More than 800 meters of the Moco Museum have been occupied by the monumental sculpture Support by the Italian artist based in Castelldefels Lorenzo Quinn. The piece consists of two large hands, three meters high, in a position to support an adjoining wall. Now, they support the museum's wall; originally, they supported the facade of a building in Venice, as a symbol of the challenges faced by coastal cities due to climate change. The work aims to highlight collective responsibility in preserving and protecting the planet, through the two large hands. And it is that "the hand has immense power: the power to love, hate, create or destroy," according to Quinn. For this reason, he often uses them as a symbol of universal issues in his sculptures, and as a reminder that the preservation of the planet is literally in the hands of people.
Isaki Lacuesta and Albert Serra will make their films dialogue with other works at the Filmoteca
December 17, 2024
After a good season in 2024, the Filmoteca de Catalunya is already looking to 2025. Under the direction of Pablo la Parra, the institution has programmed a season that will include the premiere of the cycle Los pasos dobles, which invites Catalan filmmakers to make their work dialogue with other titles. The first participant will be Isaki Lacuesta. Precisely your film Los pasos dobles gives its name to the cycle, in which director Albert Serra and sound designer Amanda Villavieja will also participate. They will do so in double sessions that will include a film by the protagonist of the day and one that he himself proposes by another filmmaker. Also as a novelty, the Filmo will offer the Afins cycle, focused on the trajectory of various filmmakers and their respective universes. In addition, it will also focus on Argentine cinema and on figures such as Ira Sachs, Sarah Maldoror, Tsai Ming-Liang, Mai Zetterling or Nicholas Ray, after a 2024 that closes with 120,000 spectators, 10,000 more than in the previous one, and with an average of a hundred people per screening.The metro celebrates its centenary with visits to ghost stations and races in tunnels
December 12, 2024
A surprise action on December 30 will kick off the celebration of the metro's centenary. Throughout an entire year, the Barcelona subway will commemorate 100 years of operation with activities that will include visits to areas not usually accessible, such as control centers and worker simulators. Some of the so-called ghost stations, through which trains no longer run, such as Correos and Gaudí, can also be visited. Also as main attractions, an immersive virtual reality trip will be offered at the Espai Mercè Sala at the Diagonal stop, and restored trains will be exhibited, although they will not be able to circulate as they do not comply with current safety requirements. The commemoration will go further and even into the sports field, with a night race through metro tunnels and a time trial at the deepest station in the network, Coll/La Teixonera, 74 meters deep. In addition, an exhibition at the Palau Robert will review this first century of metro history, and a book of photographs about its trajectory will be presented. Although a program open to the public has been designed, the centenary will also include specific activities for the metro staff, made up of more than 4,000 professionals, such as an exclusive concert at L'Auditori and an opening party for the exhibition of restored historic trains.The works on La Rambla reveal new episodes from the city's past
November 28, 2024
The reform works on Barcelona's Rambla have once again uncovered various archaeological finds that provide new information about the city's history. In the upper part of the thoroughfare, remains of the old Estudi General have been located, built from 1536 and a precursor to the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), which was attached to the inner part of the medieval wall. In the early 18th century, it was transformed into military barracks and was demolished in 1843 to build the Isabel II gate. The works have also come across a section of the Rambla wall, started in the late 14th century and extending to the Drassanes, surrounding the current Raval neighborhood. Further towards Portaferrissa and Boqueria streets, six pillars of the Royal Bronze Artillery Foundry of Barcelona have appeared, an old cannon foundry promoted in the late 16th century to defend the city. This building was dismantled in the late 18th century during the Rambla's reform to turn it into a boulevard and was moved to its current location, at the end of the promenade. Finally, three stone collectors designed to channel water have appeared, with ceramic pipes inside, leading to the conclusion that they transported clean water. They are believed to date from the 18th century.Miquel Barceló tapestries to decorate the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral
November 14, 2024
The artist Miquel Barceló will be responsible for decorating the interior of the renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral with three tapestries. The pieces will be placed in the chapel of the north side nave, on the eastern wall. The temple will reopen on December 7 after the fire that destroyed it in April 2019, but Barceló's tapestries will not yet be installed inside. The Balearic artist thus adds a new work to sacred art, after the ceramic mural that decorates the walls of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in Palma's Gothic cathedral. The rest of Notre-Dame's tapestries will be the work of British painter Michael Armitage.Robbie Williams to give his only concert in Spain at Espanyol's stadium
November 11, 2024
The RCDE Stadium in Cornellà will open its new stage as a venue for major musical events with Robbie Williams. The British artist will perform at Espanyol's stadium on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in what will be his only concert nationwide as part of his Robbie Williams Live 2025 tour. The tour will begin in Edinburgh on May 31, and will take the singer to cities in Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, in addition to Spain. The concert in Cornellà de Llobregat, with tickets starting from 60 euros, will include titles from the musician's usual repertoire, as well as new songs and themes from his biographical film, Better Man. The film will premiere in UK cinemas on December 26, while it will arrive in Spain on January 1. Its soundtrack, which will be released digitally on December 27, will also be a highlight of the concert, whose tickets will go on sale starting Friday, November 15. "This is going to be the most daring tour to date," Williams assured.MWC innovation exhibition to repeat in 2025 after receiving 40,000 visitors
November 3, 2024
The exhibition Recorda el futur has attracted more than 40,000 visitors in its first edition with its proposal to bring the Mobile World Congress closer to the public. The promoters of the exhibition, organized by Mobile World Capital Barcelona and the Generalitat in the Palau Robert, have announced that the exhibition will continue with a second, more ambitious edition with more space. This second exhibition will be prepared for the summer of 2025, with an expanded space of 350 square meters, where the innovations that will be presented at the next MWC will be exhibited. Thus, it will follow the model of this first edition, which had 90 square meters from June 20 to November 3. In this period, it has offered visitors the opportunity to experience the most groundbreaking technologies presented by the foundation at MWC Barcelona, with an interactive and immersive tour that has explored four key sectors for Catalan industry: health, mobility, energy, and textiles, with a model that will now inspire the 2025 edition.Perelada enters for the first time the top 100 best wineries for wine tourism
October 28, 2024
The rankingWorld's Best Vineyardshas placed Perelada for the first time among the 100 best wineries worldwide for wine tourism. The Empordà winery has done so by climbing to position 57 in the ranking, prepared annually by the William Reed publishing group based on the opinion of more than 500 professionals from the wine and wine tourism sector. The list covers five continents and highlights the best destinations for wine tourism globally. Perelada's entry into the ranking comes a few months after it also entered, for the first time, the list of the world's most admired wineries,The World's Most Admired Wine Brands 2024. Published by the magazineDrinks International, the ranking placed the Catalan winery in position 43, emerging as this year's most powerful entry. The fact that Perelada has managed to enter both rankings for the first time represents international recognition of its oenological quality. According to the brand, also known for organizing the Perelada Festival, both milestones stem from the winery's commitment to innovation and sustainability, in addition to the uniqueness of its wine tourism proposal.Israel Solà's 'Australia' returns to reflect on motherhood at Espai Texas
October 21, 2024
Three sisters: two in Barcelona, one in Australia, and one who asks another for an egg to be able to conceive a child with her husband. These are the ingredients of the sentimental comedyAustralia, aroad tripthat addresses the great dilemma of having or not having offspring, and the process to try for it if desired. The dramaturgical debut of La Calòrica director Israel Solà reflects on motherhood and family ties through this play, starring Ester Cort, Meritxell Huertas, and Carme Poll. The show, which can be seen at Espai Texas between October 28 and November 24, addresses the desires, fears, frustrations, and pressures linked to motherhood and non-motherhood, especially when reaching one's thirties; a universal issue that in this case stems from the specific experience of a member of the artistic team. The play, written and directed by Solà, successfully premiered at Sala Flyhard two years ago.Australianow begins its second season at Espai Texas, where it was already seen last season with a good reception that it hopes to repeat.Josep Carreras and Sara Baras meet on Paseo de Gràcia to bid farewell to the America's Cup
October 7, 2024
With the America's Cup finalcloser and closer, the city prepares to bid it farewell. The grand finale will come from the hand of tenor Josep Carreras and flamenco dancer Sara Baras with a concert next Sunday, October 20, on Paseo de Gràcia. This free outdoor event will be the last episode ofthe Cultural Regatta, an initiative organized by the Barcelona City Council to extend the celebration of the competition throughout the city with more than 200 activities. The concert will also be part of the commemorative events of the200th anniversary of the avenue. The show, produced by Concert Studio and Focus, will begin at 8 p.m. on a large stage located between València and Rosselló streets, with the audience seated along Paseo de Gràcia to ensure comfort and good visibility. The organizers only announce that the event will feature "a spectacular production that will turn the heart of the city into an open-air stage."The Dalí Theatre-Museum celebrates half a century of life with a new addition
September 23, 2024
The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation has acquired a new oil painting from the surrealist period of the genius from Empordà to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its Theatre-Museum in Figueres.The Birth of Liquid Anxietiesit is the title of the work, starring a cypress and a landscape from the artist's homeland. The opportunity to acquire it arose at a London auction, and the foundation did not let it slip away, after years of looking to buy a new work without any fitting. A great milestone because, according to the director of Museus Dalí, Montse Aguer, it is increasingly difficult to buy Dalí's works because there are fewer for sale. The painting, from 1932, is already hanging in the Teatre-Museu, in one of the three exhibitions that have premiered for the space's half-century of life. The exhibitions cover the creation process of the equipment, as well as the artist's fanaticism for visiting other museums with Gala, and the inspiration that artists such as Velázquez, Vermeer, and Raphael exerted on Dalí. As the icing on the cake, Figueres pastry chefs have created cookies in the shape of the iconic bread popularized by the painter.More than a thousand original works from around the world are vying for the Planeta Prize
September 16, 2024
A total of 1,070 original manuscripts have been submitted to compete for the Planeta Award. In its 73rd edition, the award continues to arouse significant international interest, and has received novels from nearly 30 different countries. The award, endowed with one million euros for the winning book and 200,000 euros for the finalist, has received works mainly from Spain —with almost 500—, followed by Argentina, with 106. But the works have not only arrived from Spain and Latin America, but manuscripts have been submitted from countries such as the United States, Germany and Israel, among many others. For this edition, the winner of the 2022 Planeta Award, Luz Gabás, and academic Eva Giner join the jury, replacing writers Fernando Delgado and Rosa Regàs, who have passed away in recent months. The award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, October 15 at a literary dinner again at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona.The Torres Brothers finalize the opening of their restaurant in Port Olímpic
September 13, 2024
Accelerated by the America's Cup, Port Olímpic has already completed its renovation, and its restaurant offerings are taking shape in its Balcó Gastronòmic. Chefs Sergio and Javier Torres, in alliance with Pantea Group, are finalizing the opening of Eldelmar-Hermanos Torres for early October, coinciding with the start of the nautical competition's final. The new restaurant will make a clear commitment to Mediterranean cuisine and seasonal products, always seeking the characteristic touch of the Torres Brothers. The establishment has conceived its menu with the intention of providing diners with a multisensory journey, with varied proposals ranging fromrossejatof noodles with sea bass andall i olito thesuquetof monkfish and squid. It will also feature a wine list designed bysommelierXavi Nolla, with more than 400 wine references influenced by the Mediterranean and also the Atlantic. Designed by Trenchs Studio, Mediterranean culture will also be the protagonist of the interior of the premises, in a restaurant that will pay homage to the sea and the Mediterranean that it will have in front of it.The Biennial of Thought will immerse Barcelona in the debate on current challenges
