The tribute in Rovira square to Antònia Font wins the decorated streets contest of Gràcia

BarcelonaOnly Antònia Font's Batiscafo Katiuscas could find the way through the unfathomable waters that the decorated streets competition of the Gràcia festival often turns into. Plaça Rovira has this time won first prize in the competition with its precious tribute to one of the emblematic songs of the Mallorcan band. The jury has recognized the work of this square in Gràcia, which, beyond the underwater tribute to Antònia Font, had one of the best details of this edition of the competition: an exhibition that allowed to see sketches of the decorations from other years. Brillen ses estrelles, therefore, in Plaça Rovira, which has beaten other streets that were ahead in the predictions in a very disputed edition.

The second place went to a Mozart street that has not fallen from the top positions for years. This time its spectacular enchanted greenhouse has served it to repeat the silver medal from a year ago. The third position was taken by Llibertat street, the best classified of the five streets that, in one of this year's novelties, have joined around the theme of "The Lord of the Rings". The impressive Argonath gates and the journey to Mordor have earned them a well-deserved podium. Behind them were the original tribute to Catalan scatological language of Plaça de la Vila and the rogue pirates of Perla street.

Sauron's ring has not served Progrés –one of the great favorites– to rule Vila de Gràcia again. After winning last year –and despite the exuberance of its dragons–, this time it had to settle for sixth place. In Plaça de la Vila, many remembered the now-deceased Òscar, a former resident of Progrés street who, as seen in a video that El Boig de Can Fanga circulated on social media this Wednesday, railed against the jury in 1982: "All of Barcelona has given it the first prize and the jury has given it the sixth".

Queues in the streets one more year

The award ceremony of the contest has once again shown that, despite the gentrification that Vila de Gràcia is experiencing, the main festival is far from losing its personality. The Plaça de la Vila has once again been filled to the brim for the central event of the festival, a contest that, beyond the competition, is the excuse for months for the different street commissions to work together imagining and executing the decoration. To maintain the bond between neighbors.

However, the festival-goers will have to continue exploring ways to guarantee the preservation of the spirit of the festival. Despite the different measures against the overpopulation of the festival that have been taken in recent years, this year the images of long queues to access the decorated streets have been repeated. The same award ceremony – which has been held later for some time to prevent visitors from concentrating on the awarded decorations – is a symbol of these attempts to avoid the collapse of the streets, as is the one-way system to visit the 23 decorated streets or the concert-free night.

With the award ceremony, the Gràcia festival reaches the final stretch of an edition that, so far, has passed without notable incidents. Only the controversy between some neighbors and some streets over the location of the stages and noise. A controversy that has also been noticeable in Plaça de la Vila, where the Sant Miquel placeta commission – one of those that has clashed with some neighbors – has been one of the most applauded.