Festa Major Raval 2011

We're 2 days into the Festa Major of my own neighbourhood, 08001, el Raval. I've lived ion many different places in my 11 years here, and now I'm in the Raval, I doubt I'll ever leave - I love it. I hate the reputation it has on certain places on the net and different guide books, and while I'll be the first to admit it still is a bit rough in parts, it's the best place to live for me.

So what more excuse to come and ravalejar this weekend than to join in the fun with the local festival. Dance, chocolatadas, open air cinema, exotic foods with dinner on the streets, and of course, typical traditional customs like castellers, gegants and drummers round the streets.

It might sound exactly the same as some of the other local festivals that occur year round in each little neighbourhood but for me, it's the whole multi-cultural aspect of the place that you just can't get anywhere else. Every age is catered for, and activities go on all day with literally something for everyone. Some of the evening concerts worth a look in: tonight there's an Elvis tribute band playing in Nou de la Rambla/Ramblas which I can only imagine to be hilarious, and an Intercultural Folklore dance night on Saturday with South American groups showing their national colours and moves followed by a dance until the wee hours. I went to the Parallel festival at carnaval last year, and those guys were awesome!

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Sala Montjuïc Returns

For those of you who've been following a while, you'll know I always like to plug the annual events that I think are well worth the mention. Many people find my blog from many different sources, and the very way a blog is set up (chronologically) means that it's good to refresh the evergreen content. So here goes with another one...


Sala Montjuïc has been running for a couple of weeks now, and is a great way to spend a summer evening watching some quality cinema under the stars. Movies are projected onto the walls of Montjuïc castle and spectators sit in the gardens to watch. Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 22:00 there is a short film first (15 minutes) and then a mix of classic cinema and relatively new releases. For a full review of the programme, check the official link above, and then as usual, there is a vote for the final film - this year between Inception, The Dark Knight and Insomnia.



Entrance is only 5 Euros, and you can hire a deck chair for 3 Euros, or take along your blanket and picnic basket instead. In times of crisis, this is a cheap night out!

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