September 10, 2024
The fourth edition of the Biennal del Pensament will once again transform the Catalan capital into a space for citizen debate to address the questions of a changing and constantly transforming reality. With the motto L'endemà de tot (The day after everything), the festival of ideas will take place between October 8 and 13, when it will bring great philosophical debates to everyday street life, with talks, conferences, debates, live podcasts, and theater. Democracy, memory, feminisms, postcolonialism, and technological and climate changes will be some of the issues addressed during the event, led by figures such as Herta Müller, Perejaume, Wajdi Mouawad, Jacques Rancière, Jason Hickel, Zadie Smith, Elena Martín, Donatella della Porta, Javier Pérez Royo, Eliane Brum, Oyèrónké Oyèwùmi, Begoña Román, Las Hijas De Felipe, Rocío Quillahuaman, Jean-Rémi Carbonneau, Ana Polo and Maria Rovira as Oye Sherman. The proposals will take place at the CCCB, Can Felipa, the Canòdrom, La Model, Masadas square, Virreina square and the Jardins de Pla i Armengol, which will host 65 activities to reflect on global challenges and the role Barcelona is called to play.Catalonia will be the setting for part of 'The Walking Dead' spin-off
August 31, 2024
The post-apocalyptic series The Walking Dead has spanned many seasons, and later also various spin-offs. One of them narrates the misadventures of one of its main and most emblematic characters, Daryl Dixon, and his characteristic crossbow. The third season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will take him to Catalonia, which will be the setting for part of this new season of the series. A Daryl embodied by Norman Reedus will pass through Catalan lands on his journey back to his native United States, on a journey that began in France, where he landed without known explanation in what was the first season of the spin-off, launched in September 2023. For this third season, which will premiere in 2025, a large filming is planned that will include locations at the state level not only in Catalonia, but also in Galicia, Aragon and the Valencian Community. The spaces chosen by AMC Networks will form a "unique" backdrop, according to the production company, which will bring the zombie apocalypse to these multiple locations with extensive filming.The Finlàndia Street Christmas Market wins the Sants decoration award
August 26, 2024
A dozen white reindeer about to take flight, a large Christmas tree made of plastic bottles, and Nutcracker dolls over two meters tall are the stars of the Christmas market that Finlàndia street has become during the Sants festivities, which began on Saturday, taking over from the Gràcia festivities. True to its name, Finlàndia street has opted to recreate a Nordic-style Christmas market, which earned it first prize in the festival's decoration contest. The tribute to the seamstresses of yesteryear on Valladolid street came in second place, while a Farga square invaded by Amazonian flora and fauna took third prize. The streets will continue to be adorned until Sunday, September 1, when the neighborhood's main festival will end as a prelude to the end of summer and after hosting more than 400 activities.The Gràcia festivities award Mozart street's trip to Japan
August 19, 2024
Mozart street has won the first prize in the decorated streets contest ofthis year's Gràcia festivities, marked by new initiatives such as aquiet night, but also due to protests over the cancellation of popular activities such ascorrefocs. Chosen from among 23 decorated streets, the winning display is namedMozartZakisand it's a trip to the Japan of Studio Ghibli, responsible for films likeSpirited AwayandMy Neighbor Totoro, with its characters invading the most crowded parties in the city. Plaza Rovira i Trias has won the second prize, withWedding Chapel, a large chapel for Las Vegas-style weddings, and the third position went to Jesús street, which recreated a psychedelic discotheque. There is time to go see all the decorations until this Wednesday.The Collserola Tower reopens its viewpoint after four years closed
August 12, 2024
Visitors can once again see Barcelona from the top of the tallest building not only in the city, but in all of Catalonia. After four years closed to the public, the Collserola Telecommunications Tower viewpoint once again has its doors open. The space, reopened in July, offers a high-altitude panoramic view of the city and beyond. The facility has been reopened to the public as part of a pilot test that will run until September 8. For now, it is unknown if the viewpoint will remain open beyond these dates, despite the good reception its reopening has had and the public's attendance. Visitors, who can purchase their tickets through the Tibidabo website for 5.60 euros and with reduced price options, already enjoy the views of the city during the ascent to the tower, through a panoramic elevator that gives access to the viewpoint. Visitors get to contemplate the Catalan capital from a height of more than 800 meters above sea level, adding the 288 meters of the tower to the 560 of the mountain on which it is located. The tower, built for the 1992 Olympic Games, was erected as an unprecedented engineering work in Catalonia; more than three decades later, it continues to function as such and now, in addition, as a panoramic viewpoint, it remains to be seen whether temporarily or permanently.The Used Book Fair will pay tribute to Salvat-Papasseit
July 29, 2024
The Barcelona Antique and Modern Used Book Fair is warming up for its 73rd edition. From September 20 to October 6, a total of 27 bookstores will present a wide selection of antique and second-hand books, out-of-print editions, rare editions, and bibliographic gems, dating from the 16th century to the present day. Organized by the Gremi de Llibreters de Vell de Catalunya, it will offer a route of more than 190 meters, extending along Paseo de Gràcia, between Consell de Cent and Gran Via. Among the most outstanding activities of this 2024 edition will be an exhibition showcasing the bookselling profession of the poet and activist Joan Salvat-Papasseit, coinciding with the commemoration of 100 years since his death.La Mercè will have illustrator Carme Solé Vendrell as town crier
July 19, 2024
Barcelona's main festival already has its town crier, poster, and guest city. Illustrator Carme Solé Vendrell will be in charge of opening La Mercè on Friday, September 20, with a proclamation that will kick off a program of activities, concerts, and shows that will last until September 24. The Catalan capital is already preparing for its main festival with a poster created by the production company Canada, based on an audiovisual from which various images have been extracted that capture the essence of the festivity through the eyes of a small child. The festival, which this year will have Casablanca as its guest city, will feature a new concert stage in Plaça Catalunya this year, and will maintain the space premiered in the last edition in Les Corts. The renovated Port Olímpic will join as a new location, as well as the Espigó del Bogatell, within the framework of the America's Cup. In addition, the Parc de la Trinitat stage will be recovered and it will be repeated at the Estació del Nord and the essential Ciutadella, in spaces that are preparing to host a program that will include music, performing arts, and popular culture.The Port Olímpic culminates its transformation with a citizen's party
July 15, 2024
After nearly two years of work, the Port Olímpic begins its reopening to the city with a party on Sunday, June 21. The infrastructure will celebrate the final stretch of its transformation with a day of activities, games, and concerts. The party, free and held between 10 AM and 9 PM, aims to invite citizens to rediscover the Port Olímpic and bring them closer to the results of the transformation that Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (BSM) has carried out on behalf of the City Council. With this transformation, the infrastructure has become a city space with ample areas for walking, sports, and leisure, where nautical activities, the blue economy, and restaurants will coexist, through its new Balcó Gastronòmic. The party will begin with family activities and workshops related to the sea, nautical activities, and sustainability, accompanied by music, entertainment, and shows. The day will end with more music: Susana Sheiman will lead a jazz sextet starting at 7 PM, and then Andrea Motis Singular Quintet will bring the party to a close, as a prelude to the jazz program that the new Port Olímpic will host on weekends in September and October, coinciding with the youth and women's regattas of the America's Cup.24 uninterrupted hours of María Hervás at the Lliure de Montjuïc
July 7, 2024
The Grec has programmed the theater marathonor The Second Womanat the Teatre Lliure in Montjuïc. The actress María Hervás, who had already trod this stage withYerma, has represented the same scene for 24 hours uninterruptedly ---up to 100 times!--- with the collaboration of non-professional interpreters. The theatrical experience has arrived in Barcelona after being seen in Amsterdam, London, Taiwan, New York, and Australia. The unique proposal, conceived by Australian playwrights Nat Randall and Anna Breckon, reflects on male privileges and the determination of one's own identity. The play began at six in the afternoon on Saturday and has lasted until six in the afternoon this Sunday. The actress from Madrid has excelled in the challenge of leading a theatrical marathon that is also a live cinema show, as the production features multiple cameras recording what happens on stage.Barcelona will host the annual meeting of Cervantes Institute directors for the first time
June 25, 2024
The Catalan capital will become the venue for the annual meeting of Cervantes Institute directors from July 22 to 25. The event, which will bring together about seventy executives of the institution, will be held for the first time in Barcelona, after an agreement reached between the mayor, Jaume Collboni, and the director of the Cervantes Institute, Luis García Montero. Through this agreement, both institutions will collaborate in the development of joint projects that showcase Barcelona's cultural diversity through the institute, starting with this meeting, which will take place mainly at the City Hall. In these periodic meetings, the top officials of the Cervantes Institute in all its centers worldwide study the functioning and challenges of the institution, which depends on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2005, the directors' meetings have been held in various cities in ten autonomous communities, and this will be the first time it takes place in Catalonia. "Barcelona is the most Cervantine city," Collboni defended, highlighting that this agreement joins Barcelona's presence as a guest city at the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) in 2025.Time Out Market will open on July 5 with Colmado Múrria and Paradiso cocktail bar
June 20, 2024
Port Vell continues to add vitality to its surroundings. The upper floor of Maremagnum is about to inaugurate the new Time Out Market Barcelona, an international gastronomic proposal that arrives in the city after being established in London, Lisbon, New York, and Dubai. The Barcelona version will open its doors on July 5. The space will be operational daily from 10 AM until midnight. The gastronomic market will bring together prominent chefs, restaurateurs, bars, and experiences, with the ambition of gathering a high-quality yet affordable gastronomic offer. The first Time Out Market to open in Spain will feature 14 kitchens, award-winning chefs, emerging talents, a full-service restaurant, four bars, an event space, and a studio.podcast, on a surface of 5,250 square meters. Among the proposals that the market will include are those of chef Jordi Artal, Café de Indias and the renowned cocktail bar Paradiso, as well as La Balmesina, Monster Sushi, Bubó and Colmado Múrria. The initiative also wants to go beyond gastronomy, and will program cultural activities such as family proposals and shows.La Rambla stands up to typical 'souvenirs' and launches posters made by local artists
June 13, 2024
Too many industrialized magnets and t-shirts with empty messages. Amidst constant rivers of tourists, La Rambla tries to recover a more real and heartfelt identity. Amics de la Rambla has launched a range of souvenirs made by local artists that wants to reclaim a charm that has been lost, with the collaboration of the GetYourGuide portal and the Barcelona City Council. It is a collection of posters designed by María López and Javier de Riba, from the artistic collective Reskate Studio, which have been dedicated to spaces on the street such as its flower stalls or Canaletes, with a retro touch that wants to attract visitors, but also reconcile with locals. Limited editions of 100 copies will be made, numbered and signed by the authors. The first three posters are priced at 75 euros each. There will also be free distribution postcards. For now, they can be purchased on the Amics de la Rambla website. Periodic launches will be made combining renowned artists with students from design schools in the neighborhood such as Escola Massana or Elisava.Terraces of 65 hotels in Barcelona will welcome summer with 150 activities
May 29, 2024
