Grec Festival of Barcelona is the city’s international festival of music, dance, circus and theatre. This event is now a major part of the city’s summer attractions.

Grec Festival of Barcelona takes its name from its main venue: a modern open air theatre (the Grec Theatre) built on Montjuic.

“Modern” because it was built in 1929. It was designed by a Catalan architect in the manner of classical Greek theatre as part of the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition. For years, the theatre had been largely abandoned but the first Grec Festival gave it a new life.

At first, the Grec was the only venue used for festival productions, but today, the festival makes use of a number of locations all across Barcelona.

The festival aims to stage the most outstanding works by Catalan artists and companies and to present other interesting shows from Spain and the rest of the world.

First time at the Grec Festival of Barcelona 2022

I had never really paid much attention to this annual event until my visiting friend suggested seeing a show. “Let’s go to the Grec!” Why not?

She picked one concert, and we met in front of the entrance. The ticket price is a little high (30 euros) compared to most cultural events I have attended in the city, but if the artist is good, it is OK for me.

We first saw the beautiful gardens of the theatre with their trees, bushes, plants and flowers. On such a lovely summer night, the lights added to the setting gave it a romantic appearance. A bar was available for those who wanted drinks. The theatre itself was astonishing.

We sat down and awaited the start of the concert. This year’s lineup featured a wide range of genres, including Dutch dancing, German theatre, British music, Portuguese fado, Catalan singer-songwriters, the world of Fellini, and French chanson.

Our event fell into the category of “Catalan singer-songwriters”. We were to see Jaume Sisa. I had no idea of who that artist was and chose not to look him up beforehand so I could enjoy the surprise that evening.

I like Catalan singer-songwriter Jaume Sisa

The concert will feature a series of guests who will perform songs from Jaume Sisa’s latest album, Malalts del Cel, which has never been performed live.

On stage, different generations of artists succeeded one another. I don’t understand much because it is in Catalan, as expected, but I like the songs, their melodies and the energy of the performance.

The lady sitting next to me occasionally glances at me, and I wonder why. Towards the end of the concert, she asked me if I knew what the concert was about. I replied, “Not really”. “It is about the songs of a famous Catalan singer-composer, Jaume Sisa.”

On the last song, she said, “The lyrics are funny and completely surreal.” “We should do the first communion on the balcony dressed up as horses.” Aaah… That is funny indeed. I like him even more.

For some reason, I thought he was not alive anymore (well, I did not look him up). “No, that is him, in the pink shirt!” she exclaimed. My bad.

I applaud his talent. I am not the only one. Everyone is giving him a rousing standing ovation.

A great summer evening at Grec Festival of Barcelona

I had a wonderful evening! I was happy to discover both the Grec theatre and Jaume Sisa. My friend was also enchanted. She has had the most amazing time in Barcelona with our cultural adventures. She is going home, but I will surely come back to the Grec Festival of Barcelona in the future.

Until then, the Grec Festival of Barcelona 2022 is still on and ends on August 6th.

Website: Festival Grec 2022 | (barcelona.cat)