Planning a trip to Barcelona for Primavera 2014

The final headliner was announced for Primavera Sound 2014 (which takes place 29/05 – 31/05) this morning and to mark the occasion I thought I’d write a little guide on planning a trip to Barcelona for the festival.  The headliners for next year’s event are Neutral Milk Hotel, Arcade Fire and The Pixies.

I’m no expert, but I’ve been to the festival for the last two years and there’s some advice that’s worth knowing if you’re on the fence about going.

1. Book a ticket sooner rather than later.  Not because the festival will sell out (although it might) but because the price of the ticket rises the closer it gets to the date.  I booked my tickets back in July I think at a cost of €120, but at this point there was only one act confirmed.  The price steadily rises to around €250 and at the time of writing, they’re €160.
2. Primavera has no camping what so ever, so that means you either need to book an apartment, a hotel or a hostel.  If there’s a big group of you then an apartment works out pretty cheap for a decent place.
3. Book your accommodation as soon as you can, even before flights.  The options will only get worse and the prices will only get higher the longer you leave it.  There’s a capacity of 35000 for the festival, so the longer you leave it, the less options you will have.  Airbnb is a good website to look for an apartment.
4. Try and find somewhere to stay that’s close to the festival site (Parc del Fòrum) or as near to Plaça de Catalunya (which is just off the top of La Rambla) as you can.  There’s no metro service on the Thursday or Friday, but there is a night bus, run by the festival, which takes you to Plaça de Catalunya and no-where else.  So if you want to avoid massive walks, or expensive and busy taxi’s, do that.
5. The festival takes place on the Thursday to the Saturday, but if you can, try and get to Barcelona from at least the Wednesday.  They hold a night that is completely free where a few acts will play over the course of the night. Two years ago this was held in the centre of the city, but last year it took place at the Parc del Fòrum itself.
6. Flights are generally quite cheap, but it’s worth looking around before rushing in.   I booked my return flights 4 weeks before the festival last year and only paid £29 for it.  These aren’t a priority, at least not for myself.

The festival takes place from 6pm – 6 am each day, with the headliners going on stage at around 12/1 each day.  This gives you plenty of time to explore Barcelona during the day times.

That’s pretty much all you need to know about planning for the festival.  There’s obviously a lot more to take into consideration once you decided to go, but there are a number of months until that comes around yet.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll respond.