CALENDAR

January Picasso and the Circus. Barcelona, 16.11.06 - 18.02.2007  Picasso’s associations with the circus were a common thread throughout his life.At the end of the 19th century he used to visit the travelling circuses that came to Barcelona. At the end of the year 1904 and the beginning of 1905, the circus starts to be an important reference in his work and gets the very centre of the artist’s compositions. The figure of the harlequin, whose genesis can be found in the blue period, was to become the artist’s alter ego and the true protagonist of his rose period. Joan Miró 1960 – 1980. Feeling, emotion, gesture. Barcelona, 24.11.06 - 25.02.2007  The exposition displays an interesting overview of Miró’s painting from the 1960s to the 1980s, a period that has not received the attention it deserves: During this period, his works were of two distinct types: subtle, delicate paintings, contrasting with others of a more violent, aggressive nature in which black is the dominant color. The Year of Rusiñol. Sitges, until june 13st 2007 The Sitges Town Council aims to commemorate the seventy fifth anniversary of the artist’s death by organizing an ambicious cultural project. The event enfocusses on the figure of the artist and driving force behind the Modernist Fiestas that turned Sitges into a symbol of art, culture and inevitable reference in Catalonia and Spain during the final years of the XIX until the beginning of the XX century. Celebrating diverse activities such as conferences, symposiums, itineraries, book editions and, above all, recovering and improving the town’s architectural and cultural heritage, Sitges wishes to symbolically revive the spirit of the Modernist Movement and promote the image of the city that Santiago Rusiñol helped to create. An image that is inseparable from art and culture, civic-mindness, modernity and Europeanism. Great Masters of European Painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NewYork.Until 04.03.2007 For the very first time, Barcelona will have the opportunity to see some 40 works from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibition spans the 16th to the late 19th centuries and encompasses the most outstanding periods of the history of European art, featuring works by such important artists as El Greco, Van Dyck, Goya, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne.  February Xatonada Popular. El Vendrell,04.02.2007  The first Sunday of February a colorful gastronomic festivity is held at this village: The “Xatonada Popular”, an event that offers the oportunity to taste this delicious dish, composed by endive, “romesco” sauce and codfish.The Mediterranean Gastronomy is praised by the two typical especialities of the region: The “Xató” and the “Coca Enramada”. But also by the characteristic dessert, the “Bufats”, and the excellent wines and champagnes of D.O. Penedès can be considered as important protagonists of this special day. Festivity of the Carriers.Balsareny, 10. – 11.02.2007 The festival of the “Traginers” is well well known all over Catalonia and has been declared Festivity of Turistic Interest in 1970 and Traditional Festivity of National Interest at Catalonia in 1999. This popular event is yearly celebrated in honour of the carriers, historical character of great importance in past times, that did not only transport all sorts of goods from one place to the other, but also reinforced the relationship between small and often isolated villages, tradesman and inhabitants of the region in general terms. Carnival. Sitges, 15. – 21.02.2007 For over 100 years, Sitges has been celebrating one of its most outstanding festivities: the Carnival. The event starts on Fatty Thursday, with the King Carnestoltes’ spectacular arrival and lasts until the late afternoon on Ash Wednesday. Traditional dances and "Xatonades" (traditional local salad served with assorted omelettes) are characteristic carnival elements, but the two most important moments are the Debauchery Parade, on Sunday night and the Extermination Parade, on Tuesday night. Some forty-odd floats with more than 2.000 participants leave a jam-packed Sitges completely breathless. Forum of Gastronomy.Girona, 17. – 21.02.2007  Although this innovative meeting has been celebrated up to now at the city of Vic, the present edition will be organized at Girona, with the aim to expand the event. Once again, the most recognized chefs from Spain and all over the world- of course accompanied by young talents- will participate in this unique event, composed by conferences, symposia and of course the presentation of new culinary proposals and ideas.  March Besalú, Jewish Town. Besalú, 02. - 04.03.2007 The medieval village of Besalú proposes a weekend dedicated to the important Jewish comunity that inhabited the village centuries ago, organizing trade markets, street shows, guided tours, concerts, exhibitions, conferences and culinary presentations. Barcelona Degusta. Barcelona, 02. - 05.03.2007  Barcelona Degusta, the Alimentaria Exhibitions food show devoted to the purchase and enjoyment of quality foods, will take place in March in alternate years. The exhibition will be divided into of a variety of tasting and demonstration areas spread throughout the exhibition hall, the ultimate aim of which is to bring new product launches in the food and beverages industry to the general public. And so, for example, the Mercado section will allow producers to present, promote, give samples of and sell their products directly to the consumer. The Ambigús areas will be places to savour a range of gastronomic treats, while the Aulas will feature top-notch classes in which the very best specialists will give talks, tasting sessions with discussions, or practical demonstrations. International Vintage Car Rally. Sitges, 04.03.2007 The year 1959, the Barcelona-Sitges International Vintage Car Rally was born, a concentration of privately owned vehicles manufactured before 1900 and up to 1924. It´s quite interesting to know, that during the competition, which has been classified as of ”Touristic Interest”, winners are not just the fastest, but also the ones disposing of the most original automobiles and also the ones who dress best in accordance with the style of the car they are participating with. Passion of Esparreguera. Esparreguera, sundays march & abril 2007 The Passion of Esparreguera, a theatre performance that counts on a great dramatical and technical complexity, aims to transmit to the audience the essence of characters that are more than two thousand years old. The Passions can nowadays be seen as an evolution of the ancient mysteries, a medieval representation of the life of Jesus, the Virgin Maria or a Saint. The performance, that still maintains its original and unusual structure, is divided into two parts and lasts one entire day. The dimension of the theatre, one of the largest in Catalonia designed with the only purpose of representing the Passion, the important number of actors, the perfect union of text and music performed by a orquestra composed by thirty musicians and fifty singers have converted the Passion of Esparreguera into an unique event. Festivity of the Juicy Omelette. Ulldemolins, 11.03.2007  This festivity of the “Juicy Omelette” can be understood as festivity organized in honor to a traditional dish of the Catalan home cooking. This kind of omelette, one of the most emblematic specialties of the Priorat region, was usually served during the period of lent, when fish and pod vegetables reemplaced meat. This colorful day, dedicated to gastronomy, is an invitation to all kind of visitors not only for getting in touch with the popular wisdom of the traditional Catalan cuisine, but also with the high quality of other products of the country in general.  April The Death´s Dance. Verges, 05.04.2007 One of the most traditional and emblematic representations at Catalonia during the Holy Week is the “Death’s Dance”, the only one of the multiples manifests of this kind represented all over Europe since the Middle Age that is still alive at present times. It’s impressive to observe the five skeletons dancing in a simple but at the same time majestic manner, - accompanied by the rhythmic sound of a drum and followed closely by other skeletons, dressed with white tunicas and torches. Once represented the Crucification of Christ and the Descent of the Cross, the Death finalizes the representation entering the church and revering to the Holy Father. Saint George´s Legend - a Medieval Week. Montblanc, 20. - 29.04.2007  The architectural monument of the historical Vila Ducal, one of the most beautiful and well conserved in Catalonia, is the incomparable setting to breathe life into the legend of the patron of Catalonia: Saint George. The open and monumental surroundings allow more than 3000 spectators to relive, during only one night of the year, the magic of the legend by music, fire, light, colour and more than 200 actors and actresses on stage. St. George's Day. Barcelona, 23.04.2007 St. George's Day is celebrated in several nations of whom Saint George is the Patron Saint, but at Catalonia this date, remains the second most important National Festivity, known as “Diada de Sant Jordi.” According to tradition, either a rose or a book is given to a loved one. Besides, this tradition inspired UNESCO to declare this the International Day of the Book, since it was also the date of death of the English playwright William Shakespeare and the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. As Shakespeare died on his birthday, the date was of double-barreled significance. Triumvirat Mediterráneo. L´Escala, 29.04. - 01.05.2007 The festivity Triumvirat Mediterrà is linked to the foundation of the ancient village of Emporion by the Greeks and invasion by the Romans of the Iberian Peninsula via the Greek colony - a historical moment that has influenced until present times our culture. The event aims to commemorate the times in which the Iberian, Greek and Roman Cultures coexisted at the region and includes interesting activities such as an market, exhibitions, handicraft, art, music, science,history...  May Art Nouveau Fair. Terrassa, may 2007  Terrassa has been,at the end of the XIX and beginning of the XX century a city strongly influenced by an important development of the textile industry. By organizing the Art Nouveau Trade Fair, Terrassa aims to commemorate the city’s ambiance and spirit of these past days. In order to revive this period influenced by the cultural movement of Art Nouveau, the cities squares and streets display colorful activities such as a market, theatralised itineraries, demonstrations of handicraft, exhibitions of vintage carriages and motorcycles, sardana dancers and music, expositions as well as the opportunity to visit for free the city’s museums. Tàrraco Viva - the Roman City.Tarragona, may 2007 Târraco Viva takes place at the Catalan city of Tarragona – the Roman Tarraco. Designed in order to raise awareness of ancient Roman history and culture, the event offers a high level of scientific rigor during its conferences and workshops, but includes also re-enactments of the daily life in the ancient Roman era, gladiatorial fights, theatre or music. Even the local restaurants join in, by resurrecting Roman recipes. Girona, Temps de Flors - Exhibit of flowers,patios, monuments & gardens.11.05.2007 Springtime is of course the very best moment for celebrating the floral exhibit organized every year at the city of Girona. “Temps