Acústica music festival hits its 100,000 spectator mark a second time

The 16^th edition of Acústica Festival ended on Sunday in the north-eastern Catalan town of Figueres, drawing the summer festival season to a close. Acústica has attracted 100,000 attendees for the second year in a row, solidifying its place among the three largest festivals in Catalonia. The festival has been steadily growing each year, attendees coming to hear both local and international names for an eclectic lineup.  

Kicking off on Thursday August 31 to Sunday September 3, this four-day festival began with the flamenco of duo Rosalia and Refree, and ended with children-friendly performances by El Pot Petit and Orquestra Di-versiones, ending the festival by filling the emblematic La Rambla street with families. La Rambla was indeed host to some of the popular shows at the festival, including Manel, Els Amics de les Arts, and Txarango - the festival’s most highly attended act. Still, crowds filled every stage, including the well-attended Plaça Catalunya space, which hosted concerts by rapper C Tangana, trap/raegetton singer Bad Gyal, singer-songwriter Jair Domínguez and performer Bebe.  

High numbers against all odds

Xavi Pascual, director of the festival, says that the continuous number of attendees was “very relevant.” The repeat showed a consistent trend, especially for this 2017 edition, which Pascual described as “complicated.” Not only was the management of the festival affected by the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, but organizers were also forced to deal with a tight deadline, leaving them much less time than usual to complete planning for the event.

The weather didn’t help, either, providing a backdrop of summer rain for the festival. “We’ve had festivals that were hot and sunny, and this was not the best in that regard,” Pascual admits. Yet, the organizer has taken this complication as a challenge, and one that ended positively: “It's good for us to see how, despite the fact that the weather didn’t cooperate, we didn’t notice it - this encourages us,” he explains, adding that he’s “very pleased” with the trust placed in the festival by attendees.

The unique flamenco of Acústica’s opening act

Pascual explains that Acústica follows the country’s musical tendencies and aims to creates a program around them. The festival opened with a unique act: flamenco by the duo Rosalía and Refree in the colorful and characteristic Teatre Jardí – a venue changed at the last minute due to inclement weather. The duo, composed of singer Rosalía Vila and guitarist Raúl Fernández, better known as Refree, played for approximately 400 spectators. Their new project ‘Los Ángeles’ marks the first time the two musicians will have collaborated; indeed, Refree himself learned flamenco-style guitar specifically to work with singer Rosalía Vila.

Giving the duo the responsibility of starting off the festival was “great success,” says Pascual, adding that he was satisfied with the response despite knowing that opening with such a unique genre “was risky.” Pascual notes, though, that taking these risks is a right that Acústica earned, and it’s something that the festival must do. Despite knowing that flamenco is “a very special genre,” he explains, “we were sure it would not disappoint.” “We wanted to start out with a sold out show, and we did,” he reflects.

A more accessible festival

Another goal that the festival worked towards was making the performances more accessible, since “the spectators themselves asked for it,” says Pascual. “We wanted to treat the audience, so that it would be more comfortable to attend the concerts, and we achieved that.” When not listening to music, participants could enjoy added features like the food truck area, something which Pascual says worked “very well,” and activities like the Fira del Disc de Col·leccionista, where concert-goers could buy vinyl records. “We were able to make it so that if someone couldn’t go to any concert, they were still able to have a great Acústica,” ended Pascual.