Barcelona hosts the America's Cup with the aim of marking a before and after in the regatta and leaving its mark on the oldest competition in the world. To organize an America's Cup in the Barcelona style, an opening ceremony for the regatta final could not be missed, which will land on Bogatell beach this Thursday at 9 PM and whose production has involved 815 people.
The show Barcelona, far del món, aims to attract international attention with a thousand drones, visual effects, LED screens, dancers, music and lights, also on sailboats: in total, 490 people who will take the stage, and about 50 boats that will move illuminated on the sea of the Catalan capital. With the sea, wind and waves as inspiration, the ceremony has been conceived with that of the Olympic Games in mind, and with the intention of making it a showcase of local cultural diversity.
The castellers of Vilafranca, the orchestra and choir of the Liceu, the Escolanía de Montserrat and musicians Sara Blanch and Arnau Tordera will be some of those in charge of representing this cultural diversity, with stage direction by Hansel Cereza. A soundtrack composed by Albert Guinovart for the occasion will serve as the common thread of the show, with the ambition of becoming a new anthem for Barcelona.
The show will involve a reinforcement of metro and bus services and restrictions on Avenida LitoralThe large structure that will serve as a stage has already been erected on the Espigón de la Mar Bella, and will be transformed during the show. The dancers have already started rehearsingin situ, and they have not been the only ones: drones have also begun to be tested on the beach, in a show where technology will have a notable weight.
Although the beach, the sky, and the sea will be the set for the ceremony, the show will go further and will even peek through emblematic buildings of the Catalan capital, such as the Torre Glòries and the Sagrada Família, which will be illuminated during the event, lasting about 45 minutes. Directed and produced by a UTE formed by Focus, Lavinia, Igor Studio, and Flock Dron Art, the ceremony will highlight the role of sport as an agent of transformation and change, alongside art and culture.
More metro and buses
To facilitate travel to Bogatell beach and its surroundings, TMB will reinforce metro service with 40% more trains on L4 compared to a working day, and will maintain its usual schedule, until midnight. In addition, TMB will increase staff at the stations on the Barcelona seafront and the main surrounding stations.
Similarly, regular service on bus lines serving nearby areas of Bogatell will also be reinforced, which can be accessed with H16, V23, V25, V27, 6, and 59. Reinforcements, either with additional vehicles or those with greater capacity, will occur depending on the demand that may be generated.
Beyond the metro and bus, bicycle parking facilities have been implemented for bicycles, scooters, and other personal mobility vehicles in four enclosed areas, which will be located around Bogatell beach and also Plaça del Mar, the Biomedical Research Centre, and Port Olímpic.
For its part, the Guàrdia Urbana will deploy a special operation, which will include itineraries to ensure an orderly exit of attendees and their travel to public transport. The show will also entail traffic restrictions on Avenida Litoral, where circulation will not be permitted between 8 PM and midnight between Jonquera street and Arquitecte Sert street.
With the ceremony, the city wants to be a protagonist of the regatta along with its teams and its boats. The spectacle will mark the beginning of the final match race that will pit Emirates Team New Zealand against Ineos Britannia, in a final where the New Zealanders will compete as title defenders to retain the trophy, and the British will fight to win the Cup for the first time in its 173-year history.