Concerts, tastings, showcookingsand workshops will once again fill the terraces of the hotels in the Catalan capital to kick off the summer. In its twelfth edition, the Barcelona Hotel Terraces Week has scheduled nearly 150 free cultural activities, open to all citizens, from June 7 to 16, which will take place on the terraces of 65 establishments in the city. Organized by the Gremi d'Hotels with the collaboration of the City Council, the initiative will offer activities linked to gastronomy, such asshowcookingsand tastings, and also to sports and well-being, with yoga, self-massage, and beauty workshops. Music will also play a prominent role, with concerts and workshops, and tailor-made activities for families have been designed, in addition to monologues and laughter therapy sessions, among others. With these proposals, the participating hotels aim to invite Barcelona residents to "share the spaces and views" of their terraces, according to the president of the Gremi d'Hotels, Jordi Clos. The event, which has attracted more than 400,000 visitors in previous editions, will continue to expand this figure with this year's proposals, consolidated as a welcome event for the summer season.Casa Batlló premieres immersive room with Sónar and The Chemical Brothers
May 24, 2024
The latest trends in immersive experiences are not at odds with historical heritage, but quite the opposite. Casa Batlló and Sónar have joined forces to open an immersive space in Gaudí's iconic building. Named The Cube, the room will offer experiences linked to visual art and music by international artists. The inaugural installation bears the signature of The Chemical Brothers. The project Music:Response consists of a 360-degree video installation that delves into his concerts and envelops the visitor with his great hits of electronic music. It will do so from one of the basements of the modernist building until July 31, in a format where the audience will be in the center and surrounded by robots and dancers. The experience, which premieres worldwide, has been designed by the visual artists who have accompanied the English duo for 30 years, Smith & Lyall. "Gaudí illustrates the freedom of expression we aspire to," the artists have defended. In the opinion of Sónar co-director, Enric Palau, they bring the group's "unsurpassable creative universe" to a new venue that aims to become a "world-leading audiovisual space," according to Casa Batlló's general director, Gary Gautier.Barcelona literary world pays tribute to Paul Auster with readings of his work
May 22, 2024
The landscape of contemporary literature received a jolt on April 30 with the death of Paul Auster. As a farewell to the acclaimed writer, Catalan authors, translators, and journalists will gather in his memory, in an event this Thursday at La Central bookstore. Auster will be the protagonist of the meeting, through the reading of fragments of his work by cultural and journalistic figures such as Xavi Ayén, Antoni Bassas, Marta Carnicero, Joan Carreras, David Castillo, Albert Forns, and Anna Guitart. Melcion Mateu, Albert Nolla, Jordi Nopca, Francesc Parcerisas, Eva Piquer, Gerard Quintana, Ernest Riera, Marc Rubió, Oriol Rodríguez, and Rafael Vallbona will also do so, in an event hosted by journalist Marta Vives. All of them have a connection with Auster, either because they knew him or because they have translated his works, or because they define themselves as his readers. The participants will revive Auster by rereading his books, including those of the unavoidable New York Trilogy. Fragments of his latest novel will also be read, Baumgartner, which arrived in bookstores in February, as the last piece of the legacy of an author who visited Barcelona, which will now honor him, on numerous occasions.Technological innovations presented at the last MWC, now at Palau Robert
May 9, 2024
The Palau Robert in Barcelona will host, from June 14 to September 24, the exhibitionRemember the future, a space that reviews the technological innovations presented during the last edition of the MWC. The exhibition also aims to highlight the role of key sectors for the Catalan economy in the current digital revolution. Specifically, visitors will be presented with a journey from the past to the future that shows the relationship between technology, innovation and the health, mobility, energy and textile sectors. The initiative is the result of an alliance between the Mobile organizers and the Generalitat that was born with the desire to "strengthen the link between both organizations to project Catalonia to the world." According to the CEO of MWCapital, Francesc Fajula, the challenge is to open the congress to the public and "in an informative and accessible way so that everyone understands the transformative role of the digital world." "We have created a space where visitors can experience firsthand how technology is changing our lives and the opportunities it offers us in areas as diverse as health or energy," explains Fajula.The Picasso Museum will be free on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
May 2, 2024
The Picasso Museum advances in its desire to get closer to the local public. With this objective, the cultural facility will open for free on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays between 7 PM and 9 PM. Within this schedule, visitors will be able to access all exhibitions, both from the permanent collection and temporary ones. The free access initiative, already underway, is complemented by the offer of free guided tours in Catalan starting at 7 PM for any visitor, also from Thursday to Saturday. Free access, which does not require prior reservation, is part of the schedule renovation that the museum has carried out for this summer season. Specifically, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays it will open from 9 AM to 9 PM, while on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays it will do so until 8 PM. The museum, which already opens for free every first Sunday of the month, as other facilities do, currently has the temporary exhibition Bernard Plossu. Catalan Landscapes of Picasso, which can be visited until September. Along with the permanent exhibition, the show invites Barcelona residents to visit the museum, now also for free.The Modernist Enclosure of Sant Pau celebrates a decade since its rehabilitation
April 24, 2024
More than five years of heritage recovery work were necessary to reopen the old Sant Pau hospital as a modernist site in 2014. Now, ten years have passed since this reopening, which rehabilitated six modernist buildings of the unique complex. To commemorate this anniversary, the site has programmed various activities over the next few months, including two exhibitions. Both will be linked to the rehabilitation of the buildings and gardens that crown Gaudí Avenue, with the Sagrada Família in the background. Throughout this decade of activity, the site has continued to rehabilitate buildings in the complex: currently, eight of the twelve have been recovered, and work is underway on the ninth, in rehabilitation works in which a total of 82 million euros have been invested so far. The Modernist Site, owned by the Fundació Privada Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, has received more than 2.4 million visitors during this decade. The complex, which is home to various organizations in fields such as health, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and culture, has been the setting in these ten years for more than 260 concerts, 42 conferences, and 25 exhibitions, in addition to the Christmas light show Els Llums de Sant Pau, which has attracted some 550,000 people in the last three years.Music will fill Paseo de Gràcia on International Jazz Day
April 16, 2024
About ten hours of free concerts will turn jazz into the protagonist of Paseo de Gràcia on Sunday, April 28. On an open-air stage at its intersection with Casp street, live performances have been organized to mark International Jazz Day, and are part of the commemorative events for the 200th anniversary of Paseo de Gràcia. The Sant Andreu Dixie Band, Liceu BLAM Collective, Mestres del Raval, Chicuelo, Andrea Motis & Barcelona Gospel Messengers and Antonio Sánchez Bad Hombre will be in charge of providing the soundtrack for the day, promoted by the Fundació Barcelona Promoció, with the support of the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and the Ministry of Culture. The six groups that will pass through the stage represent the characteristic diversity of the jazz scene, from its origins in New Orleans to swing with Sant Andreu Dixie Band, passing through the funky and danceable repertoire of Liceu BLAM Collective and the tribute to the Taller de Músics made by the members of Mestres del Raval. Chicuelo's guitar and Andrea Motis's trumpet with Barcelona Gospel Messengers will be protagonists of the final stretch of the day, which will culminate with the performance of one of the most influential drummers on the world scene: the Mexican Antonio Sánchez, with his quartet Bad Hombre, will be the culmination of a day that will make Paseo de Gràcia and its visitors vibrate to the rhythm of jazz.The Egyptian Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary with an open day
April 9, 2024
The Egyptian Museum of Barcelona celebrates its 30th anniversary with an open day this Saturday. The center will be open to all those who wish to visit its permanent exhibition, consisting of 1,260 original pieces. The hours will be from 10 in the morning until 7:30 in the evening. "The Egyptian Museum is the realization of a personal dream. Now we are celebrating 30 years and we want to celebrate it with our city. Throughout these years, the people of Barcelona have made the museum their own and our wish is that this common project continues for many more years," explains Jordi Clos, Egyptologist and creator of the space which has welcomed more than 5.5 million visitors since its inception in 1994. The open day will feature several free activities for all ages and audiences, such as guided tours and hieroglyph workshops for families.The Killers announce a surprise concert at Razzmatazz
April 2, 2024
A gift for local fans of The Killers. The Las Vegas group announced this Monday a surprise concert in Barcelona, scheduled for next week, next Wednesday, April 10, at Razzmatazz. The Killers will land in the Catalan capital before starting a tour that will take them through different cities in the United States and Europe, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of their first work, Hot fuss, with hymns likeMr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me andAll These Things That I've Done. Tickets for Razzmatazz, with prices starting from 85 euros, will go on sale this Thursday starting at 10 in the morning.Director Richard Linklater to receive BCN Film Fest honorary award
March 26, 2024
The international BCN Film Fest has decided to honor American director Richard Linklater with its honorary award. The director of Before Sunrise and Boyhood has been awarded in this edition in recognition of "the career of one of the most relevant and personal directors of contemporary world cinema." The festival also praises him as "author of films that have marked different generations of film lovers." Linklater, an exponent of independent cinema, gained great critical and public recognition especially with Boyhood, which was filmed intermittently for 12 years with the same actors. The director of the trilogy also Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Nightfall will be honored during the festival's closing gala, which will be held at Cines Verdi on April 26. This event will be the grand finale of this edition of the BCN Film Fest, and will include the presentation of the latest film of Linklater, Hit Man. The film, co-written by Linklater and Glen Powell, is inspired by a true story of hitmen and deception, framed in a comedy about identity that, after passing through the Venice Film Festival, can be seen in Barcelona at its national premiere.Gustavo Dudamel to conduct 'West Side Story' at the Liceu
March 18, 2024
The musical West Side Storyand its dramatic love story have snuck into the programming of the Gran Teatre del Liceu this season, and they have done so in a big way and hand in hand with the renowned orchestra conductor Gustavo Dudamel. With two concerts, the double event in the Catalan capital will feature Nadine Sierra and Juan Diego Flórez in the leading roles. They will give voice, respectively, to Maria and Tony, the two main characters in whom Leonard Bernstein reincarnated Romeo and Juliet in 1957 in a context of urban rivalry in New York. Bernstein's musical marked a turning point in the American theatrical scene, and the popular story was transferred to the big screen in 1961, when it won ten Oscars. Six decades later, it returned to cinemas with a new adaptation by Steven Spielberg. The American filmmaker had a prestigious orchestra conductor to lead the New York Philharmonic in his adaptation: Gustavo Dudamel, precisely. Now, he will conduct Bernstein's score in the Catalan capital with two concerts, scheduled for July 29 and 31. These will be two prominent events of the Gran Teatre del Liceu 2024-2025 season, which will be detailed on April 19 and will have as its common thread the mottoChasing a Dream.Il Giardinetto restaurant celebrates 50 years with jazz and cocktails
March 13, 2024
The Italian cuisine restaurant that photographer Leopoldo Pomés opened in 1974 is celebrating. For its 50th anniversary, the establishment will present a cocktail created by Javier de las Muelas, offer a jazz session in homage to its pianist, Pere Ferré, and exhibit reproductions of drawings that architect Federico Correa made to design the interior of the restaurant. Il Giardinetto, which continues to be run by the Pomés family with siblings Juliet, Poldo, and Iván, will decorate its display window with a creation by the Ricardo Bofill Taller d'Arquitectura studio for its 50 years, in a series of events that will also include gatherings and a cycle of conversations with the FAD. The restaurant, a meeting point for Barcelona's culture, arose from Leopoldo Pomés' passion for pasta, which he rediscovered in the kitchen of architect Ricardo Bofill's mother, María Leví. At a time when pasta lacked prestige in the city, Pomés' restaurant, with Leví's collaboration, changed the course of Italian gastronomy in Barcelona. Pomés decided to open it after the success he achieved with the Flash tortilla shop. The same architects, Alfonso Milá and Federico Correa, were in charge of a design that has been awarded by the FAD. In its 50 years of trajectory, Il Giardinetto has crossed the borders of cuisine with proposals such as its interviews with relevant figures from the Barcelona scene and artistic installations in its display window.The Catalan 'startups' that will mark the food of the future, according to Fooduristic
