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St. James Feast Day and Demophobia

Heather1

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Timing and St. James Feast Day
Hello, planning for a camino with my son in July is evolving. I‘m wondering about crowds and Feast Day. Neither of us really feel comfortable in large crowds (this is unrelated and related to covid) and one of the reasons we are walking the Camino is because we both cherish quiet time for introspection.

I inadvertently scheduled our ending Santiago de Compestela albuerge for July 26th, the day after the St. James Feast Day. I am just now reading about the crowds of people celebrating the holiday in Galicia and feel a real sense of dread. My question is, if we reschedule to arrive the first week of August, will we still experience the crowds of people throughout Galicia?
 
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Depends on what you would consider "crowds" to be. In 2019 - the last pre-Covid year - there were nearly 60,000 Compostelas issued in August. So about 2,000 per day. There are signs that the current extended Holy Year may increase those numbers a little. If previous years are an indicator the bulk of those walking will choose the Camino Frances. If you are committed to walking in late July or early August you might consider walking a different route.
 
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If you’re set on the Frances consider walking a half day one day then staying at places in the middle of the stages. I didn’t see anyone for the first three days of my Camino that I started this week. Now I’m staying at the end of a stage in puente la Reina and there are so many more people compared to the 0 people earlier.

You’ll see people walking regardless of where you stay however
 
FWIW, one of the forum moderators who lives in Santiago posted this earlier:

One thing to note is that the big light show and fireworks are always set for July 24. While July 25 is the actual holiday, it’s very quiet that day in town and shops are usually closed. But the big celebrations happen the night before, the 24th.​
​
July 26th, the scheduled day of your arrival, is a Tuesday this year, so the festivity crowds may well have left by then. Otherwise, as far as the number of visitors in Santiago itself is concerned, there may be little difference between the last week of July and the first week of August: it will be equally busy because the summer months are peak season in Santiago for both foot pilgrims and other tourists.
 
As others have said, there a various strategies for reducing the numbers of people you see along the way, including choice of route, choice of daily stopping points, time of walking. That said, your concern seems to be the end of the trip.

More broadly speaking, the St. James Day crowds should be pretty much gone from Santiago (and the earlier stops in Galicia) if you are arriving in August. You'll still have to deal with the summer crowds and the Holy Year crowds, but not the St. James Day crowds. The summer crowds aren't too bad before the last 100km. Actually, May and September seem to be the busiest times of year for that portion of the route. But it is different for the last 100km, when the summer is busiest. That's where C Clearly's suggestion of the Invierno comes in really handy or, failing that, PerpetualPilgrim's suggestion of staying outside the regular stops that all the groups will be using. Which leaves you with Santiago itself. If crowds are a concern, you'll probably want to consider the timing of when you do things: when you visit the Plaza del Obradoiro or which mass you go to in the Cathedral, etc.
 
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I seem to remember reading something on this forum regarding a youth meeting and the Pope visiting in early August this year. If this is correct it will be madness!
 
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C clearly said:
Consider the Invierno, if you want to avoid crowds.
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That's what I am going to do in September. Don't do the Frances. Definately reschedule. July and August will be insane as most Europeans take their vacations during those two months.
 
If it has to be early August (son going back to school? , then how long were you two planning to travel? Would the Portugues or the Camino Ingles be an option?
 
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Hi @Heather1 as others have said, the end of July and the beginning of August won't be all that different from each other, especially if you're already arriving in Santiago after the July 24th festivities. Many pilgrims aim to get here for St. James Day, but then they may not stay too long in town afterward. So if I were you, I would still arrive as planned on July 26, especially since you already have an albergue booked. Holidays, and weekends, are usually when albergues and hotels sell out, but since you're arriving on a Tuesday it will still be busy - but relatively quieter than it would have been just a couple days earlier. (But it will still be busy, and still be crowded!)

Buen Camino!
 
dbier said:
If it has to be early August (son going back to school? , then how long were you two planning to travel? Would the Portugues or the Camino Ingles be an option?
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Yes. Ingles perhaps less crowded than Portugues
 
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