Barcelona will host its annual Barcelona Poesia festival from 14 to 21 May, showcasing a wide array of poetic voices and styles. The event, organised by the Barcelona City Council, aims to highlight the diversity of poetic perspectives through various recitals, literary routes, and musical performances.
The festival will feature notable Catalan literary figures such as Carles Rebassa, Dolors Miquel, and Biel Mesquida, alongside actors Emma Vilarasau and Josep Maria Flotats, and musicians Marina Rossell and Ferran Palau. Tributes are planned for significant poets including Blai Bonet, Clementina Arderiu, and Joan Alcover, bringing their verses to stages across the city.
Key venues for this year's festival include the Marès Museum orchard and the Born. Barcelona History Museum. New locations have been added, such as the gardens of the Muñoz Ramonet Foundation, the Ateneu Barcelonès, Paral·lel 62, the Brossa Foundation, and the CCCB.
Jocs Florals Prize Awarded
A significant event within the festival is the presentation of the Barcelona Jocs Florals Poetry Prize. Martí Sales i Sariola will receive the award for his book, Descripció del món (Description of the World), on Monday, 18 May, at 6pm in the Saló de Cent. This ceremony marks a central point in the festival's programme.
The Barcelona Poesia festival will conclude with the 41st International Poetry Festival on 21 May at 8pm. This final event, held at the Palau de la Música, will feature verses from seven international poets, bringing a global perspective to the week-long celebration of poetry.
Curators Emphasise Multiple Perspectives
The 2026 edition of Barcelona Poesia is curated by poets Manuel Forcano and Anna Gual, with Gual joining as a new co-curator. They have designed the programme to incorporate multiple viewpoints, reflecting the variety found in poems and poets themselves. The festival's poster image, featuring the eye of Mallorcan poet Blai Bonet, symbolises this focus on diverse perspectives.
The programme includes recitals, round tables, musical performances, conversations, and spectacles that span different styles, origins, genres, and age groups. This broad approach ensures that the festival appeals to a wide audience and celebrates the many forms poetry can take. The Barcelona Poesia 2026 programme has been developed with the collaboration of several organisations, including Biblioteques de Barcelona, the Goethe Institut, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura, the Institut Francès, the Institut Ramon Llull, the EUNIC cluster, Casa Elizalde, the Brossa Foundation, the CaixaFòrum Foundation, and La Pedrera.
