Barcelona to host first 2022 Eurovision Party ahead of song contest

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will take place in Italy from May 10 to 14. But months earlier, fans will meet in Barcelona on March 26 for the first edition of the Eurovision Party in the Catalan city.

The event will take place in the Sala Apolo and will welcome up to 20 artists representing their countries before they take the stage in Turin, northwest Italy.

So far, organizers have confirmed artists from the Czech Republic and Albania but "are waiting for other countries that want to come to Barcelona," but are still looking for a candidate to represent them in Eurovision, Olivier Grau, one of the promoters, said to Catalan News.

Other Eurovision legends that will also be invited to Barcelona are Austria’s 2014 winner Conchita Wurst, Rosa Lopez, who represented Spain in 2002, and Moldova’s 2010 and 2017 entrants SunStroke Project, as well as Marta Roura.

"Marta Roura was the first singer for Andorra," Grau explained. "She sang the first song in Catalan in Eurovision history, so it was important for us, doing a Eurovision Party in Barcelona for the first time that at least one song was in Catalan," he added.

This is the first time the Catalan capital will organize one of the Eurovision Parties celebrated worldwide, in cities such as London, Tel Aviv, Madrid, and Amsterdam. Prices range from €48 to €108.

Eurovision style concert

The 1,200 or so attendees expected to attend the Sala Apolo will enjoy a 3-hour concert imitating the Eurovision Contest format, with three hosts and guests performing ahead of representatives from the 20 countries.

"We are fans," co-organizer Jakob Traxler told Catalan News. "At the end of the day, we do this because our heart and our motivation are behind it. Our passion is for Eurovision."

That is why both friends decided to bring the Eurovision Party to Barcelona. "It’s pretty hard to get tickets to go to the contest," Traxler explained. "So, people who cannot go to the Eurovision contest can experience at least a little bit of it, here in Barcelona."

Future parties already planned

The idea to create the event has been going on "for a long time," Traxler said. However, their goal to start in 2020 was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, two years later, they are ready to prepare for the party, as they wanted to do it in a "professional" way and are already thinking about future editions.

"We are working with Barcelona city council to try to do a bigger event the next year," Olivier Grau explained. The idea is to make the party an "annual event."

The proposal to host more parties could place the Catalan capital "on the route for the pre-parties" ahead of the contest.

One of the ideas for future celebrations is to try to fill up the 4,000- capacity Sant Jordi Club.