arts & culture

Grec Festival returns as Barcelona’s great summer celebration of performing arts, bringing theatre, dance, music, circus and more to stages across the city. For 2026, the festival marks its 50th edition, giving the programme an extra sense of history and occasion. From intimate shows to large-scale spectacles, the lineup offers something for every taste and all the family.

This year opens with L’òpera de tres rals, a new Catalan production of Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, directed by Marta Pazos. Other highlights include work by Calixto Bieito, Àlex Rigola, Angélica Liddell, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Romeo Castellucci, Christiane Jatahy, Hofesh Shechter, Florentina Holzinger, Andrea Peña, Mucha Muchacha and Sergi Casero Nieto.

There’ll be a varied programme that moves from international artists to local talents and emerging voices, with pieces exploring memory, identity, power, community and the body.