Top Streets Of The Festa Major De Gracia
THE GRACIA FESTIVAL, AN EVENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
For over 200 years, around the 15th of August the streets of the Barcelona Gracia neighborhood get decorated by their neighbors during the Barcelona Festa Major de Gracia. They use simple materials such as recycled plastic bottles and cardboard, creating amazing landscapes and sculptures that will be for a whole week the setting for one of my favorite local celebrations. This Gracia Festival is one of the best summer events in Barcelona, and if you are in town when it happens, you shouldn’t miss it.
But navigating the alleys and streets participating in the Gracia Festival can be tricky even for those locals who don’t come to this neighborhood too often. First of all, make sure to grab the Gracia Festival program distributed by the neighbors in the participant streets (there is usually either a bar stall or souvenir table where you can find it). Or you can also download it from the Barcelona Festa Major de Gracia website. Or even better, download the app (Android or Apple). Apart from a list of all the activities going on each day, you will also find a district map that will be very helpful.
These are the top streets in the Festa Major de Gracia:
Every year over 20 streets get decorated during the Festes de Gracia, and since they get quite spread over the neighborhood, setting up an exploration plan becomes a must. You don’t want to miss any of the most famous streets, and you don’t want to take a 15 minutes detour on the Summer heat for something that wasn’t that worth it. But fear no more, I’m coming to the rescue! You’ll find below the top spots that you must check out, and in this map you’ll find my recommended itinerary from the closest subway stations.
However, don’t rely on just my recommendations: find out if the results of the contest are out yet when you visit, and make sure to add to your itinerary any street that has made 1st to 5th position. While the streets I’ll discuss below are regularly on the podium, some years there’s surprises, such as when Carrer de la Llibertat got the first price in 2018 – first time they won and it hasn’t happened again.
1
Verdi
Verdi is one of the arteries of Gracia, and every year two blocks of it get decorated. They used to compete independently, but it's been a few years since they decided to join forces. Until then, it was the lower decorated section, aka "Verdi del Mig" the one that always smashed it with over 10 1-prizes and half as many 2nd and 3rd prizes. And the upper part, "Verdi de Dalt", was also a top player, with 3 first positions and one second. And now that they participate together, they continue to be among everyone's favorite streets.
2
Joan Blanques
The neighbors of Joan Blanques street are also very involved in the Festa Major de Gracia: there’s been years when up to 3 different sections have been decorated! Joan Blanques de Dalt (upper Joan Blanques), Joan Blanques de Baix (lower Joan Blanques) and Joan Blanques de Baix de Tot (even lower Joan Blanques). And the one you need to aim for is Joan Blanques de Dalt, with over 10 podiums total – 3 of them 1st places. Although Joan Blanques de Baix has also won a first position once, and Joan Blanques de Baix de tot has won two 2nd places.
3
Progrés
Progrés is one of the few streets that have consistenly participated in the celebrations for over 100 years. However, I think of it as a rising star because it used to classify consistently in 5th place in most editions of the Gracia Festival, but on 2013 it won its first 1st place, and after then it's climbed the podium another handful of times. Movies are a recurrent theme: UFOs land, the world of Harry Potter, Star Wars and their award-winning Jurassic Park have been some of their most memorable choices. Plus their street is one of the longest decorated streets in the Festival every year!
4
Fraternitat
Although two consecutive sections of Fraternitat street get decorated by their neighbors, the one that usually gets a better position in the contest (always ranging between 1st and 5th places) is the lower part of the street (that is, south or downhill): Fraternitat de Baix. They have a family-friendly style that will transport you to your own childhood. Last year, with their gorgeous farm they should have gotten more than only a 4th place in the Gracia Festival contest.
5
Mozart
The living prove that traditional streets don’t always have to be the winners: in 2011 this street that would usually move around the 10th positions in the classification, made the big jump to the podium where they have remained ever since. Their trick has been inviting younger generations to participate decorating their street, that has acquired a Tim Burtonish touch.
6
BONUS: Two squares you need to check out
While the Gracia Festival is all about streets, there’s two squares that you’ll want to check out, too:
- Plaça de la Vila. Although not really ranking high in the Barcelona Festa Major de Gracia contest, this is the main square of the district, and where the town hall is. You’ll find here plenty of outdoor cafés to enjoy a drink or snack while people watching, and you’ll head here to see the Castellers (human castles). Its evening concerts are also quite popular.
- Plaça de Rovira i Trias. Named after the competitor of Ildefons Cerda, the planner of the Eixample District, this plaza is quaint the rest of the year but very lively during the Festes de Gracia. It’s made the podium a handful of times, so I make sure to never miss it.
What else to do during the Gracia Festival
In general, the mornings of the Festa Major de Gracia are dedicated to children activities and traditional celebrations. Then lunch time and the early afternoon tend to be quieter: some streets may organize luncheons for the neighbors (but in most cases outsiders aren't welcome, and that includes locals from other districts). The late afternoons are usually dedicated to traditional music, games and workshops, and then the evenings are all about outdoor parties and concerts.
