After being closed for a decade, the iconic venue El Molino in Barcelona will reopen its doors on October 27th. Authorities reported that the reopening occurs thanks to an agreement between the Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Events Musical, the organization behind the famous Cruïlla music festival. The new stage of El Molino will have a different approach, with a program focused on “roots” music, such as jazz, flamenco, folk and singer-songwriters. This will leave behind the traditional variety show that made it famous in the past.
Reopening of El Molino
The agreement will allow Barcelona Events Musicals, the organizer of the Cruïlla Festival, to manage the venue for the next four years, with the option to extend the contract if both parties agree. Jordi Herreruela, head of Barcelona Events Musicals, highlighted the historical and cultural importance of El Molino: “El Molino has been a cultural and social meeting point, a place where sailors, workers and the Catalan bourgeoisie met. It was a space free of prejudice, transgressive, diverse and plural, iconic of Barcelona”. El Molino has been closed since 2013, and although its new reopening will not include the famous variety magazine, it will offer a wide range of cultural activities including music, comedy, talks and conferences. The Councilor for Culture, Xavier Marcé, explained that the absence of the variety magazine is due to the fact that it was not contemplated in the conditions of the award tender. However, he stressed that the programming will have a strong music and entertainment component.
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, framed the reopening of El Molino within a broader project to revitalize Paral-lel Avenue, which also includes the Apolo and other theaters in the area. Collboni mentioned that the aim is to create a “cultural triangle” on Paral-lel, together with Paral-lel 62 and the Arnau theater. The remodeling of the latter is scheduled to begin early next year.
Collaboration
Public-private collaboration is key to this project, and the mayor highlighted the role of various cultural associations that will participate in the venue’s programming. In addition, it is hoped that surrounding neighborhoods such as Sant Antoni, Raval and Poble Sec will see El Molino as a cultural space of its own, encouraging the integration of the local community in the theater’s activities. The management model for the new phase of El Molino has been inspired by renowned traditional clubs, such as Ronnie Scott’s in London. According to Herreruela, the venue will be open Wednesday through Sunday, with three shows daily at 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and midnight. In addition, attendees will have the option of dining or drinks during the shows, with a focus on minimizing noise to ensure the quality of the experience. The price range will be varied, with tickets ranging from €12 to €70, depending on the show.
The venue will be managed by Víctor Partido, a musician and cultural manager, who has designed an inaugural program that gives great prominence to jazz. Among the artists who will perform in the first months of the reopening are renowned names such as Donald Harrison, Elianne Elias, Lackecia Benjamin, Tom Skinner, Uri Caine and Bill Frisell. Although jazz will have a significant weight in the initial programming, both Herreruela and Partido have clarified that El Molino will not become a jazz-only club. In fact, the program will include artists from different genres, such as the group Maestro Espada, which fuses Murcian folk with digital music, or the African singer Fatoumata Diawara. In addition, the incorporation of flamenco, rumba and folk artists is expected in the coming seasons.
Intimate and close atmosphere
The capacity of the venue has a capacity for 250 people, which will create an intimate and close atmosphere between the artists and the audience. The offer of El Molino will be complemented by DJ sessions that will close the days, with a selection of genres such as soul and funk. In addition to music, the program will include comedy, concerts organized by other festivals such as BarnaSants, and participation in events such as the seventh edition of Jazz I Am in March. Collaboration with music schools and conferences are also planned, with the aim of opening the space to as many cultural proposals as possible. With this new stage, El Molino aspires to regain its status as a cultural reference in Barcelona, adapting to modern times without losing its historical and transgressive essence.
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