This year’s special circumstances mean people will be taking part in the Festa Major de Gràcia from home on this occasion. The Vila de Gràcia neighbourhood will be celebrating from 15 to 21 August with decorated balconies, as well as online coverage of activities, concerts and the ‘Veu Festera’ cycle of explanatory videos forming the backbone for the festivities. Many activities will be streamed live or broadcast later on the YouTube channel for the Festa Major de Gràcia. The channel offers explanatory videos for people to decorate their balconies with flowers, flies and leaves, and even how to make a line of popping balloons.

Here is a list of the popular culture events which we can see over the coming days. Don’t miss any of them!

Opening speech and start of the festival.

Friday 14 brings the traditional opening speech for the local festival (7 pm), which this year pays homage to healthcare workers. The speech will be given by Xènia Sist, a nurse at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau; Maria Teresa Fabregat, a nurse at the CAP Vila de Gràcia – Cibeles, and Elvira Bisbe, a doctor at the Hospital de l’Esperança. The speech will be broadcast live on YouTube, Ràdio Gràcia and Betevé. The first instalment of the ‘Veu Festera’ will be broadcast at 6.30 pm and will be about the opening speech and the magical night of 14 August. Later, at 9 pm, Josep Fornés will read the Festa Major Poem and at 10 pm there’s a chance to see the documentary ‘Sentir i Guarnir, 200 anys de Festa Major a Gràcia’. These activities will be broadcast with sign language and subtitles.

15 August.

Every year, Gràcia’s festival is based around 15 August, the most important day in the programme. The idea this year is to wake people up and announce the start of the festive day by going out onto balconies to throw lines of popping balloons, which can be prepared by watching this tutorial.

The Veu festera video to be published at 6.30 pm is: ‘La Festa Major de Gràcia és…’, which will be followed at 7 pm with the documentary ‘Els orígens de la Festa Major de Gràcia’, with the collaboration of the Taller d’Història de Gràcia.

The day of Sant Roc.

16 August is also an important day for the neighbourhood. The ‘Sant Roc’ instalment has therefore been programmed for 12 noon, with ‘La Diada Castellera’ to be broadcast at 7 pm, both forming part of the Veu Festera cycle. The third edition of the glosa combat is being organised by the festival commission for Carrer La Perla at 9 pm, while at 11 pm there’s a folk concert with the Orquestrina Trama.

Monday 17 August

The prizes for decorations in streets and squares are normally awarded on this day. Because of this there’s a prize-giving video as part of the Veu Festera cycle. A video with historical content will also be broadcast at 7 pm: ‘Corpus i festes majors’.

Tuesday 18 August. Folk music.

The Centre Artesà Tradicionàrius will be joining in with the virtual festival and organising a series of virtual concerts to complement the ones on 16 August. The day starts with music for all the family at 11 am, courtesy of Marta Garcia de Múxics. At 6 pm there’s family entertainment from Pep López, and at 11 pm there’s a folk concert by the group La Portàtil F.M. The Gràcia percussion group Kabum will also be taking part. At 12.30 pm there’s an instalment of the Veu Festera entitled ‘Els Valors de la Festa Major de Gràcia’.

Wednesday 19 August.

At 12.30 pm there’s an instalment of the Veu Festera entitled ‘El millor record de la Festa Major de Gràcia’ and at 6 pm the local human towers group Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia will be talking about ‘El Pilar Caminat’.

Thursday 20 August.

The instalment of the Veu Festera at 12.30 pm willl be ‘El millor moment de la comissió’. At 6.30 pm the Taller d’Història de Gràcia will be posting a video on ‘Festes alterades’, which will be followed at 7.30 pm by the documentary ‘Gràcia, una festa a l’ADN’. Finally, at 10.30 pm there’s a chance to enjoy a Catalan rumba concert with Son de Gràcia.

The final snap.

As ever, the final day of the Festa Major de Gràcia is on 21 August. Don’t miss ‘El millor moment de la Festa Major de Gràcia’ (12 noon), puppets and stories of the Mediterranean (12.30 pm) and the Veu Festera by the Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, with the video ‘La importància de la Festa Major de Gràcia per la colla’. At 6.30 pm there’s sardana music from the Cobla Jovenívola de Sabadell and the Cobla Jove de Berga, and at 8.30 pm there’s havaneres sung by women, with the group Les Anxovetes. The festival rounds off with another round of balloon popping from people’s balconies.