March 6, 2024
The Catalan entrepreneurial ecosystem has disruptive proposals in a wide variety of fields, including food innovation. The annual Fooduristic report on the sector foodtech identifies 13 startups Catalan ones as the most advanced in this field. The initiatives, which are included in the 100 startups that are drawing the future of food at an international level, are linked to all aspects of food, from production to the fight against food waste. Among them are Heura, focused on the development of alternative protein, as well as NovaMeat and Poseidona, which uses algae. The gastronomic innovations of 3D Essence Food are also included in the list, which also highlights the brand of products plant-based GrinGin, the producers of compostable packaging Pack2Earth, the coffee from Upraising and Väcka's melon seed cheese. Also featured in the report, created by the KmZero Food Innovation Hub, Azolla Projects, which promotes a sustainable production system based on the circular economy; ColorSensing, which reduces food waste through its color measurement-based sensors; Cubiq Foods, which works to replace animal fats with healthier alternatives; the plastic-free beverage company Ocean52, and RobinGood's natural foods. All of them, representing a third of the 38 Spanish companies in the report, are called to transform the food industry and advance towards the food of the future.Louis Vuitton Chooses Barcelona to Present its Next Collection
February 28, 2024
The French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has chosen Barcelona to host its next fashion show for the so-called Cruise 2025 collection. The event, which every year travels to a different place in the world marked by architecture and art, will take place on May 23 in a still undisclosed location and is part of the sponsorship that thehouseFrench has signed with the 37th edition of the America's Cup, which this year will be held in the Catalan capital. "It is an immense pleasure to collaborate with Barcelona, a city that, like Louis Vuitton, has a deep-rooted heritage and an extraordinary passion for creativity," highlighted the brand's president and CEO, PietroBeccari. According to the executive, "the Cruise show, which encapsulates the vision ofNicolas Ghesquière, Creative Director of women's collections, as well as the upcoming Louis VuittonCupand the 37th Louis Vuitton America's Cup will undoubtedly be the epitome of a long relationship between Louis Vuitton and the city." The LVMH group brand began this connection with Barcelona on the occasion of the 1929 International Exposition. Furthermore, in 1987 it was the city chosen to open its first store in Spain. InCatalunya, in addition, there are various leather goods workshops that work for the French firm. It is expected that, in addition to the fashion show, Louis Vuitton will organize various cultural events in Barcelona, an exhibition, and present a Travel Guide to the city.Barcelona acquires the collection of photographer Humberto Rivas
February 20, 2024
Around 23,200 negatives, plates, and slides; six photomontage models; 200 original prints, and a batch of documentation. These are the pieces that make up the collection of photographer Humberto Rivas, which has been mostly acquired by the Barcelona City Council. The collection will be housed in the Arxiu Fotogràfic de Barcelona, which will facilitate the study of the author, born in Buenos Aires in 1937 and established in Barcelona from 1976 until his death in 2009. His work is characterized by themes centered on portraits, still lifes, facades of decadent shops, and urban landscapes. A part of the collection was already deposited in the Arxiu Fotogràfic since 2017 when it was moved by the photographer's family due to a flood in his home. Through this acquisition, made through the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona for 200,000 euros, the city council has completed a process that aims to preserve and disseminate the author's work. The entry of this material into the municipal archive consolidates this facility as a reference space for the conservation, custody, and dissemination of the city's photographic heritage.A Netflix thriller lands in the Port of Barcelona
February 15, 2024
Netflix will globally premiere next March 15Iron hand, athriller of action set in the Port of Barcelona directed by Barcelona-native Lluís Quílez. The infrastructure becomes the main stage for a story of ambition and revenge starring Eduard Fernández, Chino Darín, Jaime Lorente, Natalia de Molina, Sergi López, and Enric Auquer. Produced by The Mediapro Studio, the series portrays a criminal network that moves drugs through containers entering the port, led by the owner of the main terminal, played by Eduard Fernández. An entire illegal scheme that collapses when a drug shipment disappears and murders begin. The cast is completed by Daniel Grao, Raúl Briones, Salva Reina, Gianni Fruttero, Cossimo Fusco, and Ana Torrent.Half a thousand female researchers land in schools to encourage girls to become scientists
February 7, 2024
One of society's main pending tasks is to reduce the large gender gap that exists in the scientific world, especially as careers progress, with fewer principal investigators, deans, and directors of research centers and institutes. Six years ago, the #100tífiques initiative was created, with the support of the Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació (FCRI) and the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), to make visible the role of women in research, with objectives such as generating role models and promoting scientific vocations among girls. For this reason, one more year, on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, more than 500 female researchers returned to Catalan schools this Wednesday to break gender stereotypes. The speakers explained their life experiences and their research in different centers in Catalonia, before a total audience of 31,000 students between 11 and 13 years old.Lumen commemorates Juan Marsé by reissuing his most emblematic books
February 2, 2024
Lumen publishing house recovers Juan Marsé's most outstanding works. The mythical Últimas tardes con Teresa, which catapulted the Barcelona novelist with stories of Carmel, Teresa and Pijoaparte, returns to bookstores in a new edition. It does so alongside his works Si te dicen que caí, Rabos de lagartija, El embrujo de Shanghai and Colección particular. Marsé, who portrayed like no one else the neighborhood life of his hometown, drew stories with characters who have contributed to forging the imagination of many. His doses of irony launched from a social conscience framed in the post-war period are key ingredients in the work of the writer of the well-known Generation of '50. Shortly after Marsé's death in 2020, Lumen brought to light Viaje al sur, a previously unpublished book written in the 1960s. A year later, the publishing house published the work Marsé was working on before his death, Notas para unas memorias que nunca escribiré. Now, the publishing firm recovers his most iconic novels to commemorate the work of one of the most relevant contemporary Spanish authors, especially for the city and its Barcelonians.The reform of Via Laietana awakens interest from brands looking for premises
January 24, 2024
After starting its reform in 2022, Via Laietana is beginning to register growing interest from brands looking for premises on the street, which is positioned as a commercial hub with strong projection. This is confirmed by the real estate consultancy Laborde Marcet, a few months after the street's redevelopment began its second phase, between Antoni Maura and Idrissa Diallo squares. The reform is expected to finish in the summer of 2025, in "a street that has great commercial potential and a privileged location connecting the center with the port area," according to the founding partner of the consultancy, Gerard Marcet. Once its remodeling is complete, the central avenue will have more green spaces that will prioritize pedestrians and reduce the prominence of private vehicles. The iconic street will also make space for public transport and bicycles. This second phase brings closer the end of the works, which hinder mobility and have led to a 25% decrease in commercial turnover, according to the Associació Via Laietana. The progress of the works brings closer the end of these works, which will give way to a renovated, greener avenue that will invite citizens to stroll along it.MNAC and Vall d'Hebron will test the impact of art on adolescents with cancer
January 16, 2024
To analyze the impact and benefits of art on the mental health of adolescent cancer patients. This is the objective of the program Opening doors, promoted by the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and Vall d'Hebron Hospital. Through this, the Barcelona hospital will carry out a study to identify the effects that art can have on these oncology patients. The program combines proposals to enjoy art and also artistic creation activities, in which patients will be able to explore their self-esteem and creativity while relating to other adolescents. Specifically, 12 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old from the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Service of Vall d'Hebron will participate. They will do so with their families, although they will also carry out independent activities. MNAC and Vall d'Hebron have promoted the program following the WHO's recommendation to incorporate art and culture into healthcare systems. All with the aim of exploring the potential of art as a tool for specific health objectives. And through peculiar financing: the funds raised with the auction of the boots with which Leo Messi surpassed Pelé's record as top scorer with the same team.Casa Batlló will light up with a mapping for ISE's 20th anniversary
January 11, 2024
It is often difficult to understand what is done at the professional fairs held in the city, when thousands of suited congress attendees invade the subway with their accreditations. With the aim of reaching the people of Barcelona and making more accessible what is discussed for four days at the Gran Via venue of Fira de Barcelona, the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), the most important audiovisual fair in Europe, will once again project a mappingat Casa Batlló, transforming its facade with an artistic creation by Argentine Sofia Crespo. "It can be difficult to visualize and explain what the incredible audiovisual technology that visitors experience during our show achieves, but these spectacular digital artworks show it in all its beauty," says ISE Managing Director Mike Blackman, engrossed in finalizing the details ofthe 20th edition of the event, which is expected to be the largest to date. The new creation can be seen at Antoni Gaudí's jewel for free on Saturday, January 27, starting at 9 p.m., and on Sunday, January 28, starting at 7 p.m.'Money Heist' lands in Barcelona in video game format
January 4, 2024
The Professoralso operates in the Catalan capital. The Netflix platform has launched a video game based on the globally successful seriesMoney Heist, in which he changes his traditional setting, Madrid, and places the action in Barcelona.Money Heist: The Option, signed by Boss Fight Entertainment, invites the player to step into the shoes of a character named Sidney to carry out an art heist in the city, set in an imaginary museum in La Perla and accompanied by the series' most iconic characters, such as Tokyo, Rio, Nairobi, and, of course, Berlin. Precisely, the release of the video game coincides with thespin-off newly released,Berlin, starring Pedro Alonso. This interactive adaptation can now be found in the platform's game catalog and subscribers can access it through the mobile application, regardless of the operating system they have.Plaça del Rei will be filled with carols with the Orfeó Català
January 2, 2024
The arches and the emblematic monumental buildings of Plaça del Rei will once again be the setting for the traditional Christmas carols concert annually offered by the Orfeó Català. The Cor Jove and the Cor de Noies of the Orfeó will perform on Thursday under the baton of the Orfeó's director, Pablo Larraz, and its assistant director, Montse Meneses, with Pau Casan at the piano. The concert, organized by the Barcelona City Council, will begin at 7:30 PM and is open to all citizens free of charge. The pieces chosen to open the performance will be two works by Händel, and the choirs will continue with two fragments from the work of Pau Casals. The choirs will also perform pieces by this season's resident composer of the Palau de la Música, Ola Gjeilo. The program will also include songs from the most popular and traditional repertoire, culminating with typical Catalan Christmas carols. The mother's boy, The tailed demon and Fum, fum, fum are unavoidable. Carols as protagonists and also as an excuse to listen live to the voices of the Orfeó Català, in an event that represents a unique opportunity to hear its choirs resonate in one of the most majestic historic squares of the Catalan capital.Half a thousand drones will welcome 2024
December 28, 2023
Barcelona will bid farewell to 2023 with a pyrotechnics and drone show on Maria Cristina Avenue, led by the company Groupe F, directed by Christophe Berthonneau. Up to 470 illuminated drones will fill the sky of Montjuïc at a height of 250 meters. The New Year's Eve party will be a tribute to Barcelona and its relationship with the sea, in a year where the Catalan capital and the sea will take center stage globally. Due to the drought decree, the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc cannot be turned on, but instead, an immense ball of light elevated to 75 m will preside over the citizen celebration. Thus, starting at 9:00 p.m., music will begin to set the mood, and at 11:00 p.m., the ball of light will be activated. At midnight, when the moment of the change of year arrives, the drones will draw the grapes in the sky, with the twelve grapes that must be eaten with each chime. After the quarter-hours, twelve dry and high-impact pyrotechnic blasts will mark the twelve chimes that will usher in the new year. Already in 2024, technology, light, and fire will bring the show to lifeDesig Barcelonafrom here and now, to celebrate life, to celebrate Barcelona.The 'Cap Butaca Buida' initiative wants to fill theater halls on March 16