de Flors” is a delightful event where the the mystical corners, monuments and patios of the historical city centre are converted- thanks to a wide number of artists, interior and landscape designers as well as arquitects- into the perfect setting for exhibiting ephemeral floral spaces and evocative artistic compositions, all surrounded by the beauty of the old stones. Festivity of Moors and Christians. Lleida,13.05.2007 The Moors and Christians festivity is an historical celebration whose origins date from the year 1550, based on the dramatization of the fight between Moors and Christians in order to conquer a city. The festivity at Lleida is probably the oldest of this sort of representations and performanced year by year at the historical centre and castle of the city with the same intensity, majesty and solemnity, - including of course impressive parades of Moors and Christians dressed in a splendid way. One of the most important characteristics of the event is the fact that the victory turns every year, what makes this celebration differ from other similar ones.  June Sonar Festival. Barcelona, 14. – 16.06.2007  The festival symbolizes three days and three nights in touch with the most up-to-date developments and featuring the most relevant national and international artists. Sónar presents multiples activities including DJ sets, concerts, titles projected at the Sonar Cinema and works in every multimedia format: installations, Net art, design.The event is the essential meeting point for an alert public, cutting-edge artists and the most influential professionals from the sectors of music and modern arts. Grec Festival. Barcelona, june - august 2007 A wide number of events such as theatre, dance and music are performanced in the Festival de Barcelona Grec, a showcase to find out what’s new in the contemporary arts scene. Artists from all over the world participate in a festival which aims at provoking the audience, inviting the spectator to think and encouraging him to spend some interesting, pleasant evenings, enjoying some really special summer nights. Eve of Saint John's Day. Barcelona, 23.06.2007  The city of Barcelona celebrates year by year in a passionate way the very special night that symbolizes the arrival of the summer, evenings at the open-air, street life and of course the holidays. It’s the moment of celebrating the Revetlla de Sant Joan, eve of Saint John's Day, a festivity that honours the summer solstice and can be seen as the night of fireworks and bonfires. Some traditional coca and a glass of Catalan sparkling wine are a must before leaving home for celebrating the largest night of the year dancing until the sunrise.  July International Music Festival.Perelada, july - august 2007 In the fine setting of Peralada, a little medieval village situated at the beautiful region of el Ampurdán, year by year the International Music Festival is held. The gardens of its magnificent castle and renaissance palace are the venue of the Festival, which aims to provide special support to Spanish composers and artists, includes recitals by well-knows soloists, symphonic and choral concerts and operas, but also special productions involving music, theatre and dance. Tango Festival. Sitges, 18. - 22.07.2007  The Sitges Tango festival has become the indisputable summer appointment for tango. Again next July, in Sitges, tango dancers from all over the world will enjoy the tango cadence surrounded by the passionate Mediterranean ambiance. Cava Festivity. Prades, 21.07.2007  In July, the famous festivity of cava, the excellent Catalan sparkling wine, is celebrated at the village of Prades. It’s a very special day that influences the whole city, but the most important transformation can be observed at its fountain, situated in the centre of the main square of the village. This day, it dispenses more than 5.000 litres of cava instead of water! The colourful celebration counts on a large history, a huge number of participants and although the sparking wine can be considered the main protagonist of the party, music is of course also an important element.  August Patron Saint Festival of Gracia. Barcelona, 15. - 22.08.2007 The origin of the Patron Saint Festival of the quarter of Gracia, a celebration that starts every 15th of August and lasts one week, dates from the XIX century and is well known for the creative decoration of its streets and squares. A colourful activity, that has already been important for the festival during the last decades of the XIX century and finally been converted into a competition around the year 1920. Nowadays, the decoration of the streets, after one large year of preparation, is basically inspired by historical themes, exotic or unreal spaces or based on contemporanean critic. Declared as “Traditional Festivity of National Interest”.  September Theatre Street Festival. Tàrrega, 06. - 09.09.2007 The “Fira de Teatre al Carrer de Tàrrega” is known as the most relevant international market of the performing arts in southern Europe, an event for the exhibition,buying and selling of spectacles and, at the same time, an annual forum for contacts, exchanges and diffusion between professionals in the field. Artists, institutions, companies, networks, together with a huge and very participative audience meet every year in Tàrrega to show and get to know the most recent creations of the performing arts. Besalú – The Medieval Town. 07.09.2007 Besalú's fundamental architectural importance can be seen in its great value as a whole and in its unity, which converts it into one of the most important and unique examples of a Catalan medieval town, declared in 1966 "National Historic-Artistic Ensemble." The event offers the visitor an interesting opportunity to travel one