WeBarcelona Newsletter

Bill Brandt - Paul StrandThe MAPFRE Foundation in Barcelona is on the move: it leaves what had been its headquarters for four years (Casa Garriga Nogués) and opens a new cultural exhibition center dedicated exclusively to photography. This new showroom is located in the Vela building in the Mapfre Tower and has been named KBr Fundación MAPFRE - Barcelona Photo Center. KBr Fundación MAPFRE begins its journey by organizing a double exhibition with two of the masters of 20th century photography: Bill Brandt and Paul Strand.

Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz FestivalThe 52nd edition of the Barcelona Jazz Festival arrives in Barcelona in the centenary year of Charlie Parker overcoming many difficulties. The festival will be inaugurated on October 24 at the Palau de la Música by the famous French soprano Natalie Dessay, who together with the group of double bass player Pierre Boussaguet will offer a recital dedicated to the music of the composer Michel Legrand. The Gold Medal will go to Brad Mehldau this year, who will perform alone and who admits feeling very moved by this recognition of the festival. In this year's edition, women will be the protagonists, it will be a year of celebrations and farewells, the Conservatori del Liceu will continue with the unique project in the world of master classes, and three new venues will be added to the festival.

MIRA.mov: Exploring Visual LanguagesThe Ideal Digital Arts Center, the first center in southern Europe dedicated to the production and exhibition of digital arts, offers us a monthly cycle of immersive screenings that aims to create a new creative circuit of new digital trends. In it you will see the works of emerging and established artists who work with moving images conceived through techniques such as CGI (computer-generated image), audiovisual immersion, video game engines or 3D digital animation.

Sitges International Film FestivalThis year's edition of the Sitges Festival will take place in a hybrid format: between face-to-face and virtual. The festival will open its 53rd edition on October 8 with "Malnazidos", a zombie action film directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera and Alberto de Toro set in the Spanish Civil War. This year's poster pays tribute to the first great fantasy genre film in the history of cinema: "Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari" (Dr. Caligari's Cabinet), which celebrates its 100th anniversary, and has influenced many filmmakers of the genre. The Grand Honorary Prize of the Sitges Festival will be received this year by David Lynch in recognition of an inimitable personality in the history of cinema.

La Mercè - Barcelona's FestivalThis year 2020 edition of La Mercè will not be, as expected, like previous editions. The activities and events will be held during the day (from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.), there will be no mass events and, to participate in the events, you will have to register. Neither will activities as classic of the Fiesta as the correfoc or the castellers be held, but, on the other hand, La Mercè will be much more present in the program of betevé (official media of the party), and will extend to more points of the city, for so, close to home, you can enjoy dance, music, circus, popular culture or theater proposals on the street. Yes, it will be held, but not to be seen from the street. This year they have designed a pyromusical so that it can be seen from the buildings (balconies, windows and roofs). Maybe not from all the buildings, but from almost all of them. For this, the fireworks will be launched from four districts (Sants-Montjuïc, Nou Barris, Les Corts and Sant Martí) and will rise higher and be more powerful.

Boat trip along the coast of BarcelonaOne of the attractions of Barcelona is its coastline and with this experience you can enjoy it to the fullest. You will enjoy the sea sailing on a luxury sailboat and you will contemplate impressive views of one of the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean. And if the temperature allows it, you can dive into the sea. During the route they will offer you drinks (water, soft drinks, beer and cava) and snacks.

Festival of Gràcia (Festa Major de Gràcia) | ProgramThis year the Gràcia Festival will be held virtually and the organizers have made a great effort to transmit all its essence to the digital world. The usual dates are kept and the proclamation will be read the day before, on August 14, at the Gràcia district headquarters, but behind closed doors (it can be seen live on the Gràcia Festival YouTube channel). In this virtual edition you will be able to see concerts of all musical genres, traditional performances, circus shows, shows for babies and children, documentaries and some history of the Festival. The decorations of this atypical edition will be made in a symbolic way: the neighbors will decorate the ceilings and balconies, but nothing on the streets. You can visit the streets that display ornaments through the FM Gràcia 360º app, whose QR code can be found here.

Dinner with stars at the Fabra observatoryLet's call it (g)astronomical event. The definition: event in which astronomy is combined with gastronomy. That's what it's about "Visit to the Fabra observatory and dinner with stars", but not only that, because the Fabra Observatory, where this unique experience takes place, offers breathtaking views of Barcelona. You will look up, towards the stars, putting your eye on the telescope, but you will also look down, without a telescope. The illuminated city, complete, fascinating, because the terrace of the Fabra Observatory is 360º and the observatory is in the Tibidado mountain, at 415 meters above sea level.

Berto Romero - Mucha TonteríaAfter having sold out almost all the tickets during January 2018, now, in the complicated 2020, the Catalan comedian returns to the BARTS Room to make us laugh (what do we need) with his "Much Nonsense", a statement of intent and a tour for his work on the stage for the last 20 years, presented in the form of stand-up monologue.

Sala MontjuïcIn this year's edition, number 18, Sala Montjuïc will be held in a more intimate atmosphere than in previous years, as it will reduce its capacity below 50%. At the Montjuïc Castle everything will be prepared to guarantee the health security of the spectators and the best visual and sound experience. "Parasite", the winning film, among other awards, the Oscar and the Palme d'Or, will open this year's edition, and viewers will also be able to enjoy hits such as "Joker", "Little Women", "North by northwest", "Grounddog day" or "Once upon a time in ... Hollywood" by Tarantino. In the author's cinema, Céline Sciamma's film "Portrait of a woman on fire" and "Els dies que vindran", by the Catalan Carlos Marques, stand out. The screen of this summer cycle will also project Latin American successes of the last decades, within the framework of the Grec nights. At the closing, as always, a surprise movie.