No summer event has become such a synonymous of the city life of Barcelona as much as the Piknic Electronik. The format was set up for the first time in Montreal back in 2003 and, after years of continuous success and support by the public, it has been replicated in Barcelona since 2012, taking advantage of the space of an ancient leisure area, just on the side of Joan Brossa Gardens, in the hearth of one of the most beautiful quarters in Barcelona, Montjuïc.
Piknic Electronik is a great place to meet up with friends, enjoy the beautiful summer weather of Barcelona, a stunning view over the city while walking to the party, all in a friendly welcoming area. The aim of the event is offering a completely new format of party, where kids can play happily while their parents and other party goers alike can enjoy electronic music played and performed by some of the biggest names in the game such as Mathew Jonson, Richie Hawtin, Akufen and Nina Kraviz.
We have been attending last Sunday’s party and we collected some ideas and comments about the most talked, loved and attended weekly event in Barcelona.
Walking from Poble Sec quarter to the event area is an absolutely stunning experience. Yes, sure, you can take a bus to climb Montjuïc hill or, if you are looking for a first class experience, you can choose the “teleferico” that starts in Port Vell and ends up just behind the Piknic area; but the experience of walking through Montjuïc green roads repays the effort, returning an amazing view of Barcelona skyline.
Once we got to the entrance we were welcomed by the friendly staff, security checks were careful but fast and we could access the area quite easily. Once inside, we found ourselves in a sort of commercial space that reminded vaguely the hippie markets in Ibiza and, just on the left, we saw what was supposed to be the kids area. To be honest the sight of it was quite disappointing, most of all because the fact that kids can access the party is a well advertised element of the Piknic, and I did really expect some better organization of this side of the event, with children oriented activities or at least something that could really have them entertained while their parents were enjoying the music. However I couldn’t see so many kids around, so probably that wasn’t the core of the party experience anyway.
Walking through level one, we accessed the main stage on a second terrace climbing few steps of a stone stair, and we were absolutely amazed by what we saw. The area was rounded by bars, serving either beers, spirits or Aperol Spritz, which is apparently very famous all over Barcelona at the moment, and the dance floor was delimited by a green carpet, protecting people by dust, with the DJ console right at the other end of it.
The public was incredibly cool, and there was a relevant presence of feminine audience, which obviously gave some vibe to the entire party. When we entered we were received by the music played by Maher Daniel, some kind of darkish techno mixed up with house oriented grooves, incredibly driving, that was creating some kind of dreamy vibe within the party environment. In the meantime sun was starting to set down, and the party became incredibly enjoyable. About an hour later the console was taken over by The Mole, who changed completely the event, throwing purely dance oriented house tracks that pulled people out from the dream they were living and pushed them to dance crazily all around. Ok, yes, maybe if you are a true electronic music passionate, you probably may have more than one doubt about the tracks selection, but truth is that The Mole completely woke up the party, and most of all got ladies to dance, and whoever has a little bit of nightlife experience knows exactly how important that is.
Overall impression about the event is that its fame is absolutely well deserved, and magazines and guides that point at it as one of the not to be missed parties in Barcelona are definitively to be agreed.
Are you in Barcelona right now? Well no worries, Piknic Electronik is held every Sunday until 14th of September.
For more info on events and line ups get to Piknic Electronik official website.
