Barcelona is already breathing spring air. The arrival of this season also means the celebration of one of the most important festivities in the Catalan festive calendar. Books, roses, and displays of love will once again be the protagonists of a record-breaking Sant Jordi, with more stalls and more spread out throughout the city. In total, the Catalan capital will be filled with some 450 book and rose stalls, a higher number than in 2024, which, like this year, also fell on a weekday.
After an edition with large crowds, for this April 23, the Cambra del Llibre de Catalunya, an entity that brings together publishers, booksellers, and distributors in the sector, also predicts another massive Sant Jordi. Thus, 348 book stalls will be located in the seven literary blocks that will be throughout the city, compared to 336 a year ago. A hundred more points will be found in front of the different bookstores. In about 200, there will also be book signings by local and international authors. On the other hand, there will also be 52 flower stalls. Throughout Catalonia, florists predict selling more than seven million roses and reaching 20 million euros through these sales.
A massive festivity that reflects the good moment the Catalan literary sector is experiencing. In fact, the number of book stalls has not stopped growing since the pandemic. In 2019 there were about 200 points of sale throughout the Catalan capital and this year it will reach 450, occupying an area of more than 3,500 square meters, almost a hundred more than in 2024. These stalls will be distributed in seven districts of the city with literary blocks. Again, the superilla of Paseo de Gràcia, which connects with that of La Rambla and Gran de Gràcia, will once again be the epicenter of the celebration of this festivity in the Catalan capital.
On La Rambla, which last year was recovered as a space for Sant Jordi because it was precisely on this street where this literary festival was born 100 years ago, works will stop during the day before and on April 23 itself so that people can transit more comfortably. On the other hand, due to the centrality of Paseo de Gràcia and its usual overcrowding during this festivity, this year, for the first time, a self-protection plan (PAU) will be activated throughout the day, which foresees the fixed presence of emergency personnel and vehicles. Traffic will also be cut off from Jardinets de Gràcia to Santa Mònica, from 10 p.m. the day before until 6 a.m. the next day.
From the Cambra del Llibre, they have also wanted to expand the square meters of Barcelona's seven literary blocks to avoid crowds and "enjoy a more pleasant and accessible Sant Jordi," as Marià Marín, technical secretary of the Gremi de Llibreters de Catalunya, has pointed out. Among the spaces that have been expanded this year to facilitate access and mobility is, for example, a new transversal section of Paseo de Gracia on Mallorca street. The spaces of Gran de Gràcia and Rambla del Poblenou have also been doubled.
Book stalls, thus, will be concentrated mostly in the districts of Eixample ---with more than 200 stalls---, Ciutat Vella and Gràcia, although they will also be located in Sant Martí, Les Corts, Sant Andreu and Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, while Nou Barris, Horta-Guinardó and Sants-Montjuïc still do not have any literary block. For bookstores that want to be located on La Rambla, Paseo de Gràcia and Gran de Gràcia, the Cambra del Llibre de Catalunya has once again opted for a co-payment model for the stalls. A model that caused controversy last year, especially among small publishers, and that involves paying a fee of between 80 and 100 euros ---depending on whether one is part of the guild or not--- for every six meters of stall.
"Two weeks before Sant Jordi, in bookstores we are already noticing people's excitement and desire to celebrate this festivity, and the fact that it is two days after Easter will also mean an increase in sales," said Èric del Arco, president of the Gremi de Llibreters and co-owner of the Documenta bookstore. From the Cambra del Llibre they hope to repeat last year's figures, when more than 70,000 different titles were sold, sales that represent 20% of the annual turnover of Catalan bookstores.
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