Magic Fountain | Show Review | infocostabrava.com

The Magic Fountain – The Magic of a Mountain in a Fountain

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Attending a Magic Fountain Show has become one of the must-do things when visiting Barcelona. Right at the bottom of the mountain of Montjuïc, at the beginning of the grand staircase that leads you right to the the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, the city of Barcelona puts up an outdoor show combining water, lights and music acrobatics. A great way to enjoy those summer evenings in the city.

A bit of background: the Magic Fountain was built on the occasion of Barcelona’s Great Universal Exhibition, together with the Poble Espanyol and Mies van der Rohe’s German National Pavilion. The Font Màgica was designed by the then famous architect Carles Buigas. The drawings he submitted a year before the opening were thought by many as too ambitious to be even created, but thankfully time was to prove those people very, very wrong. With the workforce of over 3,000 men he managed to see the project built and ready for its first performance on the 19th of May 1929.

Nowadays there is a constantly changing mix of music and different settings, so that it is rare to see the same show twice. One night could be ‘havaneras’ played live as the fountain changes colours and water shapes, another night 80s and 90s music is played on the loudspeakers, or opera…

There is no entrance fee, as it takes place in the open; you only need to make sure to show up on the following days and times:

October-April: Fridays and Saturdays at 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30
May-September: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:00

Finally, getting there is really easy, as the Fountain has its own metro station: just get off at Plaça Espanya on the metro L3. A short walk up -and if you don’t feel like doing the steep 10 min. climb, there are three sets of escalators that will take you almost to the door of the MNAC, from which you’ll have one of the best views.

Published on 25 Sept. 2009