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May sees two excellent events for those who love visiting museums. On May 18, International Museum Day is celebrated, a European initiative that sees numerous institutions open their doors for free and put on a special programme of activities. The aim is to raise awareness in visitors about the key role museums and other cultural centres can play in the development of society.
At the same time, Barcelona holds its Night of Museums, when participating venues stay open for free until night, offering a different way to experience the permanent and temporary exhibitions currently on show, as well as the chance to enjoy different activities, such as family workshops, live performances and guided tours. This is also a global event, one that started in Berlin in 1997 and is now celebrated in around 120 European cities each year. Signed up to the two events in Barcelona are a wide variety of centres whose specialisations include art, archeology, history, author, ethnology, paleontology, ceramics, zoology, movies, design and much more.
Night of the Museums: 18th May, from 7pm to 1am.* International Museum Day: 18th May.
This is one of the most keenly anticipated and widely celebrated Catalan public holidays. According to the traditional tale, Sant Jordi (Saint George) killed the dragon that used to live in Montblanc where it terrorized the local population, thus saving the king's daughter from certain death. Legend has it that a beautiful rose bush sprang up in the spot where the dragon's blood was spilled. From the 18th century onward, the Sant Jordi festival became widely identified as a Catalan 'fiesta' which these days arouses great popular, civic and cultural passion. On Sant Jordi's Day, lovers exchange a rose and a book and every town and city in Catalonia is filled with stalls set up to sell both.
Barcelona's fashion show has a name all of its own: 080 Barcelona Fashion. It is an open, plural, multidisciplinary and international platform that puts Catalonia firmly at the forefront of the design world. It is a unique showcase for viewing the collections of acclaimed Catalan and Spanish designers, companies involved in the fashion business and emerging creative talent.
This new edition takes place in an incomparable setting: Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau. New talents will be showcased alongside the world's best-known brands giving the audience the chance to see a whole spectrum of styles, trends and concepts
The Grec, Barcelona's keenly anticipated annual festival of music, dance, circus and theater is about to begin. It is a festival that now forms part of the city's cultural landscape and connects fully with its artistic life. This year more than ever the Teatre Grec, which gives its name to the festival, is at the epicenter, but you will be able to see related events at a multitude of venues across Barcelona.
Sónar is a festival of advanced music and multimedia art. But it's also much more than that: Sónar has become an international benchmark by developing what is essentially music to become an explosion of multimedia language, art and electronica, attracting fans eager for innovation from all over the world in the process.
Over three dates, Sónar by Day (Fira Montjuïc de Barcelona), Sónar by Night (Gran Via de L'Hospitalet) and different venues all over the city, will offer hundreds of activities, including concerts, DJ sessions, screenings, debates, conferences and an abundance of multimedia projects.
Barcelona is once again celebrating its grand festival, in honor of its patron saint. A program full of different activities is planned for all the public, with music, dance, circus and street arts. And not forgetting the giants, dragons, fire beasts, human towers and sardana groups.
La Mercè is also a festival of street arts with the MAC festival, Mercè Arts de Carrer. This is a festival which has become a showcase of new creations, and the meeting place for many artists, both from the city and overseas. The BAM Festival, Barcelona Acció Musical, will fill the streets with today's popular rhythms and concerts.
La Mercè will end, as always, with the traditional fireworks and music display. an explosion of light and sound, which has become one of the most expected and acclaimed events for the people of Barcelona and its visitors.
La Ribera neighbourhood is a must for anyone taking a walk through Barcelona. Whether you get there from the Via Laietana or the Arc de Triomf, as you explore the maze of narrow streets in this neighbourhood where merchants, artisans and guilds once, you’ll discover the city of design, leisure and fashion.
There are two official languages in Catalonia: Catalan and Spanish, and there are more and more people in the region who understand and speak English. You’re sure to get by.
A hotel with views, a tent in a campsite in the countryside, a city-centre apartment… Barcelona offers a wide range of accommodation so that everyone can find their perfect base camp. Here are some great ideas.