Tickets go on sale for all shows at the 20th Fira Mediterrània

First people to purchase tickets for shows at Fira will receive a gift of olive seedlings to mark Fira's 20th anniversary

Fira presents thirty seven new shows, accounting for nearly the entire line-up at Fira this year

Today, all tickets for paid shows at the 20th Fira Fira Mediterrània Manresa go on sale. To mark the launch of Fira's ticket sales, five influential figures who represent civil society in the local region have come to the ticket sale launch. They are: the chef David García; the brand new sports director of Bàsquet Manresa, Román Montáñez; the fashion designer, Míriam Ponsa; the entrepreneur Fèlix Salido; and the new director of Càritas, Fina Farrés. All five made a symbolic purchase of tickets and received a gift of olive seedlings as part of an initiative that highlights the event's Mediterranean identity and signals hope for the future. The first people to buy tickets for shows at Fira will also receive the same gift. Fira’s initiative seeks to mark the organisation's 20th anniversary by rewarding the Early Bird loyalty of people who purchase the first tickets for shows. Anyone who purchases their tickets online, or who purchased their tickets in weeks prior to the promotion launch, can collect their seedlings at the Teatre Kursaal ticket office (Fira ticket sales in-situ location) by showing their tickets. The promotion will run while stocks last.

To make the most of the ticket sale launch, thirty seven new shows at Fira have been announced in addition to those previewed on 12 June, accounting for nearly the entire artistic line-up this year.

New developments in performing arts

In performing arts, Fira’s activities will also be hosted at a privileged performance space at the Museu Comarcal de Manresa, with two theatre shows and poetry recitals. First, Enric Casasses and Josep Pedrals, two of the most creative and stimulating contemporary Catalan poets, will pay tribute to the writer Ramon Llull, by reinterpreting his work and advocating the significance of his message today; and second, Palmira, a show by Bubulina Teatre, based on Palmira Jaqueti's research of traditional songs. A musicologist and poet, Jaqueti is renowned for the quality of her poetic prose.

In street performance, Fira offers two travelling shows that explore traditional culture with humour. Transhumància by Xip Xap Teatre sees a herd of goat puppets make its way through the streets of Manresa, much to the astonishment of passers-by. If they want, spectators can also take part. And Engruna Teatre, with Tuff!, brings three caganers (defecating figurines) pulling a cart with a giant piece of excrement: a show packed with edgy, comic and scatological sketches.

Plaça Sant Domènec will provide the stage for Fira's main acts for new audiences and for culture made accessible to all. Efímer, specialising in large-scale street performance, will erect an awe-inspiring space for children up to the age of six. Amer and Àfrica, two circus artists specialising in hand-to-hand, will give a performance based on their exploration of human folly, and Circ Pànic will enact their recent well-acclaimed game of gaze and balance with MiraT. Lastly, Plaça Sant Domènec will also be the setting of a show by the Navarra-based choreographer Helena Lizari, who presents her piece Herri Kirolak (8 Basque Sports), based on an interpretation of traditional Basque sport through contemporary dance.

Heritage

In national cultural heritage, two projects in the Traditional Games area in Plaça Major are set to make an impact: bitlles de sis, featuring teams from Reus and Cabanabona (Lerida); and joc a la morra, a Mediterranean tradition brought to us, on this occasion, by players from Sant Carles de la Ràpita.

Human Towers have been a classic feature of the Fira Mediterrània line-up since the event began. This year's Fira sees human tower performances by Manresa's own team, the Tirallongues de Manresa, with their goal of attempting eight-storey towers, and the Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, a team that customarily erects eight-storey towers and one of Barcelona's best.

