Joe Crepúsculo, Mishima, Clara Peya... These are just a few of the great musicians you will find this year at Castell de Montjuïc, which has become a kind of holiday home for small concert halls, which have come together to stretch out and have programmed a series of concerts produced by the Institut de Cultura de Barcelona and the Associació de Sales de Concerts de Catalunya (Association of Concert Halls of Catalonia). From 1 August to 30 September, they have prepared six nights of music under the stars.

Sala Barcelona was born as a way to give oxygen to the clubs and venues that programmed live music in the city, whose communities had been greatly affected by the pandemic. The result of the experience was so good that it has continued to be repeated. This year is the fifth edition, always offering Barcelona residents and visitors a high quality programme in a period, between the first half of August and the second half of September, when there are few open spaces and, therefore, fewer concerts in the city.

This year, Sala Barcelona is once again faithful to its appointment with the Barcelona public, programmed by the same people who have been programming small venues that form part of the Associació de Sales de Concert de Catalunya, including the small concert halls of the city from ASACC: Sala Freedonia, Meteoro, Sala Taro and Sidecar currently under a transformation process.

If you’ve been to any of these venues, you’ll know that this is where a lot of inquisitiveness and musical criteria are formed in the city, which is why the programme they have prepared is so musically savvy. It all starts on Sunday, 1 August with Clara Peya, in the middle of her Corsé Tour, offering one of those concerts that are an experience, both magical and energetic at the same time. Buy tickets (tickets are sure to sell out) for this and the other concerts that are part of the cycle. On 9 August, you’ll have a legend of indie, electronic and alternative music, Joe Crepúsculo, who has been celebrating the tenth anniversary of Mi fábrica de baile, a song that is sure to get people’s ears ringing.

Soul, hip-hop and a few other rhythms are found, combined and well mixed, in the songs of the Ketekalles (23 August), four women who have been demanding the presence of women (the more the better) on stage since 2016. The electronic music group VVV [TRIPPIN’YOU] and one of the great representatives of the Catalan punk scene, les Tetas Frías, will be on stage at the Pati d’Armes del Castell on 30 August.

The first days of September are, usually, a pitiful prolongation of August, if not for the absolute lack of good music. That’s why a crowd of music lovers is expected to ascend to Montjuïc Castle on 5 September, when one of the most admired groups, Mishima, will be the star of the show.

Finally, on 13 September, the Orchestral Soul Society will be holding a Soul Party as the start of the cycle, promoted by Lalo López (of the Tony Manero Foundation) and featuring some of the most valuable musicians and artists on the Barcelona soul and black music scene.

If you want to know where the city’s small live music venues spend their holidays, come and visit them at Castell de Montjuïc. But first, check out all the information on the Sala Barcelona website and buy your tickets before they sell out.