The celebration of the America's Cup in 2024 and all the transformations that Port Vell is undergoing with the arrival of this important international competition have led the Port of Barcelona to redouble the program of activities it organizes during the Barcelona Boat Show. This year, the infrastructure chaired by Lluís Salvadó will not have the traditional representation stand within the fair, but has opted to locate an agora outside the exhibition grounds where it will hold more than 70 presentations and activities with the aim of bringing the port closer to the citizens.
"We want to open the Port of Barcelona to the public and, for this reason, this year we will be outside the Boat Show venue, to improve accessibility and encourage participation in the more than 70 activities we have programmed," highlights Salvadó. According to the executive, the new Àgora Port will be an open space that will allow strengthening ties with citizens and explaining all the projects that the port has underway, not only those linked to the America's Cup, but also the multiple actions deployed in terms of sustainability, innovation, training and promotion of the blue economy, a sector that should become one of the new economic engines of the Catalan capital.
Àgora Port will be located in the Plaça del Portal de la Pau, in front of the historic building of the Port Authority, now in the rehabilitation phase, next to one of the main accesses to the Boat Show, which this year will host 220 exhibitors. The stand will have an area of more than 150 square meters, with an auditorium with capacity for 80 people and a giant screen of 21 square meters. Between October 11 and 15, a hundred speakers will pass through the agora, participating in some 70 events, including presentations, workshops, round tables, training activities and musical performances.
To offer these contents, Port de Barcelona has partnered with the Barcelona Nautical Capital Foundation, key in the organization of the 37th America's Cup and whose great mission is "to bring the sea closer to the citizens," according to its president, Daniel Puig. In this sense, this year the Àgora Port program has not wanted to limit itself solely to nautical topics, but has involved different entities from the neighborhoods closest to the port, such as El Raval, the Gothic Quarter, El Born and Barceloneta.
"When we created the Àgora Port in 2022, we realized there was a lot of interest from the neighborhoods in participating in the talks we organized. This year, just before the America's Cup celebration, we believe it is a very good opportunity to foster this symbiosis between the port, the residents, and this important sailing competition," said Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Business Strategy at the Port Authority of Barcelona (APB). According to the executive, 16 entities from Ciutat Vella will participate in the Àgora Port, which will offer a diverse program including activities linked to the America's Cup and the port's sustainability and innovation projects, but also to fishing, gastronomy, nautical activities, the marine environment, the blue economy, and popular culture, with batucadas, habaneras, and giants.
In the sheet of water next to the Portal de la Pau ---next to the golondrinas--- the AC40 sailboat will be exhibited, which is the model with which the women's and youth America's Cup regattas will be contested. The Chase Zero, the competition's support boat, which runs on hydrogen, will also be on display. In addition, the company SeaBots will demonstrate its aquatic drones, and one of the boats from the Barcelona Fishermen's Guild's fishing fleet will also be moored.
These are some of the main activities of the Àgora Port program, which can be consulted at this link.
Wednesday, October 11
The morning of the first day is largely reserved for introducing the America's Cup and highlighting its innovative and sustainability-focused aspects. A talk on ethics and technology will focus on the historical espionage that exists between the competition teams, with explanations of historical cases and current incidents. There will also be a workshop on pollution caused by microplastics, and the activities of two training centers will be disseminated: the Institut Logística Barcelona and the Institut de Nàutica de Barcelona. In the afternoon, there will be presentations on sailing and nautical tourism, as well as a space to learn about the company Ocean Ecostructures, which develops solutions for the regeneration of marine ecosystems. The day will end with a presentation on the historical memory of Barceloneta and a habaneras performance.
Thursday, October 12
Coinciding with a public holiday, the Port de Barcelona will host the official presentation of the six teams that will participate in the America's Cup sailing race: Emirates Team New Zealand (New Zealand), Ineos Britannia (United Kingdom), Alinghi Red Bull (Switzerland), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy), NYYC American Magic (United States) and Orient Express Racing Team (France). Immediately after, the Colla Castellera de l'Esquerra de l'Eixample will perform an exhibition to demonstrate that this emblematic Catalan tradition shares very similar values to those of the sailing regatta, such as strength, balance, courage and seny. The day will continue with explanatory presentations on social projects, nautical talent acquisition, blue economy and women, gastronomy, and a review of the history of the Fishermen's Guild.
Friday, October 13
The day will begin with an exhibition of aquatic drones and an explanation of the Olympic Port transformation project, followed by a presentation on the revolution that hydrogen represents for the nautical sector. The project to stimulate innovation and startups linked to the blue economy BlueTechPort will also be unveiled, and it will be explained that Barcelona has been chosen by Unesco to host the world oceans summit in 2024. The day will conclude with a presentation by the electric sailboat company Noster and the awarding of nautical innovation prizes.
Saturday, October 14
On Saturday, the particularities and technical innovations of the AC75 sailboat, with which the men's America's Cup will be contested, will be unveiled, and there will also be a round table with some of the sailors participating. The Port Vell transformation project and the Triton submarine company will be other protagonists of the day, during which the Port will also welcome the participants in the youth (12 teams) and women's (12 teams) regattas, the Youth & Puig Women's America's Cup.
Sunday, October 15
The last day will host presentations on the adaptation of the Mediterranean to climate change and its effects on fishing, and various social and environmental projects will be presented. Highlights include a sailing initiation boat made with recyclable materials and the Takatà project, a new brand of sustainable bags and backpacks born in Barceloneta. This outreach space parallel to the Boat Show will conclude with a popular vermouth accompanied by a sample of popular folklore.