thousand years back in time, as the centre of the village is completely transformed into the ancient county of Besalú, displaying varied activities such as live performances, guided tours, music, craftsmen or gastronomy. Festivity of the Grape Harvest. Raimat, 08. - 09.09.2007  Usually, autumn festivals in our region are linked to the final phases of traditional tasks such as gathering the crops and fruits of the forest, cattle raising and hunting. The fact that the most significant of these festivities is the grape harvest, or “verema”, provides an interesting overview of the large history and great importance of viticulture in our country, Catalonia. La Mercè Patron Saint Festival.Barcelona, 24.09.2007  On September 24th, Barcelona once again celebrates its Patron Saint Festival. Like a last explosion before autumn, La Mercè is a festival of festivals, which concentrates in a few days hundreds of activities such as the Festival of Fire including all types of sparks, from the pyrotechnical music show to the traditional correfoc (literally a fire-run), the Festival in the Sky including jets, balloons and gliders, the Festival of Tradition offering human towers, capgrossos (dwarves with big heads), giants and an entire menagerie of festive animals, accompanied by guests from Mediterranean countries, the Barcelona Musical Action to discover new sound proposals or the Barcelona Street Arts. Culinary Tasting. Sitges, 28.09.2007  The “Club de Tast Sitges” is made up of a selected group of restaurants of the village created with the aim to join forces in favor of the challenge of high quality. The club offers personalized cooking, traditional sea-food or fresh market products up to the celebration of an unique event known as “Menjar de Tast”, an innovative proposal that offers the opportunity to enjoy during one night and at a special venue the culinary proposals of the members of the club, patisseries and bodegas.  October International Film Festival. Sitges, october 2007 Sitges International Film Festival of Catalonia is well known as the number one fantasy film festival in the world and represents, at the same time, the cultural expression with the most media impact in Catalonia. With a solid experience, the Sitges Festival is a stimulating universe of encounters, exhibitions, presentations and screenings of fantasy films from all over the world. Cavatast-Sparkling Wine Trade Fair.Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, 01. - 07.10.2007  “Cavatast” is the name of an event dedicated exclusively to the excellent Catalan sparkling wine- cava- that is celebrated at the capital city of the product, the village of Sant Sadurní d´Anoia. The trade fair offers the opportunity to get in touch with the very best products of the region and symbolizes an important meeting point for all kind of professionals involved in its elaboration, as well as for lovers of cava in general. Competition of Human Towers. Tarragona & Valls, 01. - 07.10.2007 Human pyramids, or castells, can be considered a traditional attraction at many Catalan festivals throughout the year. Most of the teams ( or colles) who build them are originally from the Penedès and Camp de Tarragona regions, where major competitions are staged in October at Valls and Tarragona respectively.  November Fair of the Mushroom, Nature and Handicrafts of L´Anoia. Capellades, november 2007  In autumn, the moment for one of the most popular and traditional activities has come: go for a walk through our beautiful forests searching for some delicious mushrooms. At Catalonia, more than 2000 types of mushrooms can be found, being not only an essential part of our gastronomy, but also the protagonist of a huge number of festivities. In this sense, the village of Capellades celebrates every year the “Fair of the Mushrooms, Nature and Handicrafts”, a colorful event that includes a competition and exposition of mushrooms, the popular tasting and a fair where handicrafts and other products elaborated in a traditional way are offered.  December Medieval Market. Vic, december 2007 The city of Vic, especially during those winter days, offers the opportunity to enjoy a wide number of popular and cultural activities. Within a large number of proposals, the well-known Medieval Market is one of the most attractive, as the decoration and ambience of the cities historical centre, as well as the market where artisans offer all kind of traditional handicrafts, invite the visitor to travel towards magical and enchantering moments of the past. Ratafía Fair.Besalu,02.12.2007  If the ancient walls of Besalú would be able to express themselves, no doubt that they could remember the huge history of elaboration of one of the most typical Catalan liquors, prepared still in a traditional way: The Ratafía. The Ratafía Festival takes place on the first Sunday in December and consists of the sampling, tasting and sale of this excellent beverage. Through flavour and colour we’ll try to discover the best-kept secret of each artisan: The perfect combination of liquor, green nuts and herbs that makes this liquor so appreciated. Fair of Santa Lucia. Barcelona, 02. - 23.12.2007 Christmas gets closer, and according to tradition, Catalans love to prepare the crib that decorates their home until the second of February, the Candelera. During the previous days to one of the most important festivities of our times, we probably do all have a similar image in our mind: Stalls with Christmas trees and others where to acquire everything needed to decorate the crib: moss, cork, bark, figures, animals, water fountains, ilumination..These days, nothing like a walk through Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter and the Santa Llucia fair for reviving the spirit of Christmas.