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THE FESTIVITIES OF GRACIA

The festivities of Gracia are the most famous and the ones that attract the most public in Barcelona.

A street decorated in the neighbourhood of Gracia.

August is the month of renowned popular events. And there are many cities and towns that every year look forward to the arrival of summer to celebrate their most traditional and important festivities. In the case of Barcelona, the most coveted patron saint festivities are the Gracia festivities, which are celebrated in the iconic neighbourhood of Barcelona. In its program, there is no shortage of concerts, “castellers”, popular dances, giants, “big-heads” and the emblematic “correfoc”, “bastoners” and “trabucaires”.

The “Festa Major” de Gracia is a grand event in the Catalan capital. Although these are not the main festivals of the city, as the festivities of La Mercè are, those of Gracia are the most famous and the ones that attract the most public.

The origin of the festivities

The origin of the Gracia festivities dates back to 1817. Initially, the festivities of Gracia took place coinciding with the festivity of San Isidro (May 15), since it was the patron saint of farmers and the Villa de Gracia, then a small town whose inhabitants were dedicated mainly to agriculture.

Years later, due to the demographic increase of its population, workers, artisans or small merchants lived in its streets, beyond the farmers, and the monks who lived in the convent that was between the city and the Villa de Gracia, they celebrated another party on August 15, with which they decided to move their festivities to the summer month and make them coincide with the so-called Virgin of August.

What to do in the festivities of Gracia

The most important event of this festivity is the contest for the decoration of streets and balconies organised by the neighbours of the neighbourhood of Gracia. A spectacle of colour reigns during those days in avenues, squares, and boulevards with a specific theme that the

The sreets of Gracia are full of color and people during its festivities.

neighbours prepare months in advance and that turns the neighbourhood into a genuine setting full of tales and creativity. Thus, those who tour these areas can enjoy an entire exhibition of art and originality.

Although the main attraction of these festivities is the decoration contest of streets and squares, many activities are carried out during these seven days, intended for all ages. And of course, music also has its share of prominence. In the concerts of the festivities of Gracia, variety cannot be left out: traditional Catalan music, parades or well-known groups fill the stages of the streets of the neighbourhood with joy, and since each corner has a stage, such as the Plaça de la Vila or the Plaça del Sol, where concerts of better-known groups are organised while in the Plaça del Raspall the Alternative Festa Major is organised, a more vindictive one.

On the other hand, the gastronomy of the land is also extolled during the days of the festivities of Gracia with gastronomic routes throughout the neighbourhood, popular lunches and dinners such as the traditional “butifarrada” de Gracia. Samples of popular culture abound during the days when the festivities take place. Different parades are held in which the festive imagery of the neighbourhood parades, such as its giants, “big heads”, popular dances, etc. In addition, the performance of its “castellers” has become another of the parties’ main attractions. Being present especially since the birth of the local association, in 1997, it has been established year after year thanks to the three events that are held during the holidays, the most important being the “Diada Castellera de la Festa Major”, a great performance in which other invited groups participate, in addition to the local group. And for the finishing touch, a great “correfoc” takes place with devils and beasts of the groups of the neighbourhood along with some guest groups on the last night of the parties. Once the “correfoc” is over, the festivities close with a fireworks display.

For all these reasons, the Generalitat de Catalunya declared the festivities of Gracia as a Traditional Festival of National Interest on July 30, 1997, and awarded the federation that organises it with the “Creu de Sant Jordi” in 2018.