Sunday, May 17 on its 10 and 21k routes, and which is backed by World Athletics and national federations.

For this edition, more than two thousand athletes are expected to participate, said the mayor, stressing that this participation figure places the capital of Anzoatigua on the map of international athletics.

Saint Celestine is said to be one of the most representative devotions of the people of Barcelona, who have worshiped him since 1777, when he arrived in full body from Rome.

The parish priest of the patrimonial Cathedral, Luis Eduardo Rebanales, recalled that the relics have a historical value as they are “the uncorrupted body” of a Roman soldier converted to Christianity who died as a martyr in 250 AD.

Rebanales announced that as part of the religious celebration on May 6, the saint's novena begins and on the 15th, “it's the big celebration, at five in the afternoon, with the presence of the bishop, Monsignor Jorge Aníbal Quintero Chacón, and the presence of all the municipal and state authorities.”

He recognized that this holiday year after year brings more believers, a celebration, an exaltation of the religious, historical and cultural.

Mazo News Team