Barcelona's Greek Theatre

I've spoken many times about the great Grec festival which happens each summer, and the actual space of the festival - Barcelona's own Greek amphitheatre  - is a diverse space used for the Jazz festival, live music, dance and puppetry as well as just normal theatre. And we're not just talking Greek Comedy or Tragedy, here, the variety of different genres who have stepped onto that stone stage are as equal as the variety of flowers and plants in the surrounding gardens.

It's also just a really nice place to just go and have a look around, and outside of the festival dates, it's an open park with free entrance at the foot of Montjuic. These photos were actually taken in August, hence the amazing blue skies and vivid colours of the vegetation, but they're just from my phone with no filters, etc. so you can't really appreciate it unless you go!

The theatre itself is at the back, and represents perfectly a typical Greek amphitheatre. It was built  - like nearby Poble Español and the fountains of Montjuic - for the 1929 International Exhibition of Barcelona, and can house 1900 spectators.

The metal structure you can see on the left of the photo is for hanging lights/spotlights for night-time performances.

The acoustics  - made by the shape of the seats and the depth of the stage, means that amplification of voices and sound are at the maximum.

The grounds around the theatre itself are peaceful and well attended by the city gardeners. You can find many little corners in the 460m2 to sit and read a book, or just take in the nature around you.

Inside of the white house in the above picture. It's a great place for taking panoramic pictures from the views that are surrounding the park, and the actual theatre itself.

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Grec Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

This weekend sees the start of a different kind of festival to the music ones happening already and is focussed around the Greek Theatre up on Montjüic. And this one goes on a lot longer, too - from 17th June to the 31st July you can enjoy a variety of shows at the Festival Grec. The festival actually spans many different forms of entertainment including dance, theatre music and art and uses various spaces around the city, but there's something special about the Greek Theatre.



I studied Greek Theatre at University and also many of the classic Greek plays, so maybe the affinity lies there, but for me there's a draw to that hidden corner of Montjüic in the open air which was built for the Open Exhibition of 1929 just like its neighbour Poble Espanyol.

The festival is celebrating its 35th year in 2011, and showcases both local and International acts (also partners with other companies from abroad and tends to have a theme each year from each "guest"). This year sees such diversity as Jazz orchestras, breakdancing nights, Tango beats and tragedy plays all on that same stage. It's impossible for me to gloss over the entire programme so for full listings, please see the official site here.

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Grec 2010

In case you've been hiding under a rock, there's a pretty snazzy festival about half way through up on Montjüic which centres around the Greek Theatre. With an amazing programme of events, this year Japan is the guest of honour. Theatre, Music, Dance and Opera all play a major role in the proceedings, with family-orientated shows meaning everyone can join in.



Like most festivals that happen in the city, other venues join in to spread the performances around the city, with the CCCB, Sala Beckett, Club Capitol and Mercat de Les Flores amongst many other venues hosting events. For a full list of events and calendar, see the official Grec Site here.

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Open Air Theatre in Barcelona - Grec 2009

This week sees the start of a culture boom with Music, Theatre and Dance all having pride of place in Barcelona. First up, it's the Festival called Grec which is based roughly around the Greek Theatre located up on Montjüic but in fact includes over 20 locations around the city, and spans a whopping 44 days, starting on Saturday and running all through July ending on the 2nd August.

The festival is heavily promoted in the city, and aimed as much at the locals as the visiting tourists. A varied Music, Dance, Circus and Theatre program of over 60 live performances means that this year's festival looks set to enjoy great success - the opening night is already sold out.

Variations on Classic Greek Theatre, Shakespeare and the modern comedy aspects see artists from all over the world participate in this year's Grec - with Italy being the "invited" country and the programme has a heavily Italian presence. The council announced that there would be more tickets at a cheaper price, making the performances more accessible for everyone.

For a full programme list, see here. Are you planning on going to any of the shows? Which ones are catching your eye? I'd love to hear from you, so leave a comment if you like.

Looking for accommodation for the summer? Check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona, as a great base for your stay. And for more information on visiting the city, see this Barcelona Guide.