Barcelona Festival El Grec
Every country has her traditions and holidays, but no country on earth is quite as good at enjoying itself as Spain. Every day throughout the year there are fiestas taking place somewhere in Spain, either at a local, regional or national level. Even the smallest village gives at least a couple of days a year over to partying, and happening across a local event can be huge fun, propelling you right into the heart of its culture.
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The nature of each fiesta depends on its origin. Some involve serious religious processions but most are accompanied by street parties with marching bands, firework displays and much general merrymaking.
Barcelona isn’t a exception and becomes a city of Festivals every summer. One of the most varied and spectacular festival is the one known now simply as ‘El Grec’ – the Greek.
The Grec Festival of Barcelona is an international theater, dance, music and circus festival. Starting on the 17th June and running until the 31st July, the festival is a city-wide event, and productions are staged in several of Barcelona’s premiere cultural and art institutions, including the Museum for Contemporary Art of Barcelona (MACBA), the Centre for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB), the Fundació Miró, Caixaforum, the Biblioteca de Catalunya, Teatre Lliure, Mercat de les Flors, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and l’Auditori, among others, but the centerpiece of the events is the Greek Theater on Montjuic, built on Mount Montjuïc for the 1929 Universal Exhibition.
Established in 1979, El Grec has grown to become a major event on the European cultural calendar and there is something for everyone in its diversity.
Over the weeks of the festival, there are now more than 50 separate elements of El Grec’s varied programme, many involving leading performers and companies from around the world. Some of the events are free of charge and prices of the others will vary considerably. The Grec is Catalonia’s main showcase for works produced abroad, and in recent years the organizers have been keen to internationalize the event even further, focusing on presenting the most innovative pieces from such countries as the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and France.
Moreover, the long list of outstanding musicians that have played the Grec include such prestigious artists as Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, Lou Reed, Manhattan Transfer, Joe Cocker, Celia Cruz, Maria Creuza, Caetano Veloso, UB40, Chuck Berry, Elvis Costello, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Laurie Anderson, Santana, Youssou N’Dour, Lokua Kanza, Keith Jarrett, Concha Buika, Antony and the Johnsons and Ryuichi Sakamoto, amongst many others.
If you’re a lover of great culture, traveling or just having fun, then a visit to the Summer Festival of Barcelona, El Grec, is not something to miss and for sure, to regret it.
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