Laredo (Spanish pronunciation: [laˈɾeðo]) is a town in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain.

Its festivities in August are also well known due to the main event that occurs every year on the last Friday of August, known as la batalla de flores (the battle of the flowers), during which large floats entirely covered with flowers and petals are paraded along the central streets.

In Laredo (and many other cities in Spain) it is tradition for a group of men to parade a giant sardine through town at the end of carnival.

[3] The local industry is based on the processing of fishery products, especially anchovies, and family businesses.

In Laredo, whose average income level is amongst the fifteen highest in Cantabria, the service sector employs over half the population (51.2%).