Cruïlla Festival: eclectic programming and a great atmosphere

The latest edition of the Cruïlla festival will be held from 2d – 4th July 2020. It started in 2005 in Mataró, in the suburbs of Barcelona, as a concert series. Following the success of the first series, the experiment was repeated over the following years, moving into Barcelona itself then extending over several days, finally taking its current form.

The programme has become increasingly impressive from year to year. If you’ve not heard of Cruïlla before, you very soon will!

Cruïlla: a melting pot of musical genres

The festival programme is eclectic, something which is reflected in the name: “cruïlla” means “crossroads” in Catalan. The festival offers a mix of pop, ska, hop-hop, reggae, folk, flamenco and rock music.

• One fun element lies in the fact that visitors can suggest artists they’d like to see at the festival, adding an unusual participative twist!

The video below will give you some idea of what goes on and of the general vibe at Cruïlla!

Cruïlla 2019: programme

• The full programme for Cruïlla 2020 has been announced. For more information on the rest of the programme and to buy tickets online, visit the Cruïlla festival website.

Cruïlla tickets

• Three-day passes cost from €140, two-day passes cost from €110 and one-day tickets cost from €45.

 

The Cruïlla vibe

The highly eclectic Cruïlla festival

attracts a highly varied crowd, united by their love of music. The atmosphere is friendly and good-natured.

No need to worry about bad vibes or crowd control here! Everyone is too busy singing, dancing, shouting and/or smiling, and clearly pleased to be there. Well, we certainly were!

Stages at Cruïlla

There are 4 main stages at Cruïlla, all named after their sponsors, which vary from year to year.

• The two main stages are close together, making it easy to get from one to the other. Concerts arranged so that as one finishes, another starts on the other stage. It’s very practical, as you get to see plenty of artists without wasting time walking between the stages or waiting for concerts to start. Both stages are also fully accessible.
• The other two stages are further away (from the main stages and from each other), but are still easy to get to.

In addition to the 4 stages, the Estrella lounge plays host to smaller, more intimate performances, with a few chairs for spectators.

Eating and drinking at Cruïlla

Bars

There are two types of bars:

• Tent bars: these offer the widest choice of drinks (beer, soft drinks, energy drinks, spirits and water)
• Estrella Damm bars: these wooden structures, run by the Estrella beer company, are easy to spot and give the festival a bit of a fairground feel! They only sell beer and water.

• The bars also offer gluten-free beer.

You’ll also find wandering vendors selling beer. On the plus side, you won’t have to go and queue at the bar, but this does come at a price as the beer is more expensive.

Finally, the Parc de Fòrum (where the festival is held) has a number of drinking fountains.

Food trucks

Hungry? No problem! There are food trucks parked across several areas of the festival, offering a wide variety of choice, from sandwiches, burgers and tacos to Thai and Japanese cuisine.

There are also plenty of dessert options, with churros, ice cream and other sweet treats.

Cruïlla payment system

Like many festivals, Cruïlla uses a wristband payment system, where you simply recharge your wristband at the designated points. You then pay for everything with your wristband, so you don’t have to carry money around.

• You’ll be given your wristband on presentation of your ticket when you arrive at the festival. You’ll need it to get through the turnstiles at the entrance and exist.
• Be very careful with your wristband: if you damage it and it becomes unuseable, you won’t be able to get your credit back.
• The wristbands are waterproof and still work after a long swim in the sea.

• Note: if there’s money left on your wristband at the end of the festival, you can get it back by filling in a form on the Cruïlla website. This is available after the festival, and you’ll need your wristband number, so remember to keep it safe!

Other services

• There’s a free wifi zone for festival goers
• There’s also a cloakroom service, which costs around €2 per item
• You can recharge your phone in a dedicated area.

Useful information

Access to Cruïlla

• Cruïlla is held at the Parc du Fòrum (like Primavera Sound)
• Under-13s are admitted with a legal guardian. 13-15 year olds must also be accompanied and pay for tickets. Those aged 16 and over are admitted alone.

Other information

• Drinks and dangerous or toxic objects cannot be brought into the festival area
• Animals are not admitted
• Reflex and video cameras are also prohibited
• Tickets are issued to a named person, but you can give your ticket to someone else if you’re unable to come. To do this, you’ll have to provide your lucky substitute with a signed authorisation and a photocopy of your ID.

Enjoy the festival!