Festival « Greek » in Barcelona – Festival Grec de Barcelona, also known as the Barcelona Festival, or simply El Grec – is the largest festival in Barcelona and one of the most significant cultural events in Spain. This is a traditional festival of contemporary art – the famous summer festival of theater, music and dance. It takes place annually in the summer and lasts a month or a little more.
The history of the festival dates back to the 1970s, when a small group of actors, artists and writers decided to hold several theater performances at the « Greek Theater » ( Grec Theater ), located on the picturesque Montjuic mountain in the vicinity of Barcelona and designed in the style of ancient Greek amphitheaters. Prior to this, the theater was practically not used, but over the next decades it regained its cultural significance and today is the center of the festival.
El Grec was first held here in 1976, and its program was mainly dramatic works. Initially, the main goal of the festival was to attract new, modern forms of theater and art to Barcelona. And every year it grew – the festival program expanded, the number of concert venues and the number of artists, both local and foreign, increased.
Today, the festival program covers many genres, including music concerts, circus shows, theater and dance productions, original audiovisual events, performances and any original genres. The exciting show awaits both fans of innovative methods and lovers of traditional forms of art.
The festival traditionally attracts a large number of international celebrities – famous actors, dancers and musicians to Barcelona in the summer. In different years, such great masters of the international scene as Calixto Bieito, Peter Brooke, Romeo Castelluchi, Sesk Helbert, Javier Rudd, Hiroaki Umed, Mikhail Baryshnikov and others took part here.
The festival « Greek » takes place on various venues of the city. Traditionally, participants are hosted by such famous scenes of Barcelona as the Grek Theater ( Teatro Grec ), Montjuic, the Miro Foundation gallery and other concert venues. And to make the festival more accessible to viewers, its program always includes a set of free show programs, including open-air programs.
Of course, all participants and spectators of the festival can enjoy walks in the capital of Catalonia – one of the most beautiful and oldest European cities, and try traditional Spanish cuisine in numerous summer cafes and restaurants.