7-9 May 2010: Formula One: Spanish Grand Prix
The winding Circuit de Catalunya, just outside of Barcelona, hosts the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix. Feel the excitement build as powerful cars reach speeds of up to 200mph and rub shoulders with celebrity racing fans under clear blue skies.
Formula One is one of the most glamorous sports on Earth. State-of-the-art cars costing millions race at speeds of up to 200mph (320kmh), and teams are followed all over the world by a faithful band of rich and famous jetsetters.
Other highlights of the racing calendar include the Monaco Grand Prix, set on the roads of Monte Carlo, and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where you can expect passionate support from Ferrari’s fanatical fans (known as tifosi).
Where: Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona
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30 April - 9 May 2010: Asian Film Festival
Barcelona’s Contemporary Cultural Centre, the CCCB, presents its annual Asian Film Festival (BAFF). The best contemporary films, selected from hundreds of entries, are screened at venues across the city.
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11 May 2010: Sant Ponç
Every 11 May Barcelona honours Sant Ponç, patron saint of beekeepers and herbalists, with a special market along Calle Hospital. The stalls sell natural products such as honey, perfume, herbal wine and candied fruit.
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12 May 2010: Alejandro Sanz
Grammy award-winner Alejandro Sanz entertains crowds of thousands with his Latin pop and soulful ballads at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The Spanish singer-songwriter performs tracks from his latest album, Paraíso Express.
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15-16 May 2010: Bike Show BCN
Bike Show BCN encompasses all kinds of pedal power from dirt track racing and BMX Freestyling, to less conventional one-wheeled monocycles and four-wheeled cyclekarts. Bike enthusiasts gather in Barcelona’s Parc del Fòrum for two days of competitions, exhibitions and shows.
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13-19 May 2010: Barcelona Poetry
For a week in May, Barcelona celebrates the written word with a series of events and workshops dedicated to poetry. Bus windows and tube carriages are covered in verse, while poetry readings, lectures and workshops take place across the city.
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Barcelona – Ben Hur comes to the capital of Catalonia!
From 26 until 27 december Barcelona will host the BEN HUR LIVE© spectacle in the Palau Sant Jordi. Don’t miss anything of this fabulous event and book your apartment with Rent4Days right away!
For people who will already be staying in Barcelona during the weekend of 26 and 27 december and don’t want to miss anything of this unique spectacle, or for people not knowing exactly what to expect, let’s recapitulate what BEN HUR LIVE© is all about:
The production, the vision of German producer, Franz Abraham has been developed over fifteen years and is finally ready for the public, including the famous chariot race. BEN HUR LIVE© coincides with the 50 year anniversary of the film and will dazzle its audience with a breathtaking combination of light, sound, water, wind and pyrotechnic effects in a show performed in the round, like an ancient arena. Huge projections on a water wall create a unique experience that appeals to all the senses.
The show is based on the novel, Ben Hur – a Tale of Christ, by Lew Wallace and tells the story of the life and destiny of the Jewish prince Judah Ben Hur at the beginning of the 1st century. The production will be accompanied by an emotional symphonic ‘soundtrack created by Stewart Copeland “The Police”, an English speaking narrator, as well as 400 performers and 100 animals including horses, donkeys, ponies, falcons and eagles.
The highlight of the show will be the famous chariot scene where five quadrigas will compete in a neck and neck race around the arena floor. The ‘stars’ of the show will be the thoroughbred horses, who together with a team of trainers and charioteers, will have undergone 12 months of intensive training.
Behind this project is a top-class creative team: BEN HUR LIVE© is directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, music by Stewart Copleland of The Police, the script by British author Shaun McKenna, and the production is designed by Mark Fisher, famous for the opening and final ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
BEN HUR LIVE© creator, Franz Abraham, comments: “The idea for BEN HUR LIVE© began 15 years ago. Right from the beginning I aimed to create something completely new, with a high level of artistry, that would excite the audience. The show will have the speed of a musical, the depth of great theatre, the power of a rock concert and the visual opulence of a Hollywood blockbuster.”
Barcelona – Depeche Mode is visiting the capital of Catalonia!
Great news for all the fans of Depeche Mode, because they will be in Barcelona this month (check the article about what is happening in Barcelona for more specific information concerning dates and prices)! Especially to celebrate that occasion, Rent4Days is giving you some basic info about the group here, just so you have something to talk about with the die-hard fans should you considering going to the Palau Sant Jordi:
- Depeche Mode are one of the most successful, influential, longest-lived bands that have emerged from the early 1980s. They have had forty-five songs in the UK Singles Chart and #1 albums in UK, US and throughout Europe.
- The group’s original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan (lead vocals), Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, vocals, chief songwriter after 1981), Andrew Fletcher (keyboards) and Vince Clarke (keyboards, chief songwriter 1980–81). Vince Clarke left the band after the release of their 1981 debut album, and was replaced by Alan Wilder (keyboards, drums, production) with Gore taking over songwriting. Wilder left the band in 1995 and since then Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher have continued as a trio.
- Their discography consists of the following albums: Speak & Spell (1981); A Broken Frame (1982); Construction Time Again (1983); Some Great Reward (1984); Black Celebration (1986); Music for the Masses (1987); Violator (1990); Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993); Ultra (1997); Exciter (2001); Playing the Angel (2005); Sounds of the Universe (2009)
- Trivia: Bands such as Dishwalla, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, and The Deftones covered Depeche Mode tracks in the 1998 tribute album For the Masses. Depeche Mode’s album Violator has been certified as triple platinum in the U.S., selling over 3.5 million copies. “Personal Jesus” became the biggest-selling 12-inch single in Warner Bros. Records’ history.
- One of their most impressing gigs was the one on the Hollywood Boulevard, so just to give you an idea, we put the video here for you to enjoy their fantastic performance once more: