On the night of the first Saturday in July the old medieval fortress in will once again be surrounded by thousands of people intent on attacking it. This is the Festival of the Storming of Vimianzo Castle, a one of a kind festivity. It is based on the Irmandiño revolts which broke out in 1467 all over Galicia when the people rose up against the abusive power of the feudal lords.

The event is organised by Cherinkas together with the Council of Vimianzo and Axvalso. The dramatisation of the Storming, which takes place at midnight on Saturday in amongst various concerts, is usually a funny, surreal performance full of the Galician retranca sense of humour, in which the audience participates actively. Attendees become attackers and share the stage with the warriors, witches, defenders, and all the other characters that are brought to life for the various stories in each edition. These characters lead the participants in an enormous battering ram along a torchlit path to the sound of drums towards the castle where the symbolic capture is re-enacted. One of the activities that draws most interest in the Storming is the Medieval Dinner. It features a menu typical of the era and takes place on the Friday before the Storming. The venue for it is the castle moat.

The Storming for children is known as the Little Storming. There are three escalating stages in it, starting with the dramatised declaration of grievances in the Town Hall square, moving on to the ferocious water fight against the feudal lords, and culminating in the classic, magical battering ram moment that leads to the victory of the Irmandiño rebels.

The Irmandades Parroquiais (Parish Brotherhoods) are made up of a parade featuring people of all ages and bring together locals from all over the historical district of A Terra de Soneira. They converge from different places on the centre of town to storm the castle at night and witness the proclamation and raising of the Irmandiño flag at the town council.

Over the week many hospitality venues in the town serve up the famous “Pinchos irmandiños” tapas which cannot use any ingredients from after the discovery of the Americas and are based on medieval cooking.

The Craft Fair, in the Town Hall square on Saturday, is an opportunity for craftsmen and women from the local area and all over Galicia to show off their goods and is supported by a range of festive activities.