Barcelona Insider

Fans of contemporary music will be able to combine a Spanish holiday with a world-renowned festival this year.

Jarvis Cocker - One of the many acts due to appear at Primavera

Primavera Sound 09 will come to Barcelona’s Parc del Forum from May 28th to 30th and bring some of the most groundbreaking and experimental artists in modern music with it.

The festival will kick off with performances by well-known artists including My Bloody Valentine and Aphex Twin, as well as cult bands and figures such as Lightning Bolt, Squarepusher and Spectrum.

Bloc Party and Jarvis Cocker will be among the headline acts on the following day, along with Spiritualized, Saint Etienne and many others.

Canadian rock legend Neil Young will bring Primavera Sound to an impressive end on May 30th, with performances by Sonic Youth, Michael Nyman and the New Year also scheduled for the last day of the festival.

Primavera will not be the only major music event held in Barcelona this year, with the Sonar festival set to take place from June 18th to 20th featuring performances by Orbital, Grace Jones and others.

People in Barcelona will be among those who get the chance to see the first show on U2’s 360 Degree Tour this summer.

Edge and Bono - U2

The Irish rock luminaries announced that a series of stadium concerts in support of their new album No Line on the Horizon will begin at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on June 30th.

Milan’s San Siro will be the next venue on the tour on July 7th, followed by the Stade de France in Paris (July 11th), Croke Park in Dublin (July 24th) and other locations before U2 head across the Atlantic to play shows in the US.

The tour will boast the innovative aspect of a stage with a 360-degree design, which will afford every member of the audience an unobstructed view of the group as they perform.

Band manager Paul McGuinness said on their official website:”U2 have always been at their best when surrounded by the audience, this staging takes a giant leap forward.”

Tickets for the tour concerts will go on sale soon and are expected to sell out quickly.

No Line on the Horizon was released around the world at the beginning of March and went straight to the top of the charts in Australia, the US, the UK and elsewhere.

The coming year will represent a “new era” for Barcelona’s photographic archives, according to the city council.

La Rambla

Having previously been included in the city’s historical archives, the photographic collections are now part of the Heritage Centre Department and will be housed in a visitor centre.

The city council said that the aim of this facility will be to “make its resources available to the entire public”.

In the new archive’s exhibition hall, visitors can see some of the two million images that comprise the collection, which cover a range of subjects and represent various styles.

The main focus of the archive is the city of Barcelona, particularly its architectural and urban development, but there are also many images representing towns and villages all over Catalonia and Spain.

Visitors will find the archive centre at Placa de Pons i Clerch in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district, close to the Ciutadella park, one of the city’s most famous and popular attractions.

Visitors to Barcelona can now visit the city’s Tibidabo amusement park, which opened for its new season on February 28th.

Tibidabo Theme Park, Barcelona

The park’s new star attraction, according to the city council, is a rollercoaster that offers impressive views over Barcelona.

Visitors will be carried along a 718-metre long course at speeds of up to 80km per hour, reaching a maximum height of 522 metres.

Another new addition to Tibidabo this year is an educational activity for children designed by technology teacher Lluis Ribas, who also helps to run the park’s automaton museum.

Older visitors can head to the park from April this year to take advantage of Tibidabo Plus, a programme of activities that includes painting, walks and more.

People who use the funicular to reach the park can get their fare refunded when they buy their entrance ticket. An alternative transport option is the Tibibus, which operates from Placa de Catalunya every day.

Another option for thrill-seekers visiting Barcelona is the PortAventura theme park, which can be reached by taking a day-trip from the city.

Fans of the high-octane thrill-ride of Formula One motor racing will be able to visit Barcelona in May to see the fifth grand prix of the season.

Toro Rosso races in the Wet

The 2009 Formula One World Championship will get underway in Melbourne at the end of this month, followed by races in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai and Sakhir in April.

Visitors to Barcelona will be able to see the next grand prix on the weekend beginning May 8th, with the qualifying run on May 9th and the main race the following day.

Last year, this race was won by Ferrari’s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, with his team-mate Felipe Massa coming in second and eventual world champion Lewis Hamilton finishing third.

As ever, the 2009 grand prix will see plenty of support for Spanish driver and former world champion Fernando Alonso.

Motor racing fans visiting Barcelona in May might also be interested in the International Motor Show, which will be held at the Fira de Barcelona from May 9th to 17th.

Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu has commented on the city’s cultural and cinematic appeal, describing it as “an international film set”.

Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

According to figures from the Barcelona council, 55 feature films were made in the city in 2008, along with hundreds of documentaries and more than 1,000 advertising promotions.

One of the biggest movies produced in the city last year was Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Penelope Cruz, who was named best supporting actress at this year’s Academy Awards.

Mr Hereu congratulated the actress on her win and said that the success of the film endorsed the support that the city council gives to the arts and cultural creativity.

The Woody Allen-directed movie features a number of locations in Barcelona that you can visit, including the Sagrada Familia, the Rambla and the Museu Picasso.

After starting his career making movies in New York, Allen has recently shot a number of films in London and reportedly has plans to start a project in Paris next year.