Groundhog Day Festival

Every year, midway between the winter solstice and the summer equinox, the groundhog emerges from hibernation. Depending on how the animal behaves, American farmers predict that winter will last another six weeks (the groundhog sees its shadow due to a clear day and retreats to the burrow) or that spring is coming soon (the groundhog doesn't see its shadow and abandons the burrow).

A bunch of guys dressed up as judges lend solemnity to the occasion. Americans like to make a big deal about this particular weather forecast. Wearing winter clothes, usually brown and combined with an extravagant accessory, the townsfolk split into two bands: those who think winter still has to run its course, and those who think it's on its way out. Green Ufos discovered the tradition in the film Groundhog Day (meaning "trapped in time") where Bill Murray lives the same day over and over again: Groundhog Day.

This was the inspiration behind a music festival that was launched in Seville in 2014 to celebrate the end of winter. The event drew such a large audience that it was repeated the next two years, attracting on all three occasions more than 3,000 people to the Andalusian Centre for Contemporary Art. This year it takes place on 4 and 5 February, once again from 12 noon to sunset. Admission is free. More than 20 bands form the national and local scene will perform on two stages.