Barcelona residents rally against Louis Vuitton fashion show at Park Güell

The parade of Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2025 collection will take place on Thursday in Barcelona's Park Güell, putting the Catalan capital at the forefront of fashion, design and luxury.    

The event is one of the many celebrations organized by Louis Vuitton for the 37th America's Cup, which is being held in Barcelona this year and for which the French luxury brand is the main sponsor.    

Celebrities such as Emma Stone, Jennifer Conelly and Ana de Armas are expected to attend, as well as LVMH magnate Bernard Arnault, the world's richest person. 

But the parade has sparked discontent among local residents, who have been protesting both the disruption it causes and the event itself for days.  

Yesterday, dozens of residents staged a noisy protest against the parade, criticizing the event for "privatizing public space." 

On Thursday, they will again hold a demonstration outside the park an hour before the show.

The park will close at 2 pm on Thursday, with access restricted since Wednesday afternoon, allowing only affected residents to pass through the northern part of the park. 

"In order for the richest man on the planet to make his parade on a heritage space for the people of Barcelona, the La Salut neighborhood will not be able to park in their streets for 3 days," the neighbors' council wrote on X. 

Park Güell stairs damaged

The stairs at Antoni Gaudí's Park Güell were damaged during the construction of the Louis Vuitton fashion show taking place on May 23 at the iconic park, according to the neighborhood council of Turó de la Rovira. 

"We want to report that in less than 24 hours of construction for the Louis Vuitton fashion show, a part of the stairs has been damaged," the neighborhood council posted on X, formerly Twitter. 

Barcelona city council said the incident was a "human error" and that the company responsible, Louis Vuitton, regrets the incident and will take care of the repair costs. 

They also clarified that the stairs are already being repaired and they are "aware of the patrimonial value of the space, Park Güell and the promoter have reviewed and strengthened the prevention measures."