December 18, 2023
To fill every last seat in Catalan theater halls. This is the objective with which the proposal has been devised Cap Butaca Buida, which aims to convert Catalonia into the world epicenter of performing arts on Saturday, March 16. The initiative, a world pioneer, wants to break a record for theater spectators in one day. It will do so with an eye on establishing in the future a National Theater Day at the level of other massive cultural events such as Sant Jordi itself. The initiative will kick off World Theater Week, and will include activities and proposals to turn March 16 into a great theater celebration. The project currently has 25,456 available seats out of a total of 150,000 seats in Catalonia, and invites Catalan theaters to join the proposal. Tickets can be purchased online and, starting in February, a counter of the total available seats and a countdown will be activated. The day is promoted by the Associació d'Empreses de Teatre de Catalunya (Adetca), Time Out, the Barcelona City Council, the Provincial Council and the Generalitat, through the Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals. The cultural initiative is also charitable, as 2% of the proceeds will go to Pallassos Sense Fronteres.L'Auditori offers a marathon of five chamber music concerts in one day
December 13, 2023
Six hours, five concerts. L'Auditori premieres this Saturday a new format: a chamber music marathon. Under the name Marató Revolucions, the initiative will be free to access and will be held between 12 and 18 hours. The proposal aims to pay homage to composers who represented a musical revolution, such as Beethoven, Bach, Messiaen, and Ligeti. Pieces by Amy Beach, Fanny Mendelssohn, Baltasar Samper, Paul Hindemith, and the Catalan Robert Gerhard will also be performed. The performances will be given by pianist Albert Cano Smit; tenor Roger Padullés and pianist Tomeu Moll-Mas; the Fortuny Trio of Joel Bardolet, Pau Codina, and Marc Heredia; the Azahar Ensemble formation, and pianist Javier Laso. This marathon will not be the only event for chamber music lovers at L'Auditori this week, as the OBC Cambra will offer its second concert of the season on Thursday. It will do so with a wind octet and through pieces by Mozart and Beethoven, with a double objective: to bring the work of great composers closer to the general public, and to present the musicians of the great Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya in a more intimate setting.The Mirador de la Torre Glòries programs high-altitude Christmas activities
December 5, 2023
The Mirador Torre Glòries will offer Christmas activities from December 15 to January 7 and, in addition, the building will be illuminated with Christmas motifs on the last days of the year. The activities inside the viewpoint, whose tickets will be 15 euros for adults and 3 euros for children under 18, will include children's origami workshops, and also a large Wishing Tree. This tree, made of white cardboard and four meters high, will give visitors the possibility to express their wishes, especially about the future of cities. All this at the heights of the Mirador de la Torre Glòries, and after being able to also visit the Hipermirador Barcelona exhibition. In it, artistic installations designed from city data collected in real time present Barcelona as a living organism. Located on floor -1, the exhibition shows based on theBig Datathe pulse of a city that flows to the rhythm of its citizens and their way of inhabiting it.Half a million to promote Catalan wine
November 28, 2023
The Catalan Institute of Vine and Wine (INCAVI) has launched a new campaign to promote Catalan wine, which it assures is "the most ambitious" it has carried out to date. Endowed with a budget of half a million euros and with the sloganCatalonia, where wine is culture, the objective of this action is to increase the notoriety and knowledge of wines produced in the different Designations of Origin of Catalonia. The central spot of the campaign consists of an initiatory journey throughout the country, crossing the territories that represent the 11 Catalan DOs with the challenge of highlighting attributes such as quality, proximity, tradition, and landscape richness. In Catalonia, there are more than 750 wineries and 8,500 winegrowers. It is estimated that 53% of Catalan municipalities have vineyards and that more than half of these are organic. In Catalonia, 340 million bottles of wine are produced annually (90 of still wine and 250 of sparkling wine), 50% of which are marketed in Catalonia. The other 50% are sold in the rest of Spain and in the foreign market, mainly in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, and the United States.
The Generalitat buys the archive of photographer Francesc Català-Roca
November 20, 2023
The Department of Culture has acquired the archive of Francesc Català-Roca (Valls, 1922 - Barcelona, 1998), essential photographer who portrayed Barcelona like no other before. The majority of the transferred collection will be deposited in the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya, but a part will also go to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The operation, valued at two million euros, is part of the final months of the commemoration of the Francesc Català-Roca Year. The collection consists of more than 167,700 black and white and color negatives, but also 3,100 color slides, almost 14,000 contact sheets, and 2,000 vintage author prints. The immense legacy produced by Francesc Català-Roca was preserved in the author's studio in Travessera de Dalt in Barcelona since he became independent from his father, Pere Català Pic, in 1948. His heirs deposited it in 2007 in the archive of the Col·legi d'Arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) in Barcelona, where it is currently being inventoried. Now, the Departament de Cultura will process and describe the documentation. It is expected that, at a minimum, a major exhibition will be organized at the MNAC within three years.
Gaudí's Casa Vicens celebrates six years since its opening to the public
November 14, 2023
Antoni Gaudí's Casa Vicens is celebrating an anniversary: it marks six years since its opening to the public. It celebrates by putting 600 tickets on sale at a reduced price of six euros, coinciding also with World Heritage Day. The building, located in Gràcia, has received 700,000 visitors since it was converted into a museum and left behind its 130 years as a private home. The facility, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, will put tickets on sale on November 16, the anniversary day and also the global event. Casa Vicens was the first house designed by Gaudí and laid the foundations for his later architecture. It opened its doors to the public after three years of restoration, with a rehabilitation for which it has received several awards.
Tomorrowland chooses Barcelona for the world premiere of an immersive show
November 6, 2023
The electronic music festival Tomorrowland has chosen Barcelona for the world premiere of a new immersive experience.The Great Library of Tomorrowit can be seen starting December 15 at the Aribau space, from the Mooby Cines group, formerly known as Balañà cinemas. Designed for all audiences, the show will present "the magical universe" of the festival that gathers more than 400,000 attendees every year in Boom (Belgium). For an hour, art and technology will merge in a journey through a space of more than 1,000 square meters that will serve to discover the stories behind this musical event. It can be seen until March 2024.
Bruce Springsteen will return to Barcelona in 2024
October 31, 2023
TheBosswill perform again in Barcelona next year. Bruce Springsteen will do so with his E Street Band on June 20 at the Olympic Stadium. Thus, he repeats the stage from which he kicked off his 2023 European tour, which began with a double concert in the Catalan capital. Now, the New Jersey artist returns to the city after the success of the April event, when Barcelona surrendered at his feet to the rhythm ofrock. Tickets for the show will go on sale on November 14. The show will be part of his 2024 European tour, which will also include two concerts in Madrid, scheduled for June 12 and 14 at the Cívitas Metropolitano Stadium. The 2024 tour will begin on May 5 in Cardiff and end on July 25 with a concert at Wembley Stadium in London, after passing through Ireland, France, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, and other European countries. Springsteen's 2023 European tour, which began with the double date in Barcelona, sold a total of more than 1.6 million tickets.
48H Open House success one more year
October 23, 2023
The 48h Open House architecture festival recorded a total of 76,512 visits this weekend, a figure that makes this 14th edition the most visited in history, with 100 more than the previous one. Again, participants were able to access emblematic buildings usually closed. Once again, La Modelo has been the space that has aroused the most interest, and its secrets have been revealed to its more than 3,200 visitors. The second has been another classic of the architecture festival, the Arc de Triomf, with more than 2,500 people, followed by Casa Seat, with 2,300. These have been the most visited buildings among the 128 at the festival in Barcelona, which included 52 new ones. Seven cities have hosted activities: Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Badalona, Sant Joan Despí, Vilassar de Dalt and Sitges.
Barcelona to open a museum of censored works next week
October 17, 2023
The Museum of Forbidden Art will bring the Casa Garriga Nogués, on Diputació street, back to life starting next Tuesday. The modernist building had been unused since the Mapfre Foundation announced in 2019 its relocation to the Vela Building, annexed to the Mapfre Tower. The new cultural facility will exhibit works that have been censored, damaged, denounced, or removed for social, political, or religious reasons. Its collection will bring together more than 200 works by artists such as Picasso, Goya, Klimt, Ai Weiwei, Tania Bruguera, and Robert Mapplethorpe. Controversial pieces will not be missing, such as The Western and Christian civilization from León Ferrari and Piss Christ by Andrés Serrano. It is a collection promoted by businessman and journalist Tatxo Benet, which began with the work Political prisoners in contemporary Spain by Santiago Sierra, withdrawn from ARCO in 2018. The piece, loaned to the Museu de Lleida, was the first in this collection of prohibited works that has motivated the opening of this new cultural space in Barcelona.
Giambattista Valli will present his wedding dresses for the first time in a fashion show at Bridal Fashion Week
October 10, 2023
Designer Giambattista Valli has chosen Barcelona and its Bridal Fashion Week to present his wedding dress collection for the first time in a fashion show. The show will be part of the Barcelona Bridal Night, which will be held on April 17 as the gala night of the salon. At the event, creations from his third season Love Collection, and some of the firm's main designs, will be previewed. The designer has stated that "Barcelona is the world capital of bridal fashion." He believes that this show in the Catalan capital will give him the opportunity to narrate his vision "in the best possible setting." The director of Bridal Fashion Week, Albasarí Caro, has assured that Valli's participation in the salon "strategically positions Barcelona as a destination for haute couture brands beyond Paris."
'Naturaleza Encendida' will return to illuminate Pedralbes with a new location
October 6, 2023
The installationNature Lit Upwill once again illuminate Pedralbes with an immersive light experience. Barcelona recovers this light show, which in 2021 was offered in the Pedralbes Gardens. Now it returns to the city, but slightly changing its location: it will be held in the Torre de Girona Gardens, next to the Palau de Pedralbes. The change comes after residents around the gardens criticized the installation in 2021 for the occupation of the space that occurred. Thus, the artistic and light project will now be installed in the gardens adjacent to the palace, and will do so between November 20 and January 21. This edition will feature mushrooms and fungi as protagonists, and will highlight them as basic elements for the beginning of living beings.Originis the name of this edition, which aims to highlight the architecture and existing vegetation of the environment through light and color.
Tribute to Victòria dels Àngels and Alícia de Larrocha
September 26, 2023
The Palau Robert has premiered a commemorative exhibition for the centenary of soprano Victòria dels Àngels and pianist and composer Alícia de Larrocha. The exhibition Aquella eterna admiració. Centenari Victòria dels Àngels i Alícia de Larrocha is curated by Pep Gorgori and aims to narrate the brilliant career of two excellent artists from the world of music, as well as their relationship of affection and respect. Both were born in 1923 and forged a long friendship united by music in the early 1940s, in the midst of the post-war period, which lasted forever. The exhibition, which can be seen until January 7, 2024, includes personal objects of the artists, materials never exhibited before and unpublished surprises, and proposes a life journey with many common points and spaces, from childhood in Barcelona and the first encounter, to the present day. "Their mutual admiration is celebrated in this exhibition about two exceptional women who still inspire generations of musicians today," highlight the organizers of the free exhibition.
