The Grec closes its 50th anniversary with almost 145,000 spectators, about 16,000 more than in 2025
In the second edition as director, Leticia Martín has felt "the public's trust"
BarcelonaThe 50th edition of the Grec Festival will conclude this Friday with 144,714 spectators, approximately 16,000 more than in 2025, as reported this Thursday by the Councilor for Culture of the Barcelona City Council, Xavier Marcé, and the director of the Grec Festival, Leticia Martín. This Thursday and Friday will feature the last performances of this edition at the Montjuïc amphitheater, specifically the show "Um julgamento", starring Wagner Moura. As Martín assures, the main reason for the increase in audience is that there have been "more sessions at the Grec Theatre", which has a capacity of around 1,950 seats. The festival's average attendance has been 71%, 9% less than in 2025, a decrease that Martín attributes to the fact that this year there were "larger venues" such as the Teatre Apolo that were not fully occupied. This edition, over 200,000 tickets were put on sale, while last year it was 164,000.
The current edition of the Grec has programmed 96 shows in 58 venues across the city. 58% of the shows were in Catalan and 44.4% were led by women. The occupancy of the Grec Theatre has been 96% and that of the festival's direct programming, 95%. "I am especially proud to feel the public's trust, because there were many artists who had never come before and, even so, the tickets have sold very well, in some cases very quickly," points out Martín. Another figure relating to the audience is that this year there have been around 7,000 people – nearly 8% of the audience – who have bought tickets for the first time. Marcé has applauded the occupancy figures and has underlined that they are "above the usual average in the city".
The budget for this edition has been 4 million euros, with an additional 10% contribution for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary. Now the Barcelona City Council will study if it can consolidate this 10% for the next edition.
The most successful shows
Among the performances that sold out were the opening: L'òpera de tres rals; Ophelia's got talent, the Barcelona debut of Austrian performer Florentina Holzinger, known for creating physically extreme scenes, and also the Korean production Muljil, by the company Elephants Laugh. "This edition was an important challenge because we wanted to capture the spirit of 1976, but without it overwhelming us," explains Martín. "We have managed to have a series of performances that, together, have created a festival atmosphere, of things that only happen during these weeks. In such a complicated world, stages must be places to debate, encounter new cultures, discover artists, and let these experiences change us," says Martín.
This year the festival has had the added challenge of the heatwave. Marcé has acknowledged that it is a topic that concerns the organization. "We will have to reflect on the heat," says the councilor, especially regarding the artistic teams who work at the Grec Theatre many hours a day. Another of the issues on the table is making the decision to improve the seats in the amphitheatre.
