Festa Major de Gràcia has started!!!

My favorite event in the year, the Festa Major de Gràcia (Gràcia Festival) has started!
This morning I joined many other locals strolling around the streets to see the decorations prepared by the neighbours and took lots of pictures to show you. I loved them even more than last year!

It'll be easy for you to move around the area if you can get one of the free programs available at the desks of each street: Page 33 has a map where the decorated streets are marked in red and the other party locations are shown in green:

The problem is that the program is only in Catalan, so I made a selection of what could be interesting for you (there'll be lots of disco, salsa, jazz and music going on everynight aswell):

DANCING:
* Sardana dancing, the Catalan circle dance: Fri 21st late afternoon at Verdi st.
* Folkdance shows and stick dancing: Tue 18th at 6pm at Joan Blanques (upstreet) and Perla st. Wed 19th at at 10.30pm at Plaça del Sol.

TRADITIONS:
* Castells, the breathtaking Human Towers: rehearsals on the 18th at 10.30 and the 20th at 20.30, and show on the 22nd at 6pm, always at Plaça Vila de Gràcia*
* Correfoc, the firerun: Fri 21st at 10pm at Plaça Vila de Gràcia*, children's correfoc on the 21st at 6.30pm starting at Plaça Trilla.
* Fireworks: Night from the 21st to the 22nd, at 00.30 in Plaça Vila de Gràcia*
* Parades ("cercavila"): Sun 16th at 10.30 starting at Plaça Vila de Gràcia*

MUSIC:
* Grallers and Tabalers, traditional drummers and fluters: Wed 19th at 10.30pm at Plaça Vila de Gràcia*, Fri 21st at 8pm at Plaça Vila de Gràcia*
* Havaneres i rom cremat, sailors songs and flamed rhum drinking:
- Sun 16th: 6pm at Plaça del Poble Romaní, latenight at Tordera street, and 11pm at Plaça Joanic.
- Mon 17th: at 11pm at Providència st. andJoan Blanques (downstreet), and at 11.30pm upstreet.
- Tue 18th: 10.30pm at Llibertat st. and Placeta Sant Miquel, 11.30 pm at Fraternitat st.
- Wed 19th: 6pm at Plaça Rovira i Trias, latenight at Progrés st., 10pm at Puigmartí st., 10.30pm at Passeig de Sant Joan.
- Thu 21st: 7.30pm at Mozart street, and 11.30pm at Berga st.

FOOD
* Food tasting/eating/sharing:
- Paella: Sunday lunch at Progrés street. Wed 19th at 3pm at Llibertat st.
- Sardines: Wed 19th at 2pm at Providència st.
- Butifarra (pork sausage): Sun 16th at 2pm at Placeta Sant Miquel, 3pm at Llibertat st. Tue 18th at 9.30pm at Providència st. Fri 21st at noon at Puigmartí st.
- Hot chocolate: Mon 17st at 6pm at Plaça Rovira i Trias. Thu 20st at 11.30am at Mozart st., and at 6pm at Bruniquer st. and Llibertat st.
- Ratafia liquor (tasting followed by outdoors siesta!): Mon 17th at 3pm at Perla st.
- Pa amb tomàquet (Catalan tomato bread): Tue 18th at 3pm at Llibertat st.
- Snails ("cargols"): Sun 16th at 8pm at Plaça Manuel Torrente.

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.

IMPORTANT NOTE 4: Plaça Rius i Taulet changed name this year and it's now called Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia, but you'll still find the former name in many maps (and it's likely many locals don't even know about that name change!).

IMPORTANT NOTE 5: Two sections of Joan Blanques street participate in the Festival with different decoration and different activities. To make the difference, locals talk about "Joan Blanques de dalt" for the section that is upstreet and "Joan Blanques de baix", for downstreet.

Enjoy the Festival of Gracia!

For last year's articles go:
The Gracia Festival has started!
Lower Joan Blanques won the Gracia Streets Competi...