5 Best Music Festivals in Barcelona

Lots of festival lovers can travel miles away just to watch their favourite band or enjoy the experience of living a festival in another country. The music industry has had its eye for the past years to boost foreign attendants that also leave a bigger income to the city in restaurants, hotels, bars and discos.

Normally hotels get pretty busy during the festival season because festival attendants clash with regular tourists. So if you want a cheaper and more comfortable alternative, you should try checking out Holiday Rentals to enjoy the festival and also take advantage of everything the city has to offer.

Although most festival goers know big Spanish festivals like FIB (Benicàssim) or Monegros (Aragón), Barcelona has a wide choice of festivals for all music genres. That’s why we’ve listed Barcelona’s Best Music Festivals, those you’ll surely be looking forward to.

Music, sun and beach in one of Europe’s most avant-garde cities. What else can you ask for?

1. Primavera Sound

This is probably the most famous and international festival in Barcelona. Usually held in May, just as the good weather is kicking in, Primavera Sound welcomes hipsters from all over Europe to offer an incredible three-day line up that mixes the newest and most exciting bands with great music legends. Over the years, big names like Nick Cave, The Pixies, Echo & The Bunnymen, Lou Reed or Sonic Youth have played in this huge venue. During the week the festival is held, the whole city also fills with free concerts in other venues for those who couldn’t get a ticket (they sell pretty fast, that’s why they’re on sale a year in advance).

2. Sónar

Sónar is to electronic music what Primavera Sound is to indie. The city is turned into electro heaven during June as this (practically) 24h three-day festival hits Barcelona’s Montjuïc. This is a great chance to discover not only music but new initiatives and gadgets of the electronic world, with exhibitions and conventions open to all ticket holders. Some of the most well-known names that have played Sónar include Massive Attack, Chemical Brothers, Bjork, Kraftwerk, Orbytal or Skrillex.

3. Cruïlla

July has quite a newbie if we compare it to the other two festivals previously mentioned. Cruïlla festival offers a mixture of music styles that that will suit almost everybody: from hip-hop and R’nB to pop, punk-rock and flamenco music. Held in the same open-air venue as Primavera Sound, the festival has grown impressively in only four years of existence, having had the privilege to invite artists like Madness, Public Enemy, Iggy & the Stooges, Cypress Hill, Suede, Rufus Wainwright or Suede.

4. Grec

Probably the most veteran of all festivals in Barcelona, Grec was first held in 1976 and has since become one of Barcelona’s unmissable events of the year. This festival unites all stage arts to offer a month and a half long festival full of music, drama, circus and dance. Hundreds of shows pop up in different Barcelona venues and uncommon spots like libraries, museums, the Montjuïc castle and even an open-air theatre which is probably the heart of the festival. During more than 40 years artists like Miles Davies, Nacho Duato, Elvis Costello, Robert Lepage, Celia Cruz, Dario Fo and even Bob Dylan have been on one of Grec’s many stages.

5. BAM

Last but not least is probably the most low cost option of all of Barcelona’s festivals, because it’s actually free. September brings the saints day of Mercè, one of Barcelona’s patron saints. This time of the year is a great one to visit Barcelona because the whole city turns into a huge party to celebrate this festivity with fireworks, parades, shows and concerts. BAM is the festival that organizes free concerts in different stages around the city to suit all tastes. During 4 days you’ll bump into a concert even if you don’t want to. Bands like Miles Kane, Goldfrapp, OK GO, The Kooks and lots of well-known national artists have filled the streets of Barcelona with their music.

There are many more festivals in Barcelona such as Festival Jardins de Pedralbes, the Barcelona International Jazz Festival, Barcelona Beach Festival and many more. You can follow news on all these festivals and on One Holiday Rental’s blog.