This year’s Grec began on 29 June and ended up selling 16% more tickets than the previous year (when capacity was limited), with a total of 114,316 spectators.

By sections, Grec Montjuïc attracted 48,548 people, with an average 80% of seating occupied, while Grec Ciutat attracted 59,331 spectators, occupying an average 61% of seating. The latter saw attendance snowball, with figures steadily rising and, in some cases, leading to extra sessions being programmed.

Finally, parallel activities attracted 6,437 participants. This part of the programme involved many bodies in the city and is regarded as one of the key factors for the festival’s success and the way it cuts through various spheres in the city.

By geographical origin, 80% of spectators came from Barcelona and the metropolitan area. In all, there were eight sell-out shows in this edition, with all tickets sold for 28 sessions.

Younger audiences

The discount policy acted as an incentive for this edition, with figures showing a significant increase in young spectators.

The most common discount method continues to be the library membership card (30% of tickets with discounts). In contrast, the second and third most common methods switched places compared to recent years, the second most used discount being for the under-30s (13%) and the third being for the over-65s (10%).

Discovery of international artists and backing for local talent

The Grec 2022 was based around four artistic areas: promoting creativity, promoting local talent, looking towards Europe to understand our background and regaining the classics to imagine the future.

Audiences were very receptive to an ambitious range of artistic themes, the focus being on discovering outstanding artists on the international scene and backing local talent.

Also well received were the productions associated with the Barcelona Crea grants and the work to promote theatre writing with the co-production of works by authors such as Marta Buchaca and Llàtzer Garcia.

A Grec like before

The idea was for a contained programme, with fewer days and a reduction in the number of productions, particularly concerts, given the high number of music festivals in the city.

Even so, the festival regained the sensation of the pre-pandemic event with ambitious high-quality productions, grand international shows and an outstanding line-up of local artists, filling the city’s summer nights with excitement.

In addition, the return of the faun and the vision of the classics made for a recognisable Grec with its own identity, attracting veterans and new young spectators alike.