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The historic fairground in Poblenou under threat just weeks before the Fiesta Mayor
One of the most recognisable sights of the Fiesta Mayor del Poblenou is at risk of disappearing this September. The traditional fairground still does not have a confirmed location, and the lack of agreement between the district of Sant Martí and the fair operators threatens to leave the neighbourhood without an event that has accompanied the celebrations for decades.
The problem lies on Passeig de Calvell, the space where the rides are usually set up near the end of Poblenou's rambla and the Bogatell and Mar Bella beaches. Works linked to the cemetery are making it difficult to use the site under the same conditions this year.
The district has proposed moving the fair to Passeig de Garcia Fària, but the alternative does not convince the professionals. Fairground operators believe that the available space is narrower, reduces the capacity to set up rides and is less well positioned to capture the flow of families and visitors who walk around the Fiesta Mayor.
The two sides also disagree in their account of what happened with permits. The guild says it had prepared the campaign expecting to set up again in Poblenou, while the district maintains that it has not rejected holding the fair and that the problem is finding a location that meets the necessary safety conditions.
The conflict has grown because the same area around Passeig de Calvell has recently hosted other events. The Fira de Cerveses del Poblenou was held there in July, a circumstance fairground operators use to question why it is now more difficult to make their activity compatible with the works.
For many families in the neighbourhood, the discussion goes beyond where to place some rides. The fair has been part of the September landscape for generations, with lights, music and stalls gathered by the seafront while the inner streets host communal dinners, concerts and neighbourhood activities.
The Fiesta Mayor will take place from 10 to 20 September, so the time available to find a solution is narrowing. The district and sector representatives remain in contact to explore alternatives and prevent the 2026 edition from becoming an exception after decades of continuity.
For now, anyone consulting the festival programme can find castellers, correfocs, giants, concerts and street activities, but the fair remains surrounded by question marks. A few weeks before the festivities begin, Poblenou has almost everything ready except one of the images that traditionally announced that September had arrived in the neighbourhood.