Sónar designs the soundtrack for the Piromusical
September 20, 2023
The Sónar Festival will culminate its 30th-anniversary celebrations by providing the soundtrack for the Piromusical de la Mercè 2023, next Monday, September 25. During the popular pyrotechnic show, the festival will review its 30 years of history over 30 minutes, featuring more than 50 tracks. Three decades of electronic culture will be reviewed through a selection of some of the most prominent local and international artists who have performed at the festival since 1994. Hits from big stars such as Rosalia, C. Tangana, Lana del Rey, Chic, or Grace Jones, and icons of Latin sounds like Bad Bunny or Nathy Peluso will be heard. Bad Gyal, Desert, or Maria Arnal will also have their moment in the show, along with true eminences of dance electronics such as Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Buraka Som Sistema, Omar Souleyman, or Aphex Twin. The proposal will be completed with references from disco, house, and techno like Todd Terje, Laurent Garnier, Miss Kittin, or Jeff Mills. A small tribute will also be paid to the recently deceased Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The evening will thus offer a global journey through experimental sounds and voices and rhythms from the five continents that will dialogue with the pyrotechnic proposal designed by Pirotenia Igual.
Mahou San Miguel will sponsor the American team of the America's Cup
September 13, 2023
The America's Cup sailing competition adds a second company from the brewing sector as a prominent sponsor of the event. The family group Mahou San Miguel will be the official sponsor of the New York Yacht Club American Magic, the only American team that will represent the United States in the competition to be held in Barcelona from August to October 2024. According to the company, the agreement will give visibility to three of its main brands: Mahou, San Miguel and the American Founders. The sponsorship also includes the American Magic women's and youth teams that will compete in their respective regattas.The full American team is already in Barcelona and ready to sail in the preliminary regatta taking place this weekend in Vilanova i la Geltrú. Mahou San Miguel joins Grupo Damm as a sponsor of the America's Cup. The Barcelona-based brewery is a global sponsor of the entire competition and also sponsors the defending team of the trophy, Emirates Team New Zeland.
Sotheby's sells the manuscript of Freddie Mercury's song 'Barcelona'
September 7, 2023
The London auction house Sotheby's sold this Thursday for 57,150 British pounds (66,647 euros) a lot containing the manuscript of the songBarcelona, written by Queen's singer, Freddie Mercury, for the Olympic Games that the Catalan capital hosted in 1992. The Barcelona City Council was opting to get the lot, but, according toACN, finally he has not been able to acquire it because the amount paid has far exceeded the price set based on the public appraisal reports prepared by the council, which was 30,000 euros. The city council has also announced that when the Glòries works are finished, one of the squares will be named after Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé.
El Mago Pop blows up the box office on Broadway
August 30, 2023
New milestone for the magician from Badia del Vallès. As if reaching the United States wasn't enough, his Nothing is impossiblehas become the highest-grossing one-person show in a single week in Broadway history, with a box office of 2.7 million dollars (2.5 million euros).From the stage of the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where stars like Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, and Cate Blanchett had previously performed, Antonio Díaz has managed to surpass the figures of other shows likeThe Lion King,HamiltonorFunny Girl. It has also become the highest-grossing magic show in Broadway history and has surpassed the theater's own box office records. After its successful run in New York, Díaz will return to the Teatre Victòria in Barcelona starting October 25.
'The teacher who promised the sea' by Enric Auquer and Laia Costa will premiere at Seminci in Valladolid
August 23, 2023
The 68th Valladolid International Film Week, Seminci, has been the chosen event to premiere The teacher who promised the sea, a film that narrates the life of a Republican teacher from Mont-roig del Camp assigned to a small town in Burgos who was shot in the Civil War. Starring Goya Award winners Enric Auquer and Laia Costa, it will be one of the attractions of the new cinematographic season after triumphing on stage, passing through the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya (TNC) and the Teatro de la Abadía in Madrid. It is Patrícia Font's second fiction feature film and is based on the eponymous book by Paco Escribano (Editorial Blume), adapted to the big screen by Albert Val. The film will participate out of competition in the official section of Seminci, which will take place from October 21 to 28. Viewers will be able to see the film a few days later in cinemas.
Barcelona celebrates 'The Day of the Watusi'
August 15, 2023
The writer Francisco Casavella (Barcelona, 1963-2008) died prematurely when he was only 45 years old. The readers he left orphaned celebrate August 15 every year, converted for many into The Day of the Watusi forever. The Barcelona City Council will pay tribute this 2023 to the writer of the eponymous novel on his birthday, October 15, to commemorate that this year he would have turned 60. The city will be filled with activities to celebrate his real and literary biography, with guided tours, concerts, theatrical monologues, book readings and round tables. Montjuïc Castle will be the center of the tribute: a whole day of celebration with live music that will start with the rumba orchestra of Yumitus del Pinchón, who performed at the presentation of Casavella's debut novel.
Sala Montjuïc closes its 21st edition with almost 40,000 attendees
August 8, 2023
Sala Montjuic, one of Barcelona's summer classics, has just picked up the last sun lounger. The open-air cinema has registered a total attendance of 39,200 spectators in this edition, from more than 35 countries. And, in addition, all available tickets for each of the 16 nights of open-air cinema, live music and picnic in the Santa Eulàlia moat have been sold out. "A resounding success in participation that demonstrates the consolidation and popularity of a summer leisure project that has already blown out 21 candles," the organizers assess. The Triangle of Sadness,The Fabelmans, The Beasts, Everything Everywhere All at Once,The Quiet Girl, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,FargoorThe Indiscreet Windowhave been some of the titles that have been seen this year, withThe Truman Showas the surprise film of last night. After being lost due to the pandemic, the combined ticket that allowed visiting Montjuïc Castle before the screening has been recovered in this edition.
El Grec attracts more than 130,000 spectators and achieves 23 'sold outs'
July 28, 2023
The Grec Festival has closed its 2023 edition with more than 130,000 spectators and an average occupancy of 72%. Of the 88 proposals in the program, 23 shows have sold out. Circus shows have had a prominent role and have almost reachedsold out, while international theater proposals have been the ones that have attracted the least audience. As expected, the most-watched initiative of the entire festival, with 10,000 spectators, has beenThe trackers,led by the tightrope walker Nathan Paulin, in his incredible and dizzying proposal to cross Paseo de Gràcia through the air.
Barcelona remains the third best city in Europe to create a 'startup'
July 14, 2023
Barcelona continues to be the third preferred city in Europe for entrepreneurs to found astartup. This is certified by the new edition of the reportStartup Heatmap Europe 2023, the result of a survey in which entrepreneurs are asked to choose three European cities with more than 250,000 inhabitants ideal for starting their business. The Catalan capital is the third most chosen ecosystem, with 17% of the votes, behind London (35%) and Berlin (34%). The British capital has returned this year to the top of the ranking, which the German city had snatched from it in the last two years. Behind Barcelona are Amsterdam, Paris, Lisbon, Munich, Tallinn, Stockholm and Zurich, while Madrid occupies the eleventh position, dropping one step.
Barcelona, the best city in Southern Europe to live and work
July 7, 2023
Barcelona is the best city in Southern Europe to live and work, given its attractive entrepreneurial ecosystem, an excellent postgraduate education system and an appealing lifestyle, according to the report City Talent Indexthat the technology consultancy NTT DATA elaborates in collaboration with Barcelona Global and that measures the capacity of cities to attract and retain talent. Barcelona is the first Spanish city to appear in the ranking ---which London continues to lead---, occupying the twelfth position out of a total of 32 European cities analyzed, which have in common being part of thetop 50with a higher level of regional GDP and population. The report evaluates the major axes of city competitiveness based on more than 50 indicators from organizations such as the OECD, Eurostat, the World Bank, and UNICEF, among others.
The development of the 'Call of Duty' video game will be carried out from Barcelona
June 29, 2023
Activision Blizzard will set up a studio in Barcelona, from where it will develop the video gameCall of Duty. This was announced in a statement, where it details that in this way it wants to increase its presence in Europe. The studio will be managed by Infinity Ward, which is part of the Activision Blizzard firm. In turn, the multinational has been owned by Microsoft since May, after the European Commission gave the green light to the operation, it recallsACN. The development of the popular video game in the Catalan capital will be carried out by Digital Legends, specialized in games for mobile platforms and with a presence in the city since 2002. For now, Activision Blizzard has not specified how many jobs it expects to create.
Bimbo to sponsor the Cursa de la Mercè
June 21, 2023
The Cursa de LaMercè, one of the most emblematic in the city, has found a new travel companion. The Barcelona City Council has signed a collaboration agreement with Grupo Bimbo, which becomes the main sponsor of the race and will give it its name, as the event will now be called Cursa de LaMercèBimbo GlobalRace. The sporting event, which reaches its 45th edition, will be held on Sunday, September 17, and expects to reach 10,000 participants. The popular 10-kilometer race will also be accompanied by an inclusive race2k, an adapted 2-kilometer version organized for people with disabilities or reduced mobility. This year, in addition to these two traditional competitions, a specific one for the youngest runners will also be added, and a solidarity action will also be carried out, with the donation of 20 slices of Bimbo bread for each registered participant in the race.
Fina Miralles exhibits for the first time in Madrid
June 13, 2023
Fina Miralles exhibits her work for the first time in Madrid, at the Círculo de Bellas Artes, on the occasion of PHotoESPAÑA 23, International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts. Under the titleThe tree woman, the water woman, the exhibition includes 23 photographs spanning from the 70s to today. It is a reduced version of the exhibition that already saw the light in 2021 at MACBA and the Museu d'Art de Sabadell. Fina Miralles (Sabadell, 1950) identifies life with art. Through her works, she questions concepts such as belonging, authority, power, the established order, and thus remodels what art, artist, and spectator mean. The exhibition will remain open in Madrid until September 3.
Ametller Origen creates a kombucha for the Cruïlla Festival
June 4, 2023
The Cruïlla Festival signs up for kombucha, a healthy and very refreshing drink for summer nights. For the first time, the popular Barcelona music festival will offer its own brand of kombucha in alliance with Ametller Origen, which has been responsible for the development of the new product and will also handle its production and distribution through its network of stores. It is a limited special edition drink with melon and mint flavor, which will only be available during the summer months. To involve its customers, Ametller Origen and the Cruïlla Festival launched the question "What does Cruïlla taste like?" through their Instagram profile. Based on the responses obtained, they have decided on the flavor of this first festival kombucha. In parallel, Ametller Origen has just launched a new advertising campaign with the slogan Una manera de fer (A way of doing) which has led them to contract, for the first time, a large format banner that adorns the facade of a building on Avenida Diagonal with Via Augusta. The image shows one of the company's co-founders, Jordi Ametller, to assert that after 21 years he is still in charge of the group's cultivated fields, controlling the production of fruit and vegetables.
