Barcelona’s Festa Major a massive tourist attraction in August

11 July 2010 @ 01:37 pm EDT

Preparations are underway for Barcelona's famous annual week long Festa Major, held from 15 to 21 August and including the Catholic Feast of the Assumption in the city's Gracia district. The celebrations bring visitors from across the world and ensure a busy time for the city's hoteliers and restaurateurs.

Festa Major de Gracia 2006 (flickr: barçalunacy)

Gracia's Feast of the Assumption hits the streets on 15 August, with live music, colourful floral decorations, street entertainment, parties, theatre events and quantities of food and drink. Festivities continue until the end of the Festa Major, entertaining visitors from all over the world.

The city of Barcelona is an international conference and trade fair centre as well as a year round tourist draw, attracting major events and hosting a large number of attendees. Mid to high range hotels are often fully booked and at festival time everything except the main tourist areas closes as residents join the celebrations.

With August the major vacation month across Europe and Barcelona a favourite visitor destination, hordes of tourists are expected to descend on the city for the festival, prompting a shortage of rooms in Barcelona hotels especially in the Gracia district. Online hotels site DirectRooms.com is recommending early booking, especially in mid to high range hotels.

According to Lek Boonlert, marketing head at DirectRooms.com, "Due to the city's popularity both as a tourist draw and a business centre, it can often be difficult to get a suitable hotel room without booking well in advance, so booking online is advisable."

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