May Day 2024 - Wednesday. Busy weekend?

[SongKhonGair]

May 1st falls on a Wednesday in 2024, May Day / Labour Day.

I know the May Day weekend is a very busy one for accommodation etc. in Spain, there were several threads about it this year. But with most European countries celebrating the public holiday on the Wednesday, perhaps not as busy in 2024.

The UK and Ireland have their holidays on the following Monday, the 6th, and Orthodox Good Friday / Easter Monday fall on the 3rd / 6th. Thursday the 2nd is a Madrid local holiday to boot. So not a totally quiet weekend either.

Any thoughts / experience of a Wednesday May Day / Labour Day? (The last one was in 2013)

Cheers

 

[Kathar1na]

The first two weeks in May as well as the first two weeks in September are the busiest weeks of the year in the section of the Camino Francés between SJPP and Pamplona.

Many pilgrims who start there have no intention of continuing to Santiago in one go. They stop after a few days, a week, two weeks and start again later from the town where they had stopped, perhaps again in May of another year.

That the 1st of May falls on a Wednesday in 2024 may have an effect. Or not.

What is your question though? I guess it‘s about your own timing?

Credible sources say that on such exceptional peak days hundreds (way more than 300) leave SJPP and they cannot be all accommodated in Roncesvalles on their first day and in Zubiri on the following day for the simple reason that there are more pilgrims than beds.

Does it matter then whether say 498 pilgrims left on a day around the 1st of May in 2019 and 381 pilgrims leave on a day around the 1st of May in 2024?

It is likely to be busy on this first section around the beginning of May 2024 and perhaps busier than you would like it to be. Be prepared for it or start earlier or later in April or May. Buen Camino!

 

[J Willhaus]

The first two weeks in May as well as the first two weeks in September are the busiest weeks of the year in the section of the Camino Francés between SJPP and Pamplona.

Many pilgrims who start there have no intention of continuing to Santiago in one go. They stop after a few days, a week, two weeks and start again later from the town where they had stopped, perhaps again in May of another year.

That the 1st of May falls on a Wednesday in 2024 may have an effect. Or not.

What is your question though? I guess it‘s about your own timing?

Credible sources say that on such exceptional peak days hundreds (way more than 300) leave SJPP and they cannot be all accommodated in Roncesvalles on their first day and in Zubiri on the following day for the simple reason that there are more pilgrims than beds.

Does it matter then whether say 498 pilgrims left on a day around the 1st of May in 2019 and 381 pilgrims leave on a day around the 1st of May in 2024?

It is likely to be busy on this first section around the beginning of May 2024 and perhaps busier than you would like it to be. Be prepared for it or start earlier or later in April or May. Buen Camino!

Also there are sometimes strikes associated with May Day which can snarl travel a bit.

 

[Kathar1na]

Also there are sometimes strikes associated with May Day

Really?

 

[SongKhonGair]

What is your question though? I guess it‘s about your own timing?

Yes, whether or not we will need to book accommodation many days in advance.

I am not questioning the number of perigrinos, I am aware of the early May "bump" in numbers leaving SJPP. It is a good point you make re people doing their Camino one small portion at a time though, there would be more of those on a three-day weekend. As well as regular hikers.

Our flights are booked and timing is pretty well set, and as it happens we should pass thru SJPP in the last week of April. Our pace will be slower than most - I'm imagining battening down somewhere past Pamplona while this great surge of perigrinos stampede around us. Like the running of the bulls.

No, I was more concerned with regular tourists visiting the larger towns along the Way - people getting away from home for a long weekend. They would book accommodation in advance. And less private accommodation available = more pilgrims trying to find a bed in albergues, at an already busy time of the year.

 

[Kathar1na]

I'm always a little puzzled by the "book or don't book" discussion when it concerns the section from SJPP to Pamplona.

There is Orisson and Borda, both bookable. There is not much freedom to chose during very busy times: You have either booked and can stay or you can't.

There is Roncesvalles: All the albergue beds are bookable and so are the beds in the three hotels/posadas. The hotels get booked out, the albergue probably not but on busy days you either arrive early enough to get a bed that has not been booked or you can't stay. Some pilgrims will have to walk on or get a taxi. Again not much freedom of choice there.

All the albergues in Pamplona are bookable with two exceptions who have 14 beds and 26 beds, i.e. a total of 30 beds. Others called albergues are not even exclusively for pilgrims. Pamplona is a popular leisure destination, especially on Friday and Saturday. Of course pilgrims compete with other visitors on such days, they don't have much of a choice.

 

[SabsP]

Also there are sometimes strikes associated with May Day which can snarl travel a bit.

We already discussed this before.

No strikes in France ( except maybe from les gilets jaunes and even they do not strike in the strict sense but merely protest ) , nor Spain or Belgium ( my country ) . Meetings and parades yes, plus some speeches.
Even more : all those local unionmembers will use the public transport to travel to the capital for mentioned meetings and festivities.
First of May is before everything a feast to celebrate the fact that we have decent workinglaws and social security.

Strikes will happen on normal workingdays when effect will be bigger.

To the mods : I will not elaborate more but I do find it important that we get some facts straight here.

 

[trecile]

Yes, whether or not we will need to book accommodation many days in advance.

I always recommend that SJPdP to Pamplona be booked ahead for those that will be walking that stretch the first two weeks of May and September.

 

[J Willhaus]

Last spring late April several posts about strikes and people stuck after arriving in France.

 

[Kathar1na]

Last spring late April several posts about strikes and people stuck after arriving in France.

Do you mean this year? It was frequently in the news: strikes on specific days in April and May that affected part of the train traffic as a protest against a major pension reform in France. The last strike day was on 6 June 2023. I don’t recall that the strikes were specifically centered around 1 May and there is no reason to believe that the situation repeats in 2024.

Pilgrims need not worry unduly that their travel is not going exactly as planned but as with any trip one ought to be prepared for it. A missed connection flight, a pre-booked accommodation that cannot be cancelled and not be reached on the day - it happens.