Tast a la Rambla moves to Plaza Catalunya
May 23, 2023
The next edition ofTastto the Rambla, which will be held between June 8 and 11, will premiere a new location. As a consequence of the remodeling works of the Rambla Santa Mónica, the gastronomic fair promoted by the associationAmicsof La Rambla will move to PlazaCatalunya. This year, 30 restaurants and six pastry shops are expected to participate in this fair, which is in its ninth edition, offering tastings of one of their star dishes or creations. Last yearTasteto the Rambla gathered 340,000 people and during the five days of the event, some 135,000 portions were consumed. The event, which aims to bring Barcelona residents who love gastronomy down to the Rambla, will offer tastings and live demonstrations by great chefs and will have an area dedicated to wines fromCatalunya. There will also be representation of products from Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia, Asturias, and Lanzarote.
The Gran Teatre del Liceu awards six gold medals
May 15, 2023
The Gran Teatre del Liceu has approved awarding the Gold Medal, its highest honorary distinction, to soprano Sondra Radvanovsky ---one of the most beloved by the Liceu audience---, to the Sociedad del Gran Teatro del Liceo and the Círculo del Liceo, to historian and music critic Roger Alier, to the Puig family, to Fundación La Caixa, and to dancer and choreographer Assumpció Aguadé. According to the entity, the medals are awarded with the aim of exalting the work, dedication, and activity carried out by individuals, institutions, or collectives in different cultural fields, prioritizing the prestige, internationalization, and recognition of culture and, more specifically, of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, as a reference in the operatic field. After the pandemic hiatus, the awards resume within the framework of the theater's 175th anniversary celebration. The medal ceremony will take place on July 13.
Barcelona, leader in attracting funding for 'deeptech startups'
May 7, 2023
Catalonia is the second European region that has managed to attract the most funding for deeptech startupsin the last year. According to ACCIÓ's calculations, five Catalan startups have raised almost 40 million euros in the latest call for applications from theEuropean Innovation Council Accelerator (EIC Accelerator) of the European Commission. These companies are Inbrain Neuroelectronics, ABCDx, Time is Brain, ELEM Biotech, and Gate2brain, and are part of the total of 78deeptech startupsselected European ones, from among more than 1,000 applications submitted in the 2022 call. Catalonia is ahead of Lombardy and only behind Île-de-France. In this way, the 5 deeptech startupsrepresent 8.4% of the total funding received and 6.4% of the total finalist companies. By city, Barcelona leads the volume of funding raised, with 33.9 million euros, ahead of Milan and Espoo (in Finland).
A book and a wax figure to remember 'Pinotxo' forever
May 1, 2023
Week of tributes to Joan Bayén, the recently deceased owner of the mythical Bar Pinotxo in La Boqueria. On Friday, the Plenary of the Municipal Council unanimously approved the posthumous awarding of the Gold Medal for Civic Merit, and this Wednesday will see the presentation ofLa Boqueria del Juanito, a book that tells the story of Bayén, through a leisurely journey, in frames, of his personal growth, amalgamated with the character and his environment, which defines him as "pure sympathy, kindness, happiness and goodness." The book, published by Genco Editorial, by Emmanuel Bouvard and Alberto Herrero, features texts by Inés Butrón, Àlex Aguilar, Carla Alpeñés and Félix Montero; the photographs are by Josep Rodenas and the drawings by Javier Mariscal, Óscar Nebreda and Montse Fransoy. In addition, this week the figure of Rosalía will be presented at the New Wax Museum in Barcelona.Pinotxor, which will be located in the roomMasters of the Kitchen, with the most representative figures of Catalan cuisine. The work was commissioned six months ago by the Boqueria Market Merchants Association to British artist Michael Wade, as a tribute and to perpetuate his figure as the best ambassador of market gastronomy and Barcelona.
Barcelona is the fourth best city in Europe
April 20, 2023
Barcelona is the fourth best city in Europe to live and work, behind London, Paris, and Amsterdam, according to the rankingEurope's Best Cities in 2023that the consulting firm has just published Resonance Consultancy. It is one of the most complete international studies published, since 24 different factors are analyzed to compare cities, from the number of kilometers of bike lanes, to the number of parks, museums, airport connections, universities, nightlife, gastronomy, population diversity, family income, educational level, available talent, poverty rates, percentage of foreigners, and mentions on social media. In January,Resonancealready published a world ranking in which Barcelona occupied thesixth positionand where it is defined as an "almost ideal European city." In the classificationEurope's Best Cities, are located behind the Catalan capital Zurich, Madrid, Berlin, Rome, Basel and Geneva.
Pre-Columbian art and Japanese cuisine at Hotel Claris
April 14, 2023
This Saturday, International Art Day, Hotel Claris opens to the public its collection of Mayan culture pieces on the first floor. Ancient art is one of the passions of the owners of Derby Hotels Collection, the Clos family. If in the Claris, former Vedruna Palace, pre-Columbian art is the protagonist, with an important private collection, in the Granados hotel, Buddhist and Hindu art from the 5th to the 19th centuries is, while more than 300 works by the Catalan artist Ricard Opisso occupy the entrance of the Astoria hotel. But not everything is art: the Claris proposes combining the cultural visit by stopping at the brand new Os-Kuro, a Japanese restaurant they have just opened, with a journey through Japanese tradition with fresh fish of the day, wagyu and sakes. A weekend plan to travel very far through art and gastronomy without leaving the center of Barcelona.
Barcelona premieres its first vertical forest with suspended trees
April 6, 2023
The city prepares for the inauguration of its first vertical forest populated by a dozen hanging trees. The tenants have been growing in greenhouses for the past few months, as have their future companions, shrubs and climbing plants. The new vegetation covers the wall that was left bare when the old La Pèrgola restaurant disappeared, behind the Montjuïc fairgrounds and just before reaching CaixaForum. With the premiere of the innovative forest, a little late and finally scheduled for next Thursday, April 13, the cultural facility thus celebrates its 20th anniversary in the Catalan capital, taking another step in the vertical gardens it has been developing, first in Madrid and then in CosmoCaixa. And it gives one more excuse to visit Montjuïc.
Elie Saab chooses Barcelona for his first global bridal fashion show
March 29, 2023
Elie Saab, one of the most prestigious haute couture houses on the current scene, has chosen Barcelona to present the first global show of its bridal fashion collection. Specifically, the Lebanese firm will be the guest of honor at the next edition of Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week (BBFW), which will be held at the Montjuïc fairgrounds between April 19 and 23. The acclaimed designer has also chosen BBFW as the setting for his first participation in a Spanish runway. Elie Saab is one of the favorite brands of royals, such as Queen Rania of Jordan or Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and stars like Beyoncé, Halle Berry, and Cara Delevigne, who wore one of the most dazzling dresses at the recent Oscar ceremony. The fashion show will take place during Barcelona Bridal Night, on April 19, in a luxurious setting, the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, with the attendance of buyers, designers, fashion industry professionals, influencers, celebrities, as well as national and international media.
Barcelona, the sixth most chosen city by digital nomads
March 19, 2023
Barcelona consolidates its position in the world as the sixth favorite city for digital nomads, technology professionals who work remotely for long periods. According to the indexSavills Executive Nomad Index, prepared by the international real estate consultancy Savills, the Catalan capital is behind Lisbon, Miami, Dubai, The Algarve, and Barbados. The Catalan capital stands out in this ranking for offering some of the essential aspects for this professional profile, such as good broadband speed, air quality compared to other locations, or a reasonable cost of living.coworking, among others.
New Order at Primavera Sound
March 7, 2023
The English rock band New Order will be part of the lineup for Primavera Sound in Barcelona and Madrid. The historic Manchester group will perform at Parc del Fòrum on June 1 and in Madrid on June 8. The band will thus join other already confirmed groups on the program such as Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar, Blur, Rosalía, Halsey, Calvin Harris, and Pet Shop Boys. The festival has explained that the concerts will be an opportunity to reconnect with the band's intergenerational anthems such as Bizarre Love TriangleorBlue Monday, the latter a single released 40 years ago. Primavera Sound has applauded that it will be one of the only occasions in which three electronic pop icons such as New Order, Depeche Mode, and Pet Shop Boys will coincide in the same program.
Barcelona, world capital of children's and young adult books
March 6, 2023
The city reinforces its literary leadership. Barcelona will become the capital of children's and young adult books in 2028. The Bologna Children's Book Fair, the most important in the sector, will hold its international congress in the Catalan capital five years from now. This was announced by the Catalan Council for Children's and Young Adult Books (IBBYcat), responsible for leading Barcelona's bid. From this Monday until Wednesday, the 60th edition of the Bologna Fair is being held, the reference meeting point for publishers of the youngest readers and an important promotion space for illustrators from all over the world.
A slide in Tibidabo
February 21, 2023
The longest alpine slide in the world is in Andorra, inNaturlandia, with a route of 5.3 kilometers and an accumulated elevation gain of 400 meters. A group of residents is working on proposing to the Tibidabo amusement park, managed by the City Council, to build a similar installation that facilitates both the descent from the temple to the city, or even towards Vallès, and the ascent from various points, but with a playful and respectful approach to nature. In fact, it could be a different way of disseminating Collserola's natural heritage and, at the same time, connecting Barcelona with the towns of theVallèsconfiguring Tibidabo as the center of a true metropolitan Central Park.
500 motorcycles without parking
February 14, 2023
The new reform proposal for La Rambla contemplates, as we have learned, the removal of all existing motorcycle parking spaces on the promenade. With the aim of making La Rambla an area closer to a pedestrian boulevard, it does notonlyit is thought to combine the bus lane and the bike lane into one, but also, it could end up making parking completely impossible for motorcyclists. A commitment to a smoke-free neighborhood that, without a doubt, will have its detractors.
A contemporary art festival
January 31, 2023
We hear that entities, companies and individuals are beginning to come together to promote a contemporary art festival in Barcelona. The idea, still under development, would not be to compete with the Arco fair in Madrid, but to promote an event open to everyone, in the style of the great art biennials or the great contemporary art festivals in London, Switzerland or Miami.
The Inèdit, towards sports?
January 31, 2023
As we have learned, the Inèdit Festival plans to soon hold an edition dedicated to documentaries about sports. After its return to full capacity in last autumn's edition, where it far exceeded attendance forecasts, and the upcoming Feed Dog edition in May, the intention is to inaugurate a first edition dedicated to sports documentaries which, moreover, already has sufficient funding to go ahead.
Virtual reality arrives at the Barça Museum
January 24, 2023
In February, the Barça Museum will inaugurate the Barça Virtual Team, an immersive virtual reality installation where users can dress up as avatars of male and female players in a multi-user format. In a fully interactive way, visitors will be able to enjoy a visit to Camp Nou, but in a surprising way, dressing up as avatars of iconic Club athletes such as Alexia Putellas, Pedri or Hristo Stoichkov. The installation was scheduled to open this January, but in order to finalize all the details, it has been decided to ensure its opening for next month.
Barcelona and the cost of living
January 16, 2023
According to the cost of living index prepared by the company Numbeo for 2023, Barcelona is ranked 251st in the world ranking of cities. For comparison, Madrid is lower (273) and Turin is higher, at 230, with the top rankings going to Hamilton (Bermuda) and almost all major Swiss cities. If you consult lthe index website, data broken down by income level, rent price, purchase price, or restaurant prices can be observed. At a European level, the cities with the highest cost of living are, after Swiss cities, Norwegian and Danish ones, with Paris even ranking behind Nice or Dublin.