So grab a program (or check their website or the app) and plan around the dates where you can attend. Here are some of the best events to look out for:
- Tabals i grallers. Loud parades of traditional bands playing large drums and “gralles”, a wind instrument from the family of shawms.
- Cercavila. Kid-friendly parades where Giants, Bigheads and other Beasts are displayed, to the sound of traditional music. Sometimes there’s a Giants “passejada” (stroll) or a “plantada” (display) before the actual cercavila starts.
- Castellers. Spectacular Catalan human towers. There’s several public rehearsals (“assaig”) before the big day – the Diada Castellera.
- Correfoc. An adrenaline-filled fire fun where bands of people dressed as fairy-tale devils chase people with their spark-spitting sticks. Each devils team has their own fire-spitting monster and drums band. There’s usually a kids version before the adults correfoc. Whichever you are attending, make sure to check out the safety recommendations and dress accordingly to avoid getting burnt.
- Havaneres. While Gracia isn’t really near the sea, it’s not unusual that some streets will organize Havaneres concerts. This is a type of nostalgic Catalan sailors music that every Catalan carries in their hearts.
Preparing your visit to the Festa Major de Gracia
When to come
If your main goal is to see the street decorations, you need to take into account that it gets crowded, so you'll want to avoid the rush hours. Arrive early, around 9 or maximum 10AM, and try to be done by 11AM which is when the crowds start showing up. Or if the Summer heat doesn't scare you, 2 to 4PM is also a good time since the locals are back home eating lunch. Just bring a hat: don't expect much shade during that time of the day!
If your goal is to see the nightlife, though, be aware that the crowds can get intense. Most concerts will start around 10 or 11PM and the music can get going until the early morning. Also, be relaxed about the published schedules: punctuality is not their forte: I’ve seen concerts start even 30 minutes later than announced. Chill and check the other streets while you wait for your chosen event to start.
How to get there
SUBWAY
- Fontana, on the L3 (green line) is the subway station that you want to use to start your stroll checking out Verdi street first.
- Joanic, on the L4 (yellow line), is best to start your stroll with Joan Blanques.
- Diagonal, on the L3 and the L5 (blue line) is probably where you’ll end up at the end if you started at the top of Gracia and gradually descended towards Fraternitat and Plaça de la Vila.
- Gracia, from the FFCC trains, is also convenient, between Verdi and Plaça de la Vila, but a bit further away (not worth switching lines, but convenient if you are staying near a FFCC station).
TAXIS
Finding taxis during the Gracia Festival can be wild… Gran de Gracia (unless it’s closed to the traffic for parades and fireruns), Corsega and Plaça Joanic is where I’d head to try to find one. Good luck, though!
BY CAR
No, really: leave your car at home / your hotel parking lot. You’ll thank me for this. Streets closed to the traffic (and Google not knowing it) and full parking lots are a drivers nightmare.
Do you need tickets?
Most activities in the Festes de Gracia are free: even the “xocolatada” (hot chocolate give away for kids). But neighbor lunches or dinners as well as some workshops or the visits to the Civil War shelter or the Clock Tower may require payment or at least booking in advance. But if you only want to check out the streets, you are good to go.
How to be a good visitor
Unfortunately, as the Gracia Festival has gained popularity and more foreigners started visiting, the number of uncivil acts have increased, and the crowds have grown exponentially as well. Please be a respectful visitor by following these rules:
- Do not touch the decorations. They are more delicate than they look, and they must survive until the Festa Major is over.
- Respect the street directions. Some streets become one-way only during the peak hours when it’s most crowded. Do pay attention to the signs and don’t try to go against the current. Yes, it’s a pain to have to go one block further to enter the street from the other side sometimes, but it’s not the end of the world.
- Do not stand by the stages. The Gracia streets are sort of narrow, and the space left between the stages and the buildings is often very limited. Avoid standing there and blocking the way.
- Use the trash cans and containers. That goes without saying: the pavement is not where your trash belongs.
- Respect the neighbors sleep. If you stay until the end of the concerts, leave the neighborhood as soon as possible and keep your volume low. The same goes for when you walk around non-decorated streets even if the concerts are still going on. No yelling, no singing loud.
- Remember that you are sharing the space with other people. For instance, it’s OK to take pictures of the decorations, but do not monopolize a particular spot to make your own lengthy photo-shoot.
Final tips
- Visit earlier on: the decorations will be brand new. Towards the end of the Festival there’s always some that get vandalized by uncivil visitors, and an unexpected storm might damage them as well.
- Do some planning before you show up: know what streets you want to visit, what events you want to attend and what time you need to be there.
- If you want to watch the correfoc, check out the safety recommendations. Yes, they also apply to you even if you aren’t planning to get under the fire sparks.
- During the most crowded times, when heading from an event to another, it’s faster to use non-decorated streets rather than trying to go through the decorated ones.
- Beware of pickpockets and don’t leave your bags unattended.
- If you’ve missed the Gracia Festival, don’t worry: the Festa Major de Sants starts the following week and it has a similar feel.
More about Gracia District
What's your favorite street during the Festa Major de Gracia?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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