The Anella Olímpica, made up of the Palau Sant Jordi, the Sant Jordi Club, and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, closed a record-breaking 2023. It did so with 2.1 million visitors, tripling those of 2022, and with 167 events, 23% more than the previous year. The figures include the activity generated by Barça's matches in Montjuïc, but remain historic even if excluded from the calculation.
Specifically, Barça's matches held at the Estadi Olímpic during the Camp Nou renovations mobilized some 600,000 people across 15 matches. Thus, without taking into account those who traveled to Montjuïc for football, the venues of the Anella Olímpica surpassed 1.5 million spectators last year, a figure that doubles that of 2022.
Concerts were the most common events at the Anella Olímpica in 2023, accounting for 65% of the programming, which also included social, sporting, corporate, and family events. The venues with the most programming were the Palau Sant Jordi and the Sant Jordi Club, with 135 events and over one million attendees. The Estadi Olímpic received another million visitors, considering the 15 Barça matches it hosted and the nine concerts it staged.
Highlighted events already on the 2024 program include the return of The Boss and concerts by Rammstein and Estopa.Concerts were precisely the events that attracted the most visitors. Specifically, 1.3 million spectators attended the 110 musical shows programmed by the Anella Olímpica during 2023, in a year that has left memorable concerts for Barcelona. Among the international artists who passed through the mountain of Montjuïc are Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John, Coldplay, Beyoncé, Harry Styles, The Who, Iron Maiden and Blink 182, among many others. The list is also long in terms of national artists. Sabina, Alejandro Sanz, Miguel Ríos, Hombres G, Electrica Dharma, La Pegatina, Aitana, Bad Gyal and Quevedo are some names that show the musical and stylistic diversity hosted by the Anella Olímpica.
This diversity is also reflected in the profile of the public that visited the facilities in 2023. The average age of attendees was 37.5 years, with the age groups between 25 and 34 and between 45 and 54 being the most common, each accounting for 26% of the total. 71% of the public traveled to the Anella Olímpica from other parts of Catalonia, with 34% of the total being residents of Barcelona and its metropolitan area. 21% came to Montjuïc from other parts of Spain, and 7% did so from other countries. This data reflects the national and international attraction capacity of the Anella Olímpica and the impact it generates in the city.
Concerts were the events that attracted the most visitors, but the program also included family proposals such as Disney on Ice, and sports events, such as Trial Indoor, World Padel Tour, and the Kingdom Cup, which gathered more than 67,000 spectators at the Palau Sant Jordi. In addition, the Olympic complex maintained initiatives to reach out to citizens also through solidarity. In this regard, more than 500 people in vulnerable situations participated in its activities, through the Apropa Cultura network. During 2023, it hosted other social projects, such as the Steam Anella scientific activity. Organized by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and Barcelona de Serveis Municipals (B:SM), the venue manager, it brought together 2,200 young people from 28 high schools around science.
After registering these successful figures in 2023, the Anella Olímpica has welcomed 2024 with 115 confirmed events, through which it is estimated that more than 1.7 million spectators will be exceeded, including Barça matches. This forecast will increase as new events are closed in the complex's calendar. The program already includes prominent events such as the return of The Boss and concerts by Rammstein and Estopa. Depeche Mode, Maná, Luis Miguel, Simple, Plan, Nil Moliner, Manolo García, Jonas Brothers, and The Tyets are some of the artists who will keep the Anella Olímpica as a pole of attraction for the Catalan capital.