48Hours Open House Barcelona

48H Open House BCN will take place on 22-23 October in 2011, following the success of the inaugural event in 2010 – and being the first Mediterranean city to adopt the initiative. Hotels, palaces, apartments, churches and all sorts of other buildings will be open to the public this weekend as part of the 48h Open House Barcelona architecture festival. Architects and experts will be offering tours of 160 buildings all over the city.

The 48H Open House Barcelona activities program is built around the broad network of buildings that will open their doors to the public. The event is set within the ten Barcelona boroughs (Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Gràcia, Horta‐Guinardó, Les Corts, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu, Sant Martí, Sants‐Montjuïc and Sarrià‐Sant Gervasi). Architects are on site within many of the buildings, the event also includes special activities and conferences. Completely free and designed to enhance participation and encourage dialogue between all.

The event aims to encourage locals to appreciate the value of good architecture and urbanism, opening over 150 great buildings of different styles, forms and sizes to the public.

Plus, Open House, a free festival, is also running a range of activities, including routes, competitions and dance and architecture workshops.

La Mercè festivities 2011

La Mercè festivities (from 22 to 25 September), they will once again be offering a broad, varied programme featuring traditional activities, spectacles, shows and plenty of entertainment.

The Correfoc (fire run) is premiering a new Porta de l’Infern (Hell’s Gate), which will extend across Via Laietana, until it becomes a hell’s wall, to quote Xavier Cordomí, the artistic director of Tradicional.

Dance companies and contemporary dancers will be performing at Ciutadella park to the chimes of a travelling carillon, a very unusual instrument hailing from the city of Douai. What’s more, the Mercè Dansa display will once again be taking over the stage opposite the Cathedral.

The La Mercé parade is expected to be the largest ever, with participants joining in from all over Catalonia.

Ciutadella park is one of the main settings of La Mercè. During the day it becomes a Dance and Street-Theatre Park and during the night, the Lights Park, with shows making use of new technologies.

These two approaches meet in El Llac dels Cignes (Swan Lake), one of the star shows of the La Mercè, combining dance with spectacular screenings at the park’s fountain, among other surprises. This is a local production featuring over a hundred dancers, whose main figures come from the Mariinsky Theatre of St Petersburg, the guest city at this year’s La Mercè.

The music programme’s details are not yet out but most of the groups taking part have already been announced, with the venue being shared between BAM and Mercè Música.

Antònia Font, Javiera Mena, Mazoni, Els Pets, El Columpio Asesino, Fangoria, Antonio Carmona, Anímic, Astrud & Col·lectiu Brossa and Gràcia Power are just some of the groups who’ll be playing at the La Mercè festival.

As for the Pyromusical, which will conclude the festivities once again, this year tribute will be paid to the four Puig i Cadafalch columns.

Barcelona Harley Days 2011

The Montjuïc Trade Fair Centre is going to play host to the 3rd Barcelona Harley Days, this huge gathering of motorbike fans, which includes parades, exhibitions, shopping areas, concerts etc., a whole host of free activities for bikers and enthusiasts of all ages, from 8 to 10 July.

This year’s Harley Days will have some major new features aimed above all at the less experienced bikers and the very young. Children who visit the centre, for example, will be able to do some balloon twisting, crafts and make-up workshops. They will also be able to put together a circuit for bicycles to promote road-safety education.

As for those who can’t ride a Harley, they can treat themselves to the Harley-Davidson Jumpstart, a motorbike that lets you enjoy the experience of driving a Harley without actually moving, making its first appearance in Spain.

This edition will see a bigger participation by international brands, such as Dream Machine, Custom Chrome, Motorcycle Storehouse and W&W Cycles.

There will be no shortage of music at this get-together either, with the first country festival and an amateur music.

One of the Harley Days’ highlights is back as well: the big flag parade through Barcelona’s streets, on Sunday 10 July, with 10.000 bikers are expected to join in. The 13-km route will be headed by a group of Harley-Davidson bikes ridden by big names and authorities, and which is open to bikes of other brands.

NN Hotels suggests all the bikers, the B-Hotel of Barcelona located in plaza Espanya in front of the Barcelona Harley Days area.

Barnatresc: Walks of Barcelona

Winter is ending and spring is about to be sprung. Thanks to the arrival of good weather, during this season it’s much easier to feel like going out and doing activities in the great outdoors.

This makes it an ideal occasion to make the most of the free activities, open to all, organised by the urban hiking group Barnatresc, with the exercise offering benefits for your health.

Indeed, hiking is a great way to improve people’s health and foster sporting spirit and culture, since walking is the most natural activity for the human body and is one that is highly accessible for people of all ages.

Plus, whilst it can be enjoyed in its traditional setting, in the heart of nature, in its urban form it is ideal for people who have neither the time nor the means to go walking far from the city.

The next urban hikes on the calendar are the Olympic Route, on 20 April, the walk from the River Besòs to the River Llobregat, on 17 April, and the Gràcia walk, on 15 May.

Free activities in Barcelona during summer!

Whatever you’re into, you can enjoy summer to the full in Barcelona! Even if you’re on a budget, there are many free activities this August.

Outdoor cinema buffs can head to the CCCB in the Raval for the annual “Gandules” cycle, which this year complements the contemporary culture centre’s intriguing exhibition on labyrinths.

Films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville or David Lynch’s Lost Highway are screened from Tuesday to Thursday at 10pm. Get there early to grab a sandwich and a seat.

For the ideal combination of art and air conditioning, check out one of the many free exhibition centres in town. They include the Caja Madrid Espai Cultural in Plaça Catalunya, Gaudi’s Pedrera, and Palau Robert on Passeig de Gràcia, which takes you on a tour of the Mediterranean. Caixa Forum on Montjuic explores the work of internationally renowned Majorcan artist Miquel Barceló.

What’s more, other museums and galleries waive their entry charge on Sunday afternoons, including the Picasso and the nearby Design museums in the Born, or the CCCB and the Virreina photography space in the centre.

For those that prefer to be outdoors, the many lovely parks in the city offer a shady haven from the heat, and a very special experience at night, set the scene for free concerts in classical music, jazz and sarsuela.

And if you’re in party spirits don’t miss the lively and colourful street celebrations in Gràcia, in the third week of August, and Sants in the last week, with their extravagant street decorations and live bands in the evenings.