Irene Dalmases
Barcelona (EFE).- Catalonia will live this Sunday a Sant Jordi that is expected to be very participatory, in which, for the first time in three years there will be no restrictions due to the pandemic, the year with the largest editorial offer in all history, with more book stalls and roses and more author signatures than ever.
These are the keys to a complicated day in terms of security logistics, although no rain is forecast, with its epicenter in the “literary superilla” of Barcelona; with a Barça match at the Camp Nou against Atlético de Madrid in the afternoon; the final of the Godó Tennis Tournament and the April Fair of Catalonia in the Parc del Fórum, among many other activities.
A Sant Jordi to remember
After three years marked by the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions that it entailed, this year there will be a “record” Sant Jordi, with the largest editorial offer, expanding the pedestrian “literary superilla” in Barcelona created last year, which will cover a total space of 154,000 square meters, equivalent to about 22 football fields, between the district of Gràcia and Las Ramblas.
movement of people
As it falls on a Sunday, although a majority prefers Book Day to be a working day, a “great movement” of people is expected throughout Catalonia, both Barcelonans who will go to their second homes, where they will buy books and roses, as well as of people from the regions who will take the opportunity to visit and do their shopping in the Catalan capital.
no rain on the horizon
Another issue that always worries those involved in organizing the festival is the weather in a month in which, before, it was not uncommon for it to rain. This year, the predictions do not predict water in most of Catalonia, after the storm of 2022 at noon, with an “esclafit” included in Barcelona, which caused damage to many booths and losses for some publishers of more than 14,000 euros.
Play in Barcelona
Although at first, when the schedules for this Sunday’s football matches became known, Barça asked for a change, in the end everyone has agreed that throughout the history of this Diada, since it began celebrate in 1926, there has been everything, and the party has always prevailed, with thousands of people occupying the streets.
nine to nine
The president of the Guild of Booksellers of Catalonia, Èric del Arco, commented a few days ago that the magic of this day lies in the fact that Catalonia “goes to sleep with nothing on the street and gets up with stalls of flowers and books in every corner”, who will be there between nine in the morning and nine at night, to “reposition” everything at dawn.
bestseller list
On the day in which the turnover for the sale of around one million copies of books exceeds twenty million euros, another classic of the afternoon is to find out which authors are the ones that occupy the list of best sellers, although in the global do not exceed 5%.
This year, predictions in Spanish are headed by authors such as Eva García Sáenz de Urturi, Fernando Aramburu or Elvira Lindo, while in Catalan Xavier Bosch, Gemma Ruiz and Marta Orriols have been on the podium for days, who have been joined by Albert Sánchez Piñol , who never signs his books this day.
Exceed sales of six million roses
The Guild of Florists of Catalonia recognizes that when Sant Jordi falls on Sunday, it will be difficult for them to exceed the seven million roses sold last year, with which they anticipate around six million, although they will try to “break the record” of other fallen years on a holiday
More than books and roses
The day goes beyond books and roses and is used by different sectors to show off, with activities of all kinds, from solidarity to gastronomy or music.
A unique party in the world
A unique festival in the world, its creators emphasize that it is capable of changing the face of a city, as well as the faces of the people, “transmitting happiness to each other for a few hours”.