About the festival:   http://w3.bcn.es/V01/Serveis/Noticies/V01NoticiesLlistatNoticiesCtl/0,2138,1653_1802_3_135488018,00.html?bcnAccessible=true&accio=detall&home=HomeBCN

Pictures from the festival:  http://www.myhappening.com/photos/barcelona/festa_gracia/festa.html

Personal account: http://www.anulios.org/index.php/2005/08/15/gracia-festival-2005/

Story:
So what is the Gracia festival? Well, basically it is a 24 hour a day party that lasts a whole week. Gracia is one of the last traditional barrios of Barcelona, it is where I live and is a strange mix of old locals, anarchists, young bohemians and odd characters (of which I would probably count as one). The Festival has been going on for 100 years or so and revolves around the communities of every street (or most streets) decorating the road in a certain style or theme. There is a prize but it is more or less always won by one street - Carrer Verdi (who take things very seriously) - and everyone gets together to transform the streets into scenes from hell, heaven, blockbuster movies or mythological motifs depending on whim.

All the inhabitants chip in and food is bought and cooked and eaten in all-day parties (every day) that the residents all turn up to. Beer stalls line the streets and about a million and a half people from other barrios or out of town pour into our small patch and go wild for a week. Needless to say, sleep is almost impossible.

So today, August 15th, is the start of all this. As is our tradition, me and Mrs Segovius went to see the opening celebrations in the main square: Rius I Taulet. These are some pics of the streets we passed on the way - no Verdi yet, will go there tonight and post.