The streets of Gràcia are almost already decorated, the stages are set up and everyone is ready to welcome the Gràcia Festival 2024, which will be held from August 15th to 21stalthough with last-minute changes, this year will be a different festivities. As every year, thousands of people will come to the neighborhood to walk through the decorated streets and enjoy the festive atmosphere and live music concerts, and to get there, a large majority will use public transport. To avoid crowds and ensure that everyone gets to their destination, the City Council has announced that The Barcelona metro will operate for 67 hours without interruption.
The service will operate continuously from 5 a.m. on Friday, August 16, until 12 p.m. on the 18ththat is, until the end of the Sunday service. In addition, TMB has announced that will reinforce lines L3 and L5 with more staff for care, security, cleaning and maintenance, as these are the busiest during the holidays due to their proximity to the areas where various activities are scheduled. Following the summer cuts due to improvement works affecting various sections of the metro network, TMB has also suggested that users of lines L2, L4, L5 and L10 Nord plan their journeys and consider other alternatives.
Photo: Eugenia Güell
The stops closest to the areas where most of the activities will take place are: Lesseps, Fontana and Diagonal (L3), Joanic and Verdaguer (L4), and Diagonal and Verdaguer (L5). Although it is recommended to use the metro to get to the festivities, There will also be a bus service available to Gràcia every day.The regular bus lines that will be operating are: D40, D50, H6, H8, H10, V15, V17, V19, 6, 7, 19, 22, 24, 27, 33, 34, 39, 47, 114 and 116.
New features at this year’s festivities
The Gràcia festivities are one of the most popular and massive in the city and, although there will be no shortage of decorated streets, concerts and activities for the whole family, this year’s edition presents some changes. One of the most surprising was the announcement of the ‘quiet night’ included in the programme, an initiative that will make No concerts or activities with music or amplified sound will be held on the night of August 18. The aim of the quiet night is to ensure that the neighbourhood can rest and improve the coexistence with visitors, as well as to reduce the number of people in that time. With the same aim, the traditional award ceremony for decorated streets will not be held on 17 August, as usual, but on Monday 19 August.
One of the most significant changes to the program is the suspension of all activities involving fire teams. The City Council has not authorized the permits for the discrepancies between the Coordinator of Cultural Groups of Gràcia, the groups that form part of it and the Colla Vella de Gràcia, and for the moment they have not managed to reach any agreement.
