Life & Style

Sónar Festival began its 23^rd edition on Thursday with its first daytime sessions, welcoming the acts The Black Madonna, Kenny Dope (formerly Masters at Work), Mad Professor, sharing the stage with The Spanish Dub Invasion, British MC Lady Leshurr, and a classical piano recital by James Rhodes to the Barcelona sun. This total of 130 eclectic acts are being hosted at the Montjuic fairgrounds, where thousands of participants attended, and will presumably attend again on Friday and Saturday, where the night-time performances will be held at the Gran Via Exhibition Centre. Additionally, Sónar+D also kicked off on Thursday, serving as the intellectual and collaborative sister event to Sónar, holding conferences and activities revolving around the “future of culture, arts and technology”, according to curator, José Luis de Vicente.

Girona’s ‘El Celler de Can Roca’ is considered the world’s second-best restaurant by ‘Restaurant’ magazine. Thus, the establishment run by the three Roca brothers has ceded its crown, which it obtained in 2015 and 2013, to the Italian restaurant ‘Osteria Franciscana’. The gala event, moved from London to New York for the first time, also awarded chef Joan Roca as best chef. “This is very important, because it represents mutual understanding and recognition from chefs that I truly admire” stated Roca. Catalan restaurant ‘Tickets’, by Albert Adrià climbed from the 42^nd position it occupied last year to 29^th this year. Adrià was dessert chef at El Bulli, which was run by his brother Ferran Adrià and was recognised as the best restaurant in the world on five occasions.

This Monday, the first American tourist group of the ‘From Bark to Bottle’ program arrived in Catalonia. About ten people saw the extraction of cork from a tree in the north-eastern Catalan region of Baix Empordà.  The objective of the tour is to shine light on the value and culture of cork as well as the positive aspects of Catalonia. Additionally, the objective is to educate: far from the Mediterranean, many Americans believe that trees are cut down to make cork, which is not the case. In fact, the director of the CFCA, Patrick Spencer has specified that they will not increase the number of tours nor make them bigger to not impact the environment too negatively, but additionally to keep the quality of the tours high and also “intimate”. 

 The quality of Catalan beaches and ports has increased. This year the International Jury awarded Catalonia 9 more flags than last year and the area now has 98 distinctions for beaches and 24 for ports. The province with the most awards is Tarragona with over 40 flags, followed by Girona with 30 and Barcelona with 28. Barcelona has recorded the biggest increase and has won 8 more flags for its beaches than last year. The President of the Environmental Education Association (ADEAC), José Ramón Sánchez, praised the increase of Blue Flags, assuring that in Catalonia there is "an excellent situation regarding education and environmental information". Indeed, Spain is at the forefront of the world rankings with eight more blue flags than in 2015.

The largest cruise ship in the whole world, the ‘Harmony of the Seas’, has set sail in the Mediterranean from the Port of Barcelona. Indeed, the Royal Caribbean cruise company has selected the Catalan capital as the base for its Mediterranean cruise ships. Thus, Barcelona is now the only city in the world to have served as a turnaround port for Royal Caribbean’s three biggest ships. The ‘Harmony of the Seas’ is gargantuan: a capacity of 9,000 people, weighing more than 200,000 tons, and offering access to two surf simulators, a natural park and the highest slide possible. This all helps to contribute to the success of the Port of Barcelona: this 2016, the record from 2011 is expected to be equalled, with 2.6 million passengers welcomed at the Port, through 750 stopovers from the 40 cruise companies that operate at the infrastructure. Indeed, 30 million euros are forecast to be added to the economy of the Catalan capital. 

The Timetable Reform Initiative is a Catalan organisation created to achieve more reasonable working hours and greater reconciliation between work and family. Last year, a Catalan Parliamentary commission studied this reform, and this year, the legislative changes will create a timetable law.Last week, the General Secretary of the Commerce Confederation of Catalonia (CCC), Miquel Àngel Fraile, said that Catalan trade is willing to join a “D-Day” to mark the start of the time reform in Catalonia. For the past few weeks, the village of Prats de Lluçanès, in Barcelona region, has been at the forefront of time reform in the hospitality sector with a pilot programme that proposes that restaurant owners advance the opening hours of their establishments.

Barcelona Hotel Terrace Week begins this Friday, inviting Barcelona residents to the signature opening weeks of summer. In this week-long event, a record-breaking 66 roof terraces will open their doors for free, offering a total of 234 activities from the 3^rd until the 12^th of June. Some of the variety of activities that each hotel has to offer include culture, entertainment, music, family fun and leisure. A newcomer to this list of activities is gastronomy, celebrating Barcelona’s place as European Region of Gastronomy 2016. Specifically, some of the things one can see while visiting the myriad of terraces are wine and cheese tastings, magic shows, mojitos and tapas tastings, Cuban dancing, various concerts of almost every type of music imaginable, and even the classic synchronised swimming display. 

