Over 200 cultural activities to promote America's Cup 2024 in Barcelona
Gustavo Dudamel to conduct orchestra on the beach, with Olympic Port to reopen for sailing competition
The America's Cup, the world's oldest international sport competition, will hold its 37th edition in Barcelona from August until October of 2024.
To promote the sailing race, over 60 organizations will be offering more than 200 cultural, artistic, sports, gastronomic, science and leisure activities for visitors to enjoy during the competition.
One of the highlights will be the Race Village at the Moll de la Fusta walkway, which will be open from August 22 until the end of the sailing competition.
The 'Regata Cultural', the umbrella grouping all the activities, is planned to promote the event and to offer activities for the more than 60 days the competition will last.
The schedule is not finalised yet, as new acts will be added throughout the months leading up to the America's Cup.
Cultural activities
Among the more than 200 activities organized for the America's Cup are many opportunities to enjoy musical and cinematic events.
SAIL IN, the sailing and marine film festival, lands for the first time in Barcelona with 3 screenings at the CCCB cultural center.
During the Clàssica a la Platja (Classical on the Beach) concerts, one of the world's top conductors, Gustavo Dudamel, will perform on July 12. Conductor Ludovic Morlot will perform on July 11, with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and National Orchestra of Catalonia.
On June 15, Port Vell hosts the 38th Gran Trobada d'Havaneres, celebrating a traditional music genre imported from the West Indies, with a brand-new stage and format. The event will feature performances by the groups Crema Catalana, Boira, Ultramar and Port Bo.
Every weekend, from Friday 8pm until Sunday evening there will be more than 30 artistic and creative performances in the Race Village, starting on August 22.
Besides the musical events, 25 libraries in Barcelona will organize activities with an ocean theme, including book clubs reading classic literature related to maritime themes.
There will also be a science festival from June 7-9, taking place in El Born Centre for Culture and Memory and Plaça Comercial square. The main theme will be water and it will feature activities about sustainable development and drought.
Olympic Port renovations
The Olympic Port of the Catalan capital is currently being renovated, with the goal of reopening for the America's Cup and as a venue for La Mercè festival.
Between mid-September and mid-October, the aim is to organize small-format concerts at lunchtime in collaboration with the Barcelona Jazz Festival at the port.
The port will become Barcelona's first blue economy hub, with companies linked to maritime activity, sustainability and the circular economy deploying innovative sustainable and informational nautical projects.
The Gastronomic Balcony will be a dining area where visitors can taste a wide variety of dishes.
One of the main points in the new port is the local sailing center, to promote nautical sports, especially for young people in the city.
The transformation of the port includes a commitment to sustainability, using solar panels to generate the energy required for the port and other nearby facilities. They will also provide electricity for charging points for electric boats. This will make the Olympic Port a leader in sustainable sailing.