guitar

February brings with it impressive public light shows, parades and fancy-dress for carnival, and the season of eating one of the most traditional Catalan green onions - calçots! 

More than 1,200 people congregated for some mass karaoke to pay homage to ‘The Boss’

Madonna, U2, Bjork and Kate Perry are just some of the international artists that chose Barcelona as their only stop in Spain on their international tours in 2015. During the first half of 2016, Adele and Coldplay's only tour dates in Spain will also be in Barcelona. The Catalan capital is also famous for its festivals, such as Primavera Sound, Sonar, Festival del Mil·leni and the International Jazz Festival, which attract hundreds of thousands of  people from all over the world. This Thursday, a less mass-oriented festival, Guitar BCN, announced its programme and it will also be able to count on international names. Former Oasis leader Noel Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds will be amongst them, as well as the emotional pop-rock of James Bay and the Cuban music ambassadors, Buena Vista Social Club, whom added Barcelona to the list of cities that will be part of their farewell tour. 

Catalan Rumba is part of the Catalan cultural heritage as much as the traditional folk dance Sardana or the famous human towers known as Castellers. This musical genre, born on the streets of Barcelona during the Sixties, is often mistaken for flamenco or other popular Latin sounds. Musicians such as Peret, Antonio González ‘El Pescaílla’ or Gato Pérez were pioneers of this style and contributed to its institutional and social recognition. Different waves of groups and artists have left their footprint on the Catalan Rumba, which is experiencing a third new age defined by a more eclectic sound that reflects Barcelona’s multicultural and cosmopolitan lifestyle.

From July onwards Barcelona’s music museum will give visitors the chance to view 50 guitars from their collection which is considered to be one of the best in the world according to experts. The collection includes historic guitars such as that of internationally renowned Catalan guitarist Miguel Llobet. The museum has undertaken an extensive restoration and research project in order to restore the original sound of many of these unique instruments. The Museu de la Música is part of the L’Auditori complex hall and entrance into the exhibition includes a guided tour of the collection as well as a concert in which two of the historic guitars will be showcased.

Vinicio Capossela, Johny Winter, La Casa Azul, Quique González and Ron Sexsmith are some of the artists that are playing in the festival. The Catalan-speaking indie pop band Antònia Font will kick off the 24th edition of the Guitar Festival BCN on the 20th of February.

The City Hall and The Coliseum Theatre are the new locations of the Guitar Festival, which will play host to popular bands such as Els Amics de les Arts, Jorge Drexler and the Waterboys. The Festival is taking place from March 10th to May 26th and is including all kind of guitar focused proposals. This Guitar Festival is considered to be one of the most important consolidated music events in Barcelona, with around 25.000 spectators per year. The budget for this 2012 has increased by 3.5% and will include new improvements and musical offers.