50 years of the Bagdad: from the years of the 'unveiling' to being a tourist attraction

BarcelonaBagdad is always there. With its imposing sign, almost dazzling lighting, the obviously Arabic inspiration in its decorations and accessories, and the iconic image of the girl emerging from Aladdin's lamp. It's been around for fifty years. Yes, this December Bagdad turns half a century old. Today it's essentially a tourist attraction, which in turn is a driving force for the neighborhood where it's located, the indomitable Paral·lel, the avenue of theaters and entertainment that has seen better decades, a time of splendor that many long to revive. The revitalization of El Molino and the perennial project to reopen Arnau are epiphanies yet to be fulfilled. Joana lives on the neighboring Vila i Vilà street and remembers the times when Paral·lel was a cauldron, a hive of energy in contact. And Bagdad? It has never been inside, but it is loved all the same as an essential part of the everyday landscape of its almost lifelong surroundings.

Perhaps many people don't know that the Bagdad, before its inauguration on December 20, 1975 – just one month after Franco's death – was also a much-loved performance venue on Paral·lel. One flamenco tablao The flamenco club, which bore the traditional name of Bodega del Toro, was owned by none other than the Bella Dorita, an immortal and inimitable institution on the Paralelo. The nightlife entrepreneur, Rafael de Lucía, who already had experience with other venues linked to variety shows and the spiciness of the nightlife during the turbulent years of late Francoism, wanted to take over from the Bella Dorita and acquired the place to transform it into the Bagdad – the oriental inspiration is clear from the name – to accelerate the long-awaited growth. In those years, the unveiling It was flourishing and seemed the height of modernity: girls taking off their clothes as a lure for large audiences. The confusion between the exploitation of a body and the freedom of the new era. But it's easy to judge with today's eyes, 2025. It's necessary to put yourself in the context of the time, even in the shoes of the time. A striptease was quite a feat, however contradictory or paradoxical it may seem to us today.

De Lucía, along with his wife Juani – I'll explain later how she came to be known as Juani de Lucía – spearheaded this new era. Juani de Lucía has tirelessly explained over the years what Bagdad is, what its personality is: "We are a pioneering venue for pornographic shows. We don't work with prostitution of any kind, but with porn actors and actresses who dedicate themselves to performing live shows." The Bagdad, like other shows in the city, benefits from the large influx of visitors Barcelona receives throughout the year. Whether they're tourists or attendees of Mobile World Congress, to give just one example. Private events and celebrations too, of course. Bachelor and bachelorette parties are king.

It's revealing to trace the Bagdad's history through publications as popular in the late seventies and early eighties as Party, Papillon either Sexy StarlettAll of them closely linked to the LGBTQ+ scene of the time. Daring reports on Barcelona nightlife, with a profusion of risqué photographs, unpublishable today, revealing a very particular personality, a willingness to push boundaries. Even if only through public pronouncements. Joan Estrada, the eternal Barcelona cultural agitator and scholar of countless theatrical, civic, and nocturnal adventures, knows Bagdad and its owner very well. "Have I told you who named Juani de Lucía?" "I can guess. You did, right?" Well, yes, it was him.

The journalist Àngel Casas, tireless seeker of the spicy, wanted to spice up the end of his program One day is one day–his adventure at TVE after theAngel Casas Show – with party endings linked to the chest and thigh. It was Estrada who suggested the people at the Bagdad. "But who do we interview to get all the details?" "Juani, of course." "Juani, very good, and what's her last name?" "Mmm, Juani de Lucía." And Juani de Lucía stuck, lending her husband's surname in an impromptu and humorous way. The friendship between the three dated back to when Estrada was the artistic director of the Arnau theater, just a stone's throw from the Bagdad. He remembers a lot of memorable evenings. Like, for example, the night when the great world basketball star, Arvydas Sabonis—then a player for Foro Valladolid, a stepping stone before his arrival at Real Madrid—entered the Bagdad ready to party. He could barely fit—the ceilings are rather low—but that didn't stop him from enjoying the entertainment. Also the night the great filmmaker Emir Kusturica and his band had performed at the neighboring Sala Apolo and traveled to the Bagdad for the after-party. And, returning to Àngel Casas, the journalist realized that the latest installment ofOne day is one day It was to be done with a naked audience. A thorough casting call was necessary. And the De Lucía family provided them with a large pool of candidates to fill the seats and liven up the evening as the occasion deserved.

A young man named Nacho Vidal, who would later become an international star, took his first steps on the Bagdad stage. Rocco Siffredi also performed. Juani has always been clear about it: "We are an important school in the pornographic genre. The leading figures have graced our stage." They have always taken care of both the actors and the audience, and the owner takes every opportunity to emphasize that, despite their world being susceptible to generating much suspicion, misunderstanding, and lack of control, they have never had any public order problems or neighborhood discontent in half a century. They have experienced crises, of course, the most significant—as in almost every case—being the 2020 pandemic. But also during the complicated months of 2017 related to the independence movement. From September to November, Barcelona usually hosts a good number of events and conferences that attract people from abroad. The drop in business was noticeable.

Now tourists are their main customers. Like Lucas and Mikael, who are killing time at El Rincón del Artista, the bar on the busy and fascinating corner of Nou de la Rambla and Paral·lel. Several beers ensure a certain predisposition to letting loose. They knew they would come weeks before their trip to Barcelona. "We've read that it's a unique place in the world," they say. "But do you have anything similar in your country?" "Yes, there are live sex events, but they only happen two or three times a year." They must be referring to the Kinky Salon, a very popular biannual erotic fair in Copenhagen.

In Barcelona, Bagdad is celebrating its golden anniversary. Just one month after Franco's death. Two very close fiftieth anniversaries.