since 2009
And many more to come
BARCELONA'S FIRST CONTEMPORARY
CRAFT AND DESIGN FAIR
Festivalet started in 2009, when there was nothing like it in the city. We picked our favourite independent contemporary design and craft brands and brought them closer to the public. It worked from day one.
Our first edition was in December 2009: 8 makers in the crypt of La Central bookshop in El Raval. We had no idea if anyone would turn up. They did — so we decided to do another one.
In 2010 we thought a spring/summer edition alongside the Christmas one would be a good idea. That June we held our second edition at Duduá's old space on Passatge de la Pau, with 14 makers. People came, but everyone was in beach mode — so we settled on one edition a year, in December.
In December 2010 we held our third edition at Miscelanea, in their old space in El Raval. We grew the line-up a little and brands from outside Barcelona joined for the first time. The night before, we were up until 3am sewing paper garlands.
In 2011 we needed more room and moved to the FAD, in its former home at the Convent dels Àngels, by the MACBA. The AFAD association (FAD's artists and makers) gave us a huge hand. That year we introduced our stand design, with the wooden wall at the back.
In 2012 we stayed at the Convent dels Àngels but expanded into a second hall and added the materials section. Cosmo café (now Cometa) were there too, serving food and drinks on the terrace.
In 2013 the Convent dels Àngels had become too small, so we moved to the Maritime Museum — over 1,000 m². That year we ran talks and documentary screenings (Handmade Nation and Sign Painters by Faythe Levine).
In 2014 we made neon lights for the hall. That's when we started working with Leo, our trusted neon maker, who's still with us today. It was our second year at the Maritime Museum and we knew our way around a space that size.
In 2015 the publisher Gustavo Gili organised an urban sketchers meet-up at Festivalet. We had sketchers everywhere, drawing whatever caught their eye.
In 2016 we built a giant balloon with Penguins. The theme that year was the sky, and there was a big neon rainbow to match.
In 2017 we put up a small jungle of plants and balloons, and expanded the food area.
In 2018 we ran workshops during Festivalet for the first time, with the publisher Gustavo Gili — taught by the makers themselves. That year we also launched a Festivalet online marketplace, and swapped balloons for strings of light bulbs.
In 2019 our tote bags were screen-printed live by Laser, with illustrations by Giulia Sagramola, Cristina Daura, Genie Espinosa and No Planet No Fun. We ran more workshops with GG, and opened our own bar with BCN MÉS. It was also the first year makers travelled all the way from the Americas to take part.
In 2020, because of Covid, we didn't hold an edition for the first time. Instead we did an online version, Festivalet Kiosko. In 2021 we were back in person, in a new home: the former Fabra i Coats textile factory in Sant Andreu, an early 20th-century building.
In 2022 we returned to Fabra i Coats. The food area grew, and for the first time we ran a public vote for best stand — the winners got a free stand at the 2023 edition.