Presentation

The Grec Festival is an international celebration of music, dance, circus arts and theatre that dates back to 1976. The festival has a long tradition and is one of Barcelona's main cultural events. As well as being one of the city's main summer attractions, it is one of the leading events in the European performing arts scene.

Just as it is now part of the city's recent history and has fully connected with its artistic life, the festival has already become part of Barcelona's urban landscape.

Its main venue is the Teatre Grec, an open-air theatre built in 1929 on an old quarry in the style of the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. The Teatre Grec theatre, where the festival was first held, has lent its name to it, although the Barcelona Grec Festival is now split among a wide selection of theatres, cultural facilities and public places in the city.

The Grec Festival's summer public events kick off after Sant Joan (24 June) and do not stop until late July.

It boasts a large and varied programme split into various sections:

Grec Festival

This is the main part of the programme and includes national and international shows held over a few days. Tickets are sold directly as part of the festival and are in line with its main theme. Some of its shows are co-productions in which the festival organisers become particularly involved by offering support to creators. Events in this part of the festival are usually – although not always – also held in public facilities in Montjuïc, very near the Teatre Grec. As well as acting as a kind of main square or epicentre of the festival, the nearby Plaça de Margarida Xirgu is also home to some of the festival's family shows and free performances.

Grec Ciutat

During the festival, many of the city's theatres hold shows that are usually on for longer runs. The festival establishes partnerships with companies and theatres that are responsible for selling their own tickets for this part of the festival. Grec Ciutat sometimes includes specific projects, such as those developed in partnership with Barcelona's local theatres or those involving the city's museums and heritage centres.

Audience events

The aim of these events is to actively involve the audience and help them develop a critical mind. These are some of the aims of the events in which the audience takes an active part, which range from presentations and talks to after-show discussions and book clubs. Activities are held all over the city, and Biblioteques de Barcelona is one of the parties involved in their organisation. The events, which seek to attract people who do not usually attend performance art shows, are free to attend.