The morning of Sunday 8 October, audiences at Fira can enjoy an impassioned assortment of music played by live bands in the Taverna Estrella Damm, which will operate for another year in the Casino courtyard. Groups set to play there include Unió Musical del Bages and the Banda de la Federació Catalana de Societats Musicals, which is represented in Manresa this year by Banda de Benissanet, paying tribute to people who suffered the horrors of the Spanish Civil War in the Terres de L'Ebre region. The afternoon of the same day, the band will parade through the streets of Manresa, accompanied by the mulassa de Benissanet, one of the newest festival figures in Catalonia. The Drac de Gràcia, a prominent figure of fire festivals, will also come to Fira.

In traditional dance, throughout Fira, audiences can watch the Ball dels Cercolets from Valls, recently revived through a citizens' initiative. With a more ground-breaking approach, the Esbart de Sant Martí will perform a show that has received positive reviews from the public and critics alike, in which traditional dance pays tribute to the open and cosmopolitan character of Barcelona.

Musical tour of the Mediterranean

In music, the artists featured in Fira's line-up offer us a tour of the Mediterranean. Highlights include the Italian region of Puglia and a duet composed of Rachele Andrioli (vocals) and Rocco Nigro (accordion), two young musicians who offer listeners a modern and personalised exploration of music from Salento. Fira also hosts the Xiromita Trad Project from the Basque Country with the latest work by Miquel Gironès. The musician from Obrint Pas plays the dolzainer in a powerful show inspired by traditional Valencian music, accompanied by seasoned musicians like Miquel Gil and Rafa Arnal, among others. Fira's music line-up also includes two groups highlighted for their creativity and modernity in the Arab world, which have gained extensive international recognition: the Arab rock band Temenik Electric and the Moroccan group N3rdistan, with their fusion of electronic music, rap, Arabic poetry and ethnic sounds.

This year, representation from Occitania is a given, seeing that Fira has added the Focus Occitània section to its line-up. In this sense, besides the already announced Polifònic System (headed by the prestigious singer and Occitan expert Manu Theron), Fira’s programme will include Bal O’Gadjo, with their repertoire of dance-inspiring Balkan and Mediterranean music.

Representing the south of Spain and in particular Andalusia, Fira will host the debut performance in Catalonia of La raíz eléctrica by Raúl Rodríguez, one of the most influential folk artists among industry professionals and specialist media. Rodríguez, a Seville-based musician and anthropologist, mixes diverse and different genres with Flamenco dancing as a driving force.

From Catalonia itself, Fira will showcase the performance of a gralla-accordion duo with a personal feel, featuring Ivó Jordà and Marçal Ramon in Criatures, the winners of last year's Sons de la Mediterrània Competition. And the Catalan gypsies Muchacho y los sobrinos will perform in the final show of Fira this year with their rumba recital, a direct legacy of the great patriarchs with their catchy "ventilador" guitar strumming. 

Traditional music at other latitudes

In music, Fira’s line-up makes a leap from the Mediterranean to connect with other nearby territories, exploring music with a rich traditional vein. From Galicia, the folk band Os d’Abaixo comes to Manresa with the musicians and forerunners of Galician music, Berrogüetto and Fía na Roca. And from Portugal, Maria Monda brings her Portuguese and Iberian repertoire to Fira, performed with a contemporary feel, featuring polyphonic vocals and percussion.

El Vermell, folk music tavern

This year, the concert area El Vermell returns to Fira, where artists give personal performances. Such is the case of two well-established folk ensembles: firstly, the Catalan artists Jaume Arnella and Ferran Martínez, with a repertoire of tavern music; and secondly, Juan Mari Beltrán, a key figure from the Basque folk music scene. Al Vermell will also host performances by the Guinea-based artist Mu’ Mbana with a personal recital, featuring his voice accompanied by the sound of the simbi, and a company specialising in improvised singing, Corrandes són corrandes, which presents their collection of studio recordings.

Circuit Estepa Mediterrània Preview

In the Circuit Estepa Mediterrània line-up, as part of Fira's ‘l'off’ section that is devoted to ground-breaking trends in folk music and is organised in collaboration with Cases de la Música, the band Motives! comes to Fira. It comprises the former members of Zebda - Mouss & Hakim, with their fighