The walls of the town's oldest quarter are the chosen venue for Tortosa's Renaissance Festival, held during the last fortnight of July. The stage set by the façades of the town buildings, dressed with flags and festive lighting, the colours of traditional costume, from the most luxurious to the most common, the music, and the widest array of shows and performances, take us back in time to the splendour of a 16th-century town.

Tortosa is right in the heart of an extensive region and shows its pride, vibrancy and everyday hustle and bustle through the revival of the old town government, trade, customs, gallantry, gastronomy and the festival's most diverse exhibitions and performances. The town itself is the venue, the stage that will once again recreate the 16th century, as the banners of the defence ranks take the town streets under the regional flag of Tortosa.

The people of Tortosa transform their homes and with their support Tortosa returns to the 16th century. Townspeople line the streets and deck out their homes with plants, rugs and tapestries, torches and candles. They decorate the rows of balconies, windows and doors with canopies of rush, reeds, myrtle and palm; they hang the banners of the 16th-century town and the flag of the Renaissance Festival from their balconies and windows. Then they come out onto the streets to play an active role in the events and ceremonies, just like the 16th century inhabitants.

The town's most prominent buildings boast rich rugs, tapestries and embroidered fabrics.

The people come out onto the streets to take part in the events and ceremonies, to become part of the 16th century. They dress up in the traditional clothing from the period, wearing cockades in their neighbourhood colours.

They all come out onto the streets together to enjoy the festival and, holding the regional flag high in the air, they cheer:

Terra d'aigua,
Terra d'un riu,
Visca la Vegueria de Tortosa!
VISCA!

Land of water,
Land of a river,
Long live the region of Tortosa,
HURRAH!