DUST off your Marie Antoinette wig, slip into those platform shoes and grab your feather boa – it’s carnival time.

Forget Rio or Venice, when it comes to carnival, Spain certainly knows how to put on a party and the top spot for parades is the small Catalan town of Sitges just 35 km south of Barcelona.

Acknowledged by both the straight and gay press as Spain’s wildest party there’s enough ‘llum’ (light), colour, rhythm and fantasy to see you through to the end of Lent.

The picturesque former fishing village has fancy dress down to a fine art and whether you enjoy ‘disfrazando’ (dressing up) or you prefer to leave that to the exhibitionists, there’s no way to avoid getting caught up in the party atmosphere during carnival.

Situated on the Costa Dorada, Sitges has been a popular resort since the 1960s when its liberal attitudes challenged Franco’s strict Catholic regime and it is now a recognised gay holiday destination.