‘Disfrutar’ restaurant in Barcelona has been awarded Best New European Restaurant 2016 in the prestigious Opinionated About Dining (OAD) rankings. The restaurant has also made a breakthrough appearance in the Best European Restaurant ranking, coming in at number 38. The three founders of the restaurant, chefs Eduard Xatruch, Oriol Castro and Mateu Casañas, worked together for 15 years as disciples of Ferran Adrià in the kitchen of ‘El Bulli’, which was five times awarded best restaurant in the world. Indeed ‘Disfrutar’ achieved its first Michelin star last year and two Repsol suns, along with the ‘Restaurant of the Year’ Award given by the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition. This recognition is to be added to the 50 Michelin-star-holding restaurants in Catalonia, 22 of which are located in Barcelona. 

Thousands of people are expected to visit the 61^st edition of Girona’s ‘Temps de Flors’, which sees the exhibition of a wide range of flower artwork featuring different spots of this medieval city located 80 kilometres from Barcelona. As happens every year, the stairway of Santa Maria’s Cathedral is one of the highlights, but in this edition it has raised even more attention due to the filming of HBO’s series ‘Game of Thrones’. Hundreds of flowers fill other historic sights, patios and ancient neighbourhoods, as well as the fountains in the historical centre, which have also been included in the exhibition in a harmonious mixing of water and flowers. Many cultural activities are also expected over the weekend, from the 14^th and 15^th of May, such as ‘Castellers’, traditional Catalan human towers. 

A record 118,000 visitors attended Barcelona International Comic Fair, 5,000 more than in 2015. One of the main attractions of this edition was he 80th anniversary of Spanish comic book artist Francisco Ibáñez, who created the famous Mort & Phil. Another mayor exhibition, 'Comics on wheels', included some 200 originals works from around the world that showcased the relationship between two realms: comics and vehicles. Many professionals, comic fans and schoolchildren did not want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the opening of the event, which also drew together the video game industry and manga. Barcelona International Comic Fair was held from the May 6^th until the 9^th of May at Fira Barcelona Montjuïc venue. 

In just minutes, tickets to the free screening of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ season 6 premiere on the 25^th of April sold out in Girona. Just 40 km away from Barcelona, the walled medieval city of Girona set the scene for some of this season’s episodes based on George R. R. Martin’s internationally acclaimed novels. Some Girona locals were even featured as extras in episodes. High demand for tickets to see the season premiere led Girona officials to include a second screening, but fans looking to buy tickets caused the online system to crash as others waited in line in person to get their tickets. Although some will be unable to attend, negotiations between ‘Game of Thrones’ producers and Girona city officials may bring the show’s cast and crew back to the city to film season 7 of the hit TV series.

Four out of the ten Spanish universities included on the 2016 Times Higher Education (THE) list of the top 150 universities under 50 years old are native to Catalonia. The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was named 12 out of 150, with Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) ranked 15^th. Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) as well as the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) were included among the rankings. Though the universities are young, THE’s editor-at-large and the editor of THE’s World University Rankings, Phil Baty, cites Catalonia’s “strong sense of civil engagement” as a driving force in the universities’ growth and stand-out performance in this year’s rankings among educational institutions both young and old. 

Barcelona representatives aimed to make the Catalan capital a “veg-friendly” city this Tuesday in an unexpected proposal. The proposal launched by the city’s economy commission received support across almost all of the city council parties, and hopes that Barcelona can become a “friend of vegan and vegetarian culture”. With this, the proposal includes plans to support more businesses and individuals looking to benefit from including more “veg-friendly” options. Additionally, the commission’s proposal includes plans to publish a list of stores and restaurants in Barcelona that are helping people who are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to reduce the amount of meat and animal products they consume. To make it a reality, Barcelona will establish a BCN VEGPoint which will serve as a support and networking centre for businesses looking to become more veg-friendly.

Just 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, Sitges draws in tourists every year for its nightlife, beaches, and also for its Carnival celebrations. Starting a week before Ash Wednesday, the city’s streets fill with tourists from all over as well as many commuting in from Barcelona by bus or train. This year, festivities began on the 30^th of January and lasted well into Ash Wednesday on the 10^th of February. Much like celebrations for Mardi Gras, Carnival marks the days leading up to the Lenten season with traditional music, games and royalty. Most of all, tourists arrive to watch a fleet of flashy parade floats and various dance and musical performances in the celebration’s traditional parades or ‘ruas.’ To add to the overall pageantry, groups of participants come dressed in anything from feathered masks to full-on costumes. 

The Spain and Portugal Michelin Guide 2016 added four Catalan restaurants to their prestigious list and awarded them their first Michelin Star. Two of them, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch’s Disfrutar and Albert Adrià and Paco Méndez’s Hoja Santa are disciples of Ferran Adriá’s El Bulli, which was five times awarded best restaurant in the world. Besides these two restaurants from Barcelona, the Hotel Restaurant Emporium located in Castelló d’Empúries, in the north of Catalonia, and Tresmacarrons, in the coastal village of Masnou, also received the prestigious award for the first time. Mallorca restaurant Zaranda, which is led by Fernando Pérez Arellano (who previously worked in the three-Michelin-star-holding Catalan restaurant Can Fabes and the Coque restaurant in Madrid), adds its second star to its record. There are currently 50 restaurants which have been awarded by Michelin Guides, 22 of which are located in Barcelona.