The new cultural project for El Molino will see the premises become a space for all musical styles, placing the emphasis on popular forms of music and particularly singer-songwriter creations, jazz, flamenco and folk, combining traditional styles with more urban beats or Catalan rumba. The goal is for the venue, which must also include a gastronomy option, to operate as a centre supporting the city’s music and creation ecosystem and as a showcase for artists.

The four-year concession will have to adopt a management model offering alternative uses so that optimum use is made of the premises during all its opening hours. The space will have to network with the rest of the city’s musical and cultural spaces (such as venues, art factories and programmes such as Barcelona Districte Cultural), as well as direct links with city festivals and programmes such as Barnasants, the International Jazz festival, Ciutat Flamenco, El Dorado, the Blues Festival and others. Finally, the venue must also liaise with other venues in Av. Paral·lel, such as Paral·lel 62, the Sala Apolo and the Centre Cultural Albareda, to have its own coherent narrative, complementing the other facilities.

Check out the competition rules for the El Molino concession here.

A facility with lots of history

El Molino started life in 1898 as the Pajarera Catalana, a name which would change in 1910 to the Petit Moulin Rouge, and after the Spanish Civil War, under a dictatorship which only accepted names in Spanish, to El Molino.

Artists that have brought the venue to life range from Bella Dorita to the likes of Merche Mar, Lita Claver, La Maña, Escamillo and Susana Egea, legendary figures who starred in shows where music, close-up theatre, magic and naughtiness took centre stage.

The City Council acquired the legendary venue in C/ Vila i Vilà for 6.2 million euros in July 2021, after the business had suffered serious financial difficulties and had to be put on sale.