Festa Major de Gracia 2017

Barcelona is a vibrant city full of culture. There are many festivals and events occurring throughout the year all over the city. Most of the festivals take place throughout the summer months when the city is at its busiest. One of these festivals is the Festa Major de Gràcia.

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Where is Gràcia?

Gràcia is a district in the north part of the city, covering neighbourhoods such as Vila de Gràcia, Vallcarca i els Penitents, El Coll and La Salut. It was originally an independent municipality until the city’s expansion in the late 19th century when it became yet another district of it. Now it is home to people of all nationalities and is considered to be one of the most trendy areas of Barcelona.

So what is the festival about?

Photo by aulaDeArdilla via Visual Hunt

Festa Major de Gràcia is a street party held by the residents of the area for a week in August. It plays host to lots of colorful artwork, food, and music. It is primarily a community project with the aim of bringing members of the district closer together, but they also welcome respectful outsiders wishing to partake.

During the weeks before the festival, the people who reside in the central part of the district start decorating the streets, coming up with creative and impressive themes, competing for the ultimate prize.

During the festivities, you’ll find many people partying and socializing around unusual sculptures and artwork of varying kinds. There are usually also parades, concerts, and correfocs displays, which involve people dressed up as demons running around with fireworks.

The Festa Major de Gràcia offers a great opportunity to learn more about the local culture and meet some interesting people.

Related article: 18 free things to do in Barcelona

When is it?

Photo by pat4tec via Visualhunt

Festa Major de Gràcia starts on the 15th of August, Assumption day, and continues until the 21st of the same month. As it gets closer to the start date, more and more information is revealed about the schedule, although the element of surprise is certainly not spoiled as far as the installations go. You can download the festival app to get the quickest updates.

The festival takes part in the streets between Còrsega & Travessera de Dalt and Escorial & Gran de Gracia. You can easily get there by taking the subway. The closest stations are Diagonal (L3 & L5) and Fontana (L3).

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* Main photo by pere prlpz via Wikimedia Commons