The 'Museum Esplanade', halfway done
January 4, 2023
The project ofMuseum Square(which for 10 years has aimed to bring together CaixaForum, the Mies van der Rohe Foundation, and the MNAC) is stalled due to a change in the project's financing model, as the City Council wants it to be almost entirely public. It was in 2013 when the agreement was signed between the Barcelona City Council, the Generalitat, the MNAC, CaixaForum, and Fira de Barcelona. The project envisioned giving museum uses to the Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia pavilions, and this part can be considered advanced thanks to the impetus of the MNAC. The rest of the project, however, has been stalled for ten years due to these doubts, reticence, and changes regarding whether its financing model should be more public or public-private participation.
Cultural activity in the old Cambó house
December 27, 2022
Among the plans on the table for the Gran Hotel Central on Via Laietana, or the former home of the politician and patron Francesc Cambó (which still preserves several spaces from the era, such as his library), is to boost its activity through the celebration of cultural events within the hotel's various spaces. The Guardans business intends, given its proximity to some cultural facilities and through Barcelona's tourism and cultural promotion entities, to complement its tourist offer with book presentations, concerts, or conferences that enrich the hotel's activity and place it on the city's map of cultural events. It is not the first establishment of its kind to try. We will see if, this time, the offer manages to be unique.
Ideas for Barcelona
December 16, 2022
An initiative is being carried out, promoted by an important and recognized Barcelona executive, to find consensus texts in various fields (urban planning, culture, business, housing...) so that the conclusions can be presented to the different candidates in the upcoming elections for the Barcelona City Council. The initiative comes entirely from the city's civil society, has no electoral intention, and is very close to being able to publicly present the minimum common denominator that agents and experts from different fields have found to, if the candidates want to listen, present the desired city and also the undesired one.
Putellas in wax
December 12, 2022
This week there will be a new addition to the team of figures at the Barcelona Wax Museum: the renowned footballer Alexia Putellas will have a life-size replica alongside other sports legends such as Messi, Gasol, and Serena Williams. Decidedly, this year the Wax Museum has opted to incorporate new icons (the latest was Joan Manuel Serrat) to offer an updated, renewed, and diverse experience.
Barcelona's best Christmas tree
December 1, 2022
From this newspaper, we dedicate ourselves to visiting public and private spaces in the city as part of our journalistic work. One of the things we notice are the Christmas trees, which in entities and institutions show a greater or lesser effort to be striking pieces or, as would be said today, "instagrammable." Today, pending further knowledge, we lean towards highlighting the tree at the Círculo Ecuestre, which is displayed very majestically behind the large modernist window on Diagonal, or the tree at the Concepció market, elegantly connected with garlands hanging from the various aisles of the market and which also demonstrates a desire to celebrate these holidays in a very uninhibited way.
The Palau breaks records
November 24, 2022
The month of October has been a record-breaker in terms of income from tourist visits to the Palau de la Música Catalana, with an unprecedented result in its entire history: in a single month, approximately 300,000 euros in profit. This not only indicates the good progress of cultural tourism in the city but also the excellent heritage offering of this historic venue and its reaffirmation in the desire to further modernize visits in the future through the use of the most innovative technologies. It should also be noted that the Palau also experienced unprecedented figures this past October in room rentals for events, concerts, and cultural activities.
Mummies, environmental protest, and Disney
November 17, 2022
The protest staged a few weeks ago by two environmental activists at the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona, consisting of spraying museum pieces with molasses, will result in a corresponding complaint from the Museum, which is still debating whether to pursue it through civil or criminal channels. But the most surprising thing is that it has been argued that the affected sarcophagus is a replica: it is an original piece more than 2,500 years old, from the Ptolemaic period, and, in any case, the replica would be that of the mummy sleeping inside. This is the level of danger faced by important works that are the target of this organization (Equation Campaign), which, moreover, turns out to be financed by relatives linked to multimillionaire figures and companies such as Rockefeller's great-great-grandchildren, Paul Getty's granddaughter, Robert Kennedy's daughter, or Walt Disney's niece.
A particularly critical Summit
November 14, 2022
This year, the traditional Summit of Barcelona Oberta, the entity that brings together Barcelona's most important commercial hubs, promises a much more accentuated critical aspect than in previous editions: under the headingBarcelona, the best store in the world, the act (which will take place on November 23 in the auditorium of the Círculo de Economía) will be, in part, a deep denunciation of the degradation of the city center in terms of cleanliness, security, and dysfunctions in urban mobility. With several experts in this matter, the intention is to highlight, as always, the role of commerce in the impulse and projection of the city, but beware, in this edition, with a special critical tone that will undoubtedly make itself felt.
Lapse at the Círculo
November 10, 2022
In one of the speeches that took place on November 4 during Felipe VI's visit to the Círculo del Liceo, to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Barcelona entity, one of the participants in the turn of speeches had a delicate slip: specifically, the president of the Círculo momentarily mistook the numbering of the Bourbon reigns and thanked the presence of "Felipe II," a lapse he corrected immediately, and the evening continued. The error was later compensated for with the discovery of the installation of a painting of the current king in the presidential office, although, according to what some of those present explained, perhaps it was an excessively dark painting to honor the royal figure. However, it is well known that art has different perceptions depending on each gaze.
Art at the Mandarin
November 4, 2022
A possible change in the shops on the ground floor of the Mandarin hotel is being negotiated. In the coming weeks, the change of one of the emblematic commercial establishments located on the hotel's facade for an important art gallery of international renown, already linked to the hotel for some years, could be announced. If confirmed, the communion between this chain and artistic creativity will gain prominence in the middle of the city's most internationally known promenade.
Double the audience at Inèdit
October 27, 2022
The organizers of the Inèdit Festival, a classic in Barcelona for musical documentaries, are amazed by the unexpected success of attendance they have experienced during the days leading up to its inauguration. Everything indicates that the obligatory pandemic restrictions have now exploded like a shaken bottle of cava and that the Barcelona public was truly eager to enjoy the audiovisual program of this mythical event in the city. But the truth is that this year, the program has shown a quality of proposals, never better said, unprecedented.
State tourism, crucial
October 20, 2022
Among the partners of the hotelier guild, there is growing optimism regarding the visitors the city receives, despite the delicate global situation that makes the Asian market less prone to visit Barcelona, an aspect that has been partly compensated by the great response received from Western countries this summer. But they also confess that what has minimally "saved" the hotel sector from the pandemic has been the influx of state tourism. It was understandable due to travel restrictions, but the astonishing thing has been that now, without restrictions, this state tourism is maintained and has consolidated.
The Palau opens to Via Laietana
October 12, 2022
Taking advantage of the upcoming reform of Via Laietana, already visible with existing works and traffic direction changes, the Palau de la Música is considering extending its external visibility at the confluence with this street. Through the use of a premises located on Ramon Mas street, which the entity has accessed as a tenant, it is expected that the entrance to the Palau will extend to the confluence of this street to Via Laietana by moving the ticket offices and installing a space that, apparently, will offer a modern and sensitive visual and sound introduction to the spirit of the Palau.
The Way of Sant Jaume in Barcelona
October 7, 2022
This Saturday at 10 in the morning, the Centro Galego de Barcelona will organize the first edition of the start of the Way of Sant Jaume, that is, the Catalan route of the Camino de Santiago. The journey will be 10 km and will depart from the Port of Barcelona to the Horta Labyrinth, crossing the city, in an initiative that wants to further link the Catalan capital with Galicia and, evidently, with this centenary civic center on the Rambla dels Caputxins.
Picasso, the writer
September 30, 2022
One of the most unique events of the Picasso 2023 year will be the publication of all of Picasso's theatrical and poetic work, promoted by the city's Picasso Museum. His most unknown facet will come to light, evidencing the tireless productivity of the multifaceted artist, who cultivated literature, especially, during the years of the Civil War.
Wednesday, attention to the wax museum
September 25, 2022
On Wednesday the 28th at noon there will be movement on La Rambla de Santa Mónica: an important international artistic figure, whose name cannot yet be revealed, will unveil their wax figure in the renovated Museum of Paseo de la Banca. The event is expected to include a surprise in the middle of La Rambla which, if confirmed, will undoubtedly be an attraction and not just for tourists.
The salvation of Catalan art during the War, to the cinema
September 18, 2022
TheMuseumNacional d'ArtofCatalunyawants to bring to the cinema one of the most important feats linked to the history of the museum and Catalan artistic heritage. This is the great salvage operation of the main Catalan artistic treasures that took place during the outbreak of the Civil War in 1936. The mastermind behind the massive truck transfer of a million pieces of art to Olot and different farmhouses in theEmpordàand, subsequently, towards Paris wasJoaquim Folch iTorres, a not sufficiently recognized hero to whom justice is sought to be done with this film. According to the president of theMNAC, Joan Oliveras, a great documentary is already being worked on, but the possibility of shooting this film and even a fiction miniseries is also being considered.
A new terrace with views
August 31, 2022
Not all terraces in Barcelona are hotel terraces with privileged views. The Reial Cercle Artístic de Barcelona plans to renovate its terrace/viewpoint for next spring. The cultural center located at the end of Portal de l'Àngel will offer one of the best views of the popular Barcelona avenue and the Cathedral. It will be a space dedicated to all kinds of events, but with special attention to the activities of its members.
New figures in the Wax Museum
August 17, 2022
Very soon we will have new figures in the renovated Wax Museum of Barcelona. On the one hand, an important signing for sports figures is being worked on, but, more surely, the figure of Jaume Plensa, the international artist who recently has installed the new doors at the Liceuand that spreads its famous sculptures all over the world.
New cultural center in Plaça de la Mercè
August 4, 2022
The building of the former Sociedad de Crédito Mercantil could become, this year, a new important cultural center in Barcelona. Located on Ample Street, this neoclassical building in front of the Basílica de la Mercè currently belongs to Núñez i Navarro, although in the past it had been the headquarters of the Departament de Treball and the Chamber of Commerce. Now, it is in negotiations with the City Council and private investors to transform it into a new exhibition center for plastic arts with works of international origin.
Barcelona will once again be the world capital of peace
July 28, 2022
If everything evolves as planned, Barcelona will soon host the Catalan Congress of Culture of Peace, an event that will be a sequel to the World Peace Congress held in the Catalan capital in 2021 (under the effects of the pandemic). This time, without the severity of restrictions, the aim is to have a large monothematic space in the vicinity of a particularly symbolic square in this matter: the Portal de la Pau.
2023, Domènech i Montaner Year
July 22, 2022
Next year will not only be the year of anniversaries referring to Picasso or Miró but also the centenary of the death of one of the city's great architects: Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The year includes a large number of conferences, exhibitions, international congresses, cycles, and book presentations. Among them, the exhibition stands outModernism: Towards a Design Culture, at the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, scheduled for the months of February to May of next year.
Glory for Miquel Barceló
July 11, 2022
Without being able to confirm 100%, the name of painter and sculptor Miquel Barceló is being mentioned to complete the last facade of the Sagrada Familia. His ability to work with materials, including stone, to produce a soft effect similar to that achieved by Gaudí, as well as his incredible imaginative capacity and ability to create a singular, expressive, and Mediterranean-toned universe, could sway the Construction Board towards this option for the Glory facade. Pending, of course, when the apartments on Mallorca Street will be demolished, for which there already seems to be a preliminary agreement through the City Council.