Lina López: "A major festival cannot end at ten at night"

BarcelonaLina López (Caracas, 1977) is the president of the Festa Major de Gràcia Foundation. She arrived in Barcelona twenty years ago and explains that getting involved in the festival – she is part of the Lluís Vives street commission – helped her overcome her most difficult moment. This year she is leaving the position, after a term that began in 2022.

What balance does she make of these four years?

— Very positive. We have achieved most of the objectives we set for ourselves when we ran. In four years you do a lot of things and, for personal health and that of the entity, a president should not last longer. Two terms are very hard.

What legacy do you think he/she leaves?

— The most important thing is that the mentality of the commissions regarding the Foundation has changed. Now all the commissions and the Foundation have found a balance. There is more brotherhood.

His term began the year when mass tourism peaked. Has it been fixed?

— It will never be fixed, because the problem is with the city model. What we have managed to do is minimize the impact. The quiet night is consolidated, and it is a relief for both the neighbors and the festival-goers. And the delay in the delivery of the prizes has also been noticed.

Would a second quiet night be viable?

— A second quiet night would already be not celebrating. What we could control more is the type of concert or activity programmed at night.

And do you think there are other measures to combat overcrowding?

— The measure of the bar could be studied. But it is not easy, because they are a source of income for the street commissions, which not only have to finance the trimmings, but also their premises. The Foundation gives aid with a ceiling of 800 euros, but the premises no longer cost that.

Have there been any committees that have had problems maintaining or finding premises?

— Yes. Sometimes you don't have a street-level shop available or near your street, or you can't afford it. They even asked us [on Lluís Vives street] for 2,500 euros for a shop. Of course, you can't afford that.

What are the main challenges facing the Gràcia festival?

— One of the most important threats is gentrification. Many residents who participated in the main festival can no longer afford an apartment in Vila de Gràcia. Nevertheless, there are many people who no longer live there but continue to come to help decorate, because it is their connection to the neighborhood. And the other challenge is something we cannot fight against, which is that the festival has become a tourist attraction, although this year a decrease in tourism has been noted. In 2024, guided tours with groups of tourists were even seen. We don't see that now.

Another challenge is coexistence. This year, some neighbors have asked for the town festival to end at ten at night.

— I don't think it's viable. We are complying with the regulations. A major festival cannot end at ten at night. And you wouldn't manage to get people to go home either and not stay there making noise.

This year the heat has also caused you problems.

— Above all, July was critical. It was impossible to go out on the street to prepare the decorations. And planning the daytime program costs much more. I think in the coming years there will come a time when perhaps we will have to consider the dates of the main festival. It seems impossible to change the date, but the climate doesn't help.

You are an example of a person born outside Catalonia who has integrated into the main festival. Are you an exception?

— No. Many of the committees have been maintained thanks to people born abroad. In the end, one of the easiest ways to integrate is participation.

How was it in your case?

— At first, I didn't participate in the main festival either, because I thought it was a festival only for Catalans. But I realized that it wasn't true, that the festival was for everyone. And, besides, it helps you learn Catalan. I tell everyone that the way to integrate is to speak Catalan. I am the first president of the Foundation not born in Catalonia. And for me, that is a source of pride.

Could there be more decorated streets in the future?

— Yes. In fact, there have been proposals from some streets that want to join.

What has been your worst moment leading the Foundation?

— For me, one of the hardest was 2024. I had a very bad time when there was a conflict between commissions. But from bad things you can also get positive ones. And from that moment until now the relationship between the commissions has totally changed.

And the best part?

— Being able to reach an agreement with the internal regulations, that all commissions could participate in it and everyone could have their say. And managing to have everyone have the same quiet night on the same day has also been a brutal achievement.

What advice would I give to the person who has to succeed me?

— To me, previous presidents told me that I had to be patient and find the point of balance. I would add knowing how to listen.