The Olympic Port reopens this Sunday with a huge festival open to all
Sunday 21 July is the date to mark on your calendar to rediscover the Olympic Port. A big celebration open to everyone that's completely free of charge will be taking place from 10 am to 9 pm, filling the space with activities for all the family, workshops and concerts, showcasing the results of the transformation that began in 2020, brought about by Barcelona City Council hand in hand with B:SM. The Olympic Port is now an integral part of the city, with extensive areas for taking a stroll, practising sport and enjoying leisure time. A revamped, sustainable environment, where nautical activities, the blue economy and restaurant options will coexist.
The Moll de Mestral will be the main venue for this Sunday’s festival, which marks the start of the gradual reopening of the Olympic Port, a process that will finally be complete when the first restaurants and shops on the ‘Balcó Gastronòmic’ open at the end of August.
The programme of children’s games will be starting at 10 am and continuing until 1 pm, and there’ll also be a range of workshops related to sailing, the sea and sustainability. The kids will be able to make sailing boats, design paper stars, build sand castles and more.
The morning’s entertainment will be provided by a pair of stilt-walkers, two giant fish that will wander around the Olympic Port, inviting everyone to join them for a stroll. The Sound de Secà performing arts group will also be taking part, filling the promenade and the Olympic Port’s new urban spaces with the music and rhythms of their travelling show from 11 am onwards.
The morning’s programme will be rounded off with two family shows: At 12 noon, SalvaMars Cirkus will be showing life in the sea theatrical style, seeking to make children aware of the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems. Before lunch, at 1 pm, cover band Pop per Xics will be performing some of the most iconic pop songs in a show for audiences of all ages.
After a break for lunch, at 5 pm the programme of games and workshops will resume. Music and rhythm will be the order of the day once again from 6 pm onwards, when Sound de Secà will take over the seafront promenade and the different quays to encourage visitors to explore the new spaces.
The day will end with two top-notch musical events. At 7 pm, well-known singer Susana Sheiman will be leading a jazz sextet with a wide-ranging repertoire that includes all styles within the genre. Then at 8 pm, the Andrea Motis Singular Quintet will bring the party to a close with a performance that will feature all kinds of jazz, from classical to contemporary. The two concerts are the run up to the jazz programme that will be taking place at the Olympic Port on weekends in September and October, coinciding with the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup regattas.
As well as the family and cultural programme, Barcelona residents who come to the Olympic Port will be able to enjoy tasty eats in the food truck area.
A new Olympic Port, open to all
After four years, the Olympic Port is now in the final phase of the transformation process. On this celebratory day, people will be able to explore the more than 20,000 m2 of reclaimed public space, such as the big square on the Moll de Mestral, the Passeig de Gregal – where the ‘Balcó Gastronòmic’ is currently approaching completion – and the privileged viewpoint that looks out over the Dic de Recer sea wall.
The Olympic Port is becoming more accessible, and links to the surrounding area are also being improved, with new access points connecting it to C/ Marina, Avda. Litoral and the Nova Icària beach, and new entrances that make the port an attractive space for taking a stroll, practising sport or simply enjoying the sea.
The opening of the Olympic Port will be complete by the end of August, when the first restaurants and shops that make up the ‘Balcó Gastronòmic’, the stunning food zone at the new Olympic Port.