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Canet de Mar returns to 1900 with three days of Modernist fair
Canet de Mar will travel back more than a century again from 25 to 27 September. The 18th Modernist Fair will transform the town centre for three days with shows, a craft market, routes, music and gastronomic offerings inspired by the atmosphere of the early 20th century.
This year’s edition places special emphasis on modernist cuisine. Restaurants and activities linked to the fair will revive recipes, products and ways of serving food typical of the period, in a programme that seeks to bring visitors closer not only to modernist architecture and aesthetics, but also to everyday life at the time.
The first activities will begin on Friday afternoon, with street entertainment, family activities and the opening of the market. The centre of Canet will gradually change in appearance, with stalls, characters dressed in period costume and performances that will turn the streets into part of the setting itself.
Saturday and Sunday will contain much of the programme. There will be parades, open-air theatre, music, dance, children’s activities and routes that will allow visitors to discover the municipality’s modernist heritage from another perspective. Food-related events and gatherings linked to the market and local culture are also planned.
Canet also has an argument that is difficult to separate from the fair: its architecture. The figure of Lluís Domènech i Montaner is closely tied to the municipality, and his legacy makes a walk through the centre more than a temporary backdrop. The festival draws precisely on that heritage to recreate the atmosphere of 1900 without needing to invent a setting from scratch.
For those travelling from Barcelona, the trip is especially straightforward. The R1 de Rodalies line connects the Catalan capital with Canet de Mar in around an hour, allowing visitors to go and return on the same day without relying on a car.
Its proximity to the sea adds another attraction. Anyone who does not want to spend the whole day among activities can combine the fair with a walk along the seafront or a meal overlooking the coast, before returning to the centre for the afternoon and evening programme.
Over that final weekend in September, Canet will temporarily cease to seem like just another town in the Maresme and will recover part of the modernist city it once was. Streets, façades, music and gastronomy will serve as a bridge to an era that still forms a visible part of the urban landscape.