Barcelona Degusta 2011

Are you a lover of good food? Are you interested in food? Do you like cooking? Come to Barcelona Degusta and discover new flavours, add to your recipe book, surprise your family on Christmas Day, learn about new culinary techniques…

At Barcelona Degusta you’ll find small-scale producers of food specialities and leading brands, the best designations of origin and the latest in kitchen equipment. You’ll also be able to discover the new gastronomic trends, update your recipe book and attend cooking demonstrations.

Over one hundred exhibitors will be bringing you their new delicatessen products, organic foodstuffs and high-end products. A range of demonstrations, workshops and talks have also been organised, not to mention the “Bulevard dels restaurants“, the ‘Restaurant Boulevard‘, where the chefs from the city’s top-end restaurants will be serving special tapas.

Barcelona Degusta demonstrates its solidarity through a firm commitment to recycling the surplus food and drink at the show. The show is providing the Food Bank Foundation with a stand for collecting food and drink during the two days of the show. This food will be distributed by over one hundred volunteers from the Foundation to the most disadvantaged people in the city of Barcelona and its province.

Fira Barcelona -> Av Reina Maria Cristina, 2 | Sants-Montjuïc

Barcelona, will host the next CineEurope Convention

The international gathering of cinema exhibitors and distributors, CineEurope (one of the world’s four big film fairs), will be held in Barcelona in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

This has been agreed by the Catalan Ministry of Culture, the Barcelona Institute of Culture, the Barcelona Centre for International Conventions, the Prometeus Global Media company and the International Union of Cinemas.

The decision will make Barcelona a benchmark in the cinema industry. The first convention will be held at the Barcelona Centre for International Conventions from 18 to 21 June, 2012.

CineEurope is the official convention of the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) and had been held in Amsterdam for the last 14 years.

BARCELONA First Mobile World Capital until 2018

After an 18-month search, the GSMA announced that Barcelona has been selected as the Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018. As the Mobile World Capital, Barcelona will be the home of the mobile industry’s must-attend event, the GSMA Mobile World Congress, and will also develop a range of other programmes and activities that will span the entire year benefiting the worldwide mobile industry.

We commend all of the finalist cities – Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris – for their excellent proposals and the huge amount of energy and creativity that was put into them. While all of the cities who competed for this title presented extremely innovative and compelling bids, in the end, Barcelona truly demonstrated that it deserves the title of the Mobile World Capital, with its combination of outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, its transportation and hospitality infrastructure, its commitment to expanding the reach of mobility throughout Barcelona.

Beyond the Mobile World Congress, the Mobile World Capital also features two additional elements: the Mobile World Centre and the Mobile World Festival. The Mobile World Centre will be comprised of permanent and temporary exhibitions which will meld culture and technological innovation, facilities for the development and incubation of mobile solutions, and retail and hospitality venues. The Mobile World Festival, which is targeted to the general public, will incorporate a range of activities including sporting events, music and art festivals, film awards, applications and technology fairs and more.

Mobile World Congress 2012 will remain at Fira de Barcelona Montjuic and will be held 27 February – 1 March 2012.

www.mobileworldcapital.com

Barcelona Fashion Showcase

The city’s main fashion events coincide once again. The Brandery fashion show, which takes place from 13 to 15 July, features an area open to the general public among its new features. The 080 Barcelona Fashion catwalk, from 12 to 15 July, is being held at historical site of the Barcelona University, while the ModaFad parade and market will be on from 14 to 15 July.

While The Brandery, an urban fashion fair designed to show off the latest trends from the big brands, is organising a competition for new talent, the 080 Barcelona Fashion catwalk, an indie fashion platform, is letting in big names.

The Brandery is the new hotspot of urban fashion, a hub of trends, design, music, creativity and business. Exhibitions, catwalk shows, live music… all under the same roof which, for the first time this year, will have a new sector open to the general public: The Brandtown Fashion Xperience, which will coexist with the traditional The Brandery trade show.Such apparent contradictions share the same spirit, that of putting Barcelona on the fashion map, publicising successful businesses and introducing up-and-coming designers.

Creativity and innovation are the concepts that inspire 080 Barcelona Fashion, an initiative driven by the Catalan Government, as an open, plural multidisciplinary, international fashion platform.

This July at least sees these two events coinciding with the ModaFad events and activities once again to provide a highly unique fashion week. And B-Hotel features Fitting Room, an event where design, fashion and arts come together.

The ModaFAD activity consists of the international showing of emerging fashion designers to boost the interdisciplinary, drive the concept of the designer and promoted, and encourage the relationship between the design schools, the young designers, the specialized modes of communication, and the industry.

Detailed information can be found on each event website:

• The Brandery
• 080 Barcelona Fashion
• ModaFAD
• Fitting Room at B-Hotel

Barcelona Gamelab – Video Game Fair

If one cultural industry has ridden out the crisis it is the video game industry, which generates 44 billion dollars worldwide. International industry representatives are set to meet in Barcelona, the seventh edition for the Gamelab fair will take place at Las Arenas from 29 June to 1 July, until 2015.

Indeed, the fair serves as an annual showcase for Spanish video games, allowing the national industry to come into contact with international investors, publishers and distributors.

Coming to Barcelona this year we have Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear saga, Cliff Bleszinki, who created Gears of War and Unreal, and Peter Molyneux, one of the most prized designers and the creator of the so-called “God games“.

The fair will also include the presentation of the National Gamelab Video Game Industry Awards, which are awarded by the Academy of Arts and Interactive Sciences.

The B-Hotel is the partner hotel of Las Arenas de Barcelona.

German Film Week in Barcelona

From june 6th to 9th, the Comèdia Cinema at Passeig de Gràcia, next to our historical Hotel Granvia, will be the venue for German Film Week, as the closing act for the German-Spain exchange event (being held on 4 and 5 June) which will bring a selection of five films from the 13th Madrid German Film Festival.

Among the films being screened we will be able to see Schlafkrankheit [Sleeping Sickness] by Ulrich Kölher, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, and the latest film by Chris Kraus, Poll. Kraus will also be in attendance at the festival, holding a post-film discussion.

Making up the rest of the programme we have historical films, films on contemporary issues and films set both inside and outside of Germany. Organised by the Goethe Institut Barcelona, this activity is one of the German Week in Barcelona, starting on June 3rd, where Open Air Cinema and performances of dance, live music and light installations, discussions, and stands on central issues of our future, children’s theater and culinary products from Germany will be shown. For three days, Passeig de Lluis Companys in Barcelona, becomes a journey of stands, stages and tents.

More inf@: Goethe Institut Barcelona.

Barcelona Bridal Week

The 21st Barcelona Bridal Week, which includes the Gaudí Novias CatWalk and the Noviaespaña Fair, is coming a week devoted to the bridal wear sector, taking place at Pavilion 8 within the grounds of the Gran Via de Fira de Barcelona. It will draw in even greater numbers than last year’s, with over 14.000 visitors from 50 countries.

The event will bring in representatives from almost half of the 700 businesses specialising in the sector here in Spain. 40% will be international, with businesses from the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Lebanon, Poland, South Korea and Turkey, among others.

Barcelona Bridal Week kicks off with Gaudí CatWalk parades, from 10 to 13 May, in which 27 designers are expected to participate: Jesús del Pozo, Pronovias, Rosa Clarà, Victorio & Lucchino, Jesús Peiró, Cymbeline and Raimon Bundó.

The Noviaespaña Fair, from 13 to 15 May, will take over from the cat walk. It will offer a range of products from 240 businesses in the sector in a venue with 30.000 square metres at its disposal.

Zombies: The Walking Dead take Barcelona

Last Tuesday, was presented the 29th International Comic Fair of Barcelona. The great appointment of the world of the comic will celebrate from 14 to 17 in April and it will take place again to the Hall number 8 of the Fira of Barcelona.

This year, the fair will tribute honors to zombies, one of the most influential element of popular culture, both today and traditionally. Àngel Sala, director of the world-known Sitges Fantastic Cinema Festival, will be in charge of the largest exhibit of the Comic Fair, entitled Zombies: Neither dead nor buried. Side activities related to zombies will also take place during the fair, such as makeup workshops, illustration masterclasses and roundtables.

The Comic Fair of Barcelona has an extensive list of foreign invited authors, that there includes names of the height of Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, creators of the acclaimed series Star City; the scriptwriter Garth Ennis with works like Preacher, The Authority or Crossed; Eddie Campbell, who will present detectives’ Black Diamond agency; Charlie Adlard, draftsman of The Walking Dead or the German author Reinhard Kleist, who will present a biography in cómic of Fidel Castro. France will be represented by stars of the height of the draftsman Arthur De Pins; Camille Jourdy, rewarded in the edition of 2010 of the Festival of Angulema and the recognized French author Edmond Baudoin. Without forgetting Italian authors as Luisa Zancanella, draftsman of Martin Mystère; Angelo Stano, graphical creator of Dylan Dog and Alfredo Castelli and Giancarlo Alesandrini, creators of Martin Mystère.

More inf@: www.ficomic.com

What do you remember from Christmas in Barcelona?

We will draw a free New Year’s Eve in Barcelona among all voters.

Christmas is always a special time on the year. For one reason or for another, everybody remembers Christmas. Núñez i Navarro Hotels wants to join you on next Christmas, and has started a poll to know what represents Christmas in Barcelona.

How to participate:
First thing you need to do is visit our facebook page, and join us (Like)

Once you are part of our facebook community, you can check the Poll tab, and cast your vote.
And that’s all you need to do. Wining a Free Stay in Barcelona has never been so easy.

Xmas street lighting.
With beautiful old buildings, narrow streets and numerous plazas, Barcelona is a great backdrop for Christmas light displays. Central streets and commercial areas such as Plaça Catalunya, Portal de l’Àngel and Passeig de Gràcia have large and beautiful displays, while small streets have traditional settings usually maintained by neighbours and shops.

Traditional market Santa Llúcia.
Fira de Santa Llúcia is not only a traditional market in front of the Cathedral, but one of the oldest and most firmly rooted Christmas traditions of Barcelona. First written evidences date back to 1786, referring to it already as a tradition. In this market, you can mainly find Nativity scenes and all their complements, Christmas greenery such as moss, bayleaves or Christmas Trees.

Caganer and nativity scenes.
In Barcelona, as well as in Spain, France or Italy, traditional Christmas decorations consists of a model of Bethlehem, similar to the Nativity Scenes of the English-speaking world, but encompassing the entire city rather than just the typical manger scene. The caganer is a particular feature of modern Catalan nativity scenes, and accompanying Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Shepherds and company, the caganer is often tucked away in a corner of the model, typically nowhere near the manger scene. The figure is depicted in the act of defecation. The exact origin of the Caganer is lost, but the tradition has existed since the 17th century. Originally, the Caganer was portrayed as a Catalan peasant wearing a traditional hat called a barretina — a red stocking hat with a black band; but nowadays you can easily find other popular characters assuming the caganer position, such as nuns, celebrities, sportsmen, politicians, etc…

The 3 Kings Parade.
All children in Barcelona impatiently wait the evening of January 5th. The visit of the 3 Wise Men, the famous distinguished foreigners who are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. They usually arrive to Barcelona sailing, and are greeted at Port Vell by the City Authorities. After that, the 3 Magi start a long Parade through all the city, accompanied by their large entourage and Royal Carriages, where children can see them and give their wish letters. Those who have been good during all the year, will receive their Christmas presents at night.

Join us on facebook and participate in our poll. The prize consists of:

• 2-nights stay at B-Hotel, on a double room, on December 31st 2010 and January 1st 2011.
• Breakfast included.
• 1 Bottle of Cava.
• The prize can not be used in conjunction with other item or goods.
• The prize can not be exchanged for any other item or goods.
• The prize is personal and non-transferable.
• People under 18 years old can not participate.
• Maximum one vote per person. People voting with more than one profile will be automatically disqualified.

Winner will be randomly chosen among all voters of the poll. Winner will be announced on November 26th 2010.

Everything ready at Gracia

Gràcia’s 2010 Festa Major or annual local festival (14 to 22 August) will be filling the district with concerts, workshops, exhibitions, sporting events and competitions, street parades, fire, giants, food, human towers and much more. There’ll be something for everyone. Prizes will be handed out for the best decorated streets on Tuesday 17 August.

Activities such as free beer tasting, children’s jigsaw-puzzle competition, exhibitions, story telling, gastronomy, courses and workshops for everyone, karaoke and street concerts to suit all tastes in the old town, from Habaneras to pop rock and disco music, as well as Celtic music, jazz, blues and rap, among other things.

Catalan tradition will be present as well, with bonfires, correfocs, traditional dances and parades, passacaglias, giants and human towers.

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