Urbany Blog

Until 1897 Gracia Quarter was an independent village, separated from Barcelona by fields. In the XIX century it grew a lot thanks to the immigration of the new industrial worker class.

In the same years we can find the origins of the Fiesta Major de Gracia, a popular and traditional street festival. If at the beginning it had some religious meanings, soon it became just a civic party, full of dances and games.

By the end of that same century, neighbours started the tradition of adorning some streets and balconies with colourful decorations, around the 15^th of August. In 1920’s it was organised the first decoration contest and since then there is a special jury and an association to coordinate activities throughout the festival.

In certain years there were up to 100 decorated streets, but now they are more or less 20 and neighbours uses every sort of recycled materials such as paper and plastic, working on the project during the whole year.

During 7 days the festival program offers activities for every age: expositions, dances, mass, popular lunches and dinners, contests, sport competitions, children activities and theatre shows. Bars and pubs sell on the street and it is allowed to drink open-air as an exception.

The whole area gets really busy of locals and tourists, all attracted by the originality of this street festival, one of the most important Barcelona events. It is also an amazing opportunity to enjoy Catalan traditions, such as Castellers, Correfocs and Diables.

Some useful information:
-The dates of this year festival are 15th-21st of August.
-The most popular decorated streets are Carrer Verdi, Carrer Providencia, Carrer Joan Blanques, Carrer Mozart.
-There are many activities and concerts in Plaça de Rius i Taulet and in Plaça del Sol.
-In Plaça Manuel Torrent there will be a gastronomical corner where you can taste traditional food.
-During the weekend the metro will be open 24 hours.
-For the full program check:
www.festamajordegracia.cat

Enjoy the party, take a lot of pictures, don’t destroy the decorations J and try to get lost in the street labyrinth to get into the real spirit of the festival!