Since its first edition in 2014, the Rock Fest in Barcelona has rapidly established itself as one of Europe's leading rock and metal music festivals.
The line-up gets better every year, and includes such big names as Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Alice Cooper.
Today, I'd like to introduce you to this exceptional festival.
Rock Fest in Barcelona: article summary
Rock Fest Barcelona: Festival site and stages
Rock Fest Barcelona takes place at Can Zam Park, an 11-hectare park in Santa Coloma de Gramanet. on the outskirts of Barcelona.
The festival is built around two identical main stages set up side by side (Stage Rock on the left and Stage Fest on the right).
This type of layout offers two floors with 2 advantages. Firstly, it eliminates the classic festival dilemma of having to choose between two bands playing simultaneously.
Well-oiled organization!Â
The bands play almost continuously one after the other throughout the day. While a band is playing on stage, the team prepares the other scene for the next act.
You can choose to move with the crowd from one stage to the next, or reserve a prime spot right in front of one of the stages.
There's also a third, smaller stage at the back of the site, called the Rock Tent Stage. Here, lesser-known, local bands play. When the bands finish on the Rock Tent Stage, at around 3:30 a.m., they're ready to go, DJs take over.
A timed scene
Most artists are on stage for 60 minutes, with the headliners playing for an hour and 45 minutes. Everything is very well organized to ensure that each group starts on time. The exact schedule can be found on Rock Fest website a few weeks before the event.
The best way to make sure you don't miss anything is to install the Rock Fest application on your phone. At first glance, the application is just a mobile version of the website, but it has a very useful function.
If you click on the name of a group in the running order, it is added to your calendar. You will then receive a message reminding you that they are about to play 1 h before the concert.
Rock Fest in Barcelona: collect multicolored bracelets
Before entering the festival site, one-day tickets and three-day passes are exchanged for wristbands at the entrance.
Once you have your wristband, you are free to enter the festival site as often as you like. Please note that you must also keep your ticket with you in case you are asked to show it.
If you have a three-day pass, you can also pick up your wristband at the Fnac in Paris. Plaça de Catalunya. It is located in the El Triangle shopping center and offers this service on the Wednesday before the festival, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The different installations at Rock Fest Barcelona
In addition to the three stages where bands perform throughout the day, there are also a number of facilities that are sure to please rock fans.
For example, there's an autograph tent where you can meet the bands, get autographs and take photos with your idols.
The autograph tent schedule is normally posted on the app and website shortly before the festival.
If you don't get to see your idols at the autograph tent, there's a guitar, a giant drum kit and a guitar-shaped throne where you can take a selfie with your friends to remember the event.
You'll also find a small area with food trucks selling food. By music festival standards, prices are quite reasonable. In fact, you have to between €7 and €8 for a bowl of noodles, burger, kebab, falafel or bocadillo. There's a covered area with tables where you can enjoy your meal seated in the shade.
Finally, there are two large bars in the middle of the site where you can enjoy a cold beer, as well as mobile beer vendors circulating among the crowds. so you don't have to miss a single moment to grab a beer.
What's not allowed at the festival
You may not bring your own food and drink onto the site. All festival-goers are searched at the entrance. Fortunately, drink prices are not too high.
In 2019, a half-litre bottle of water cost €1 and beer sold for between €3 and €9. You can also sneak off-site where you'll find volunteers with coolers selling cans of beer for €1.50!
How to get to Barcelona Rock Fest
The advantage of Rock Fest is its location and ease of access. Can Zam has its own stop on the L9 North line of the Barcelona metro.
It takes about 45 minutes to get to the festival site from downtown Barcelona. The metro station is right in front of the festival entrance. You'll see the stages and hear the music in the park below you as you leave the station.
The north-east L9 to lines L1 and L5 at La Sagrera and I recommend that you choose a hotel close to one of these stops.
The metro runs until 2 a.m. on Friday nights, all night on Saturday nights and until midnight on Sundays and weekdays. So you won't have to no trouble getting back from the festival.
Barcelona's Rock Fest is a veritable institution for all metal fans. However, if you have a bit of time before or after the festival, I'd advise you to visit the city. It would be a shame to miss Barcelona without discovering what it's hiding.
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