The neighbours are proud of their artwork decorating the streets, and they have prepared extended programs of outdoors activities for the next days: games and workshops for kids, friendly meals, pensioners activities, traditional dancing, songs and parades, and lots of concerts of all kind of music.
As every year, Verdi and Joan Blanques will surely compete for the first prize of the Street Decoration Contest: don't miss them!
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| Gracia 2008 |
Mornings and afternoons are the best time to stroll around the streets to discover their settings (get a Festival Program in Plaça Rius i Taulet where you'll find a map of decorated streets). But nightime is the best moment to enjoy the local life: the streets packed with people walking from concert to concert, from ballroom to ballroom, and glaring amazed at the wonderful crafts that will be lit at night.
Here I offer you a list of really local activities (for salsa, disco, rock, jazz and other shows I reccomend you check out their program or just walk around the neighbourhood):
DANCING:
* Sardana dancing, the Catalan circle dance: Thu 21st at 6pm in Passeig de Sant Joan.
TRADITIONS:
* Castells, the breathtaking Human Towers: Sun 17th at noon in Joan Blanques (downstreet).
* Correfoc, the firerun: Thu 21st starting at 10pm in Plaça Trilla and finishing in Plaça Rius i Taulet.
* Fireworks: Thu 21st at midnight in Plaça Rius i Taulet.
MUSIC:
* Grallers and Tabalers, traditional drummers and fluters: Wed 20 in Plaça Rius i Taulet at 5.30pm (parade finishing at 9pm in Joan Blanques (downstreet).
* Havaneres i rom cremat, sailors songs and flamed rhum drinking:
- Sat 16th. at 6pm in Plaça del Poble Romaní.
- Sun 17th. at 11pm in Llibertat st.
- Mon 18th at 11pm in Providència st.
- Tue 19th at 10.30pm in Passeig de Sant Joan.
- Wed 20th at 10pm in Puigmartí st.
- Thu 21st at 6pm in Plaça Rovira.
- Thu 21st at 11pm in Joan Blanques (upstreet).
FOOD
* Food tasting/eating/sharing:
- Paella: Sun 17th at 2pm in Providència st.
- Sardines: Tue 19th at 2pm in Placeta de Sant Miquel and Providència st.
- Butifarra (pork sausage): Tue 19th at 9.30pm in Providència st.
- Rice: Thu 21st at 1pm in Plaça Manuel Torrente.
- Hot chocolate: Wed 20th at 11am in Joan Blanques (upstreet).
IMPORTANT NOTE 1: Never trust Spanish and Catalan punctuality, everything starts usually much later than announced.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2 - SAFETY RULES FOR THE FIRERUN: Dress coton clothes that cover entirely your body (long sleeves and pants), cover your neck and hair with coton shawls, wear comfortable running shoes and make sure your ankles are covered aswell. Gun powder reacts to water: do not throw water to firerun participants. Safety above all: respect the indications of the devils (firerun staff).
IMPORTANT NOTE 3: Night events must be over by 3am. After that time please respect the neighbours rest.
Enjoy the Festival of Gracia!
2 comments:
hi, just wanted to leave a mark letting you know I stumbled over your blog a few weeks ago and now returned to see you wrote about Gracia and it was simply exactly what I wanted more information about not having to struggle through the catalan on their official homepage for too long. i will return.
Great! Glad to be of help! : )
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