This is what the Forum's new marine platform for festivals and competitions will look like.

BarcelonaBarcelona has a winning proposal to finally unlock the transformation of its waterfront: the city council has designed a "multifunctional" space on the Fòrum marine platform that will continue to host festivals like Primavera Sound and smaller events, as well as sporting and civic activities. The 12.7-hectare esplanade will be located where Rambla Prim, the seafront promenade, and the Besòs-Badalona corridor converge, and will also house the new Poblenou - Agapito Fernández municipal football stadium.

The winning proposal, submitted by the team of Esteyco and Estudi Martí Franch (EMF), is titled Delta Prim. The goal is for the space to offer "maximum versatility and complementarity" to the waterfront. The project is expected to take approximately six years to complete and has a budget of 52 million euros. The works will begin once those currently underway on the Mar Bella promenade are completed, which are expected to last until spring 2027.

The platform to be developed lies between Llevant Beach and the Fòrum Park, and the project envisions a central space that will continue to host, as it has until now, sports, recreational, and cultural activities. The necessary service networks for large events, such as the April Fair and the Cruïlla Festival, will be in place, and the plan includes general service infrastructure—lighting, access control, security, and public address systems—around the perimeter of the large central space. Additional services for specific events, such as stages, temporary catering, restrooms, and water fountains, can also be added.

A space "for citizen use"

At a press conference this Monday, the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Jaume Collboni, said that with these changes, the space will become an open platform "for public use." The new Poblenou - Agapito Fernández municipal football pitch, currently located on Nova Mar Bella beach, will be installed at the southwest end of the platform. In fact, this will become its permanent location. The transformation of the Forum will also include a new center for water sports. In addition to the marine platform, the works will also affect the immediate surroundings: there will be promenades and seating areas, vegetation, and viewpoints. The edges of the platform will be shaped with slopes and inclines adapted to the existing infrastructure, facilitating sea views from the seaside promenade, the Rambla Prim, and the sides of the Ronda Litoral ring road. "The plan is to connect the entire beach area to the Fòrum restrooms by foot or bike," said Collboni, who added that there will be a green promenade extending the Mar Bella park.