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

BarcelonaOnly the Batiscafo katiuskas by Antònia Font could find the way through the unfathomable waters into which the decorated street contest of the Gràcia festival often turns. Plaça Rovira has this time taken the first prize in the contest with its beautiful 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 contest: an exhibition that allowed a glimpse of sketches of the decorations from previous years. Brillen ses estrelles, therefore, in Plaça Rovira, which has beaten other streets that appeared 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 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 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 either –one of the great favorites– to once again rule the Vila de Gràcia. After winning last year –and despite the exuberance of its dragons–, this time it had to settle for sixth place. At Plaça de la Vila, many have 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, was railing against the jury in 1982: "All of Barcelona has given it first prize and the jury has given it sixth."

Queues in the streets once again

The award ceremony of the competition has once again shown that, despite the gentrification experienced by Vila de Gràcia, the main festival is far from losing its personality. The Plaça de la Vila has once again filled to the brim for the central event of the festival, a competition that, beyond the competition itself, serves as an 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 ensure the preservation of the festival's spirit. Despite the different measures against the overcrowding 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 award ceremony itself – 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 for visiting the 23 decorated streets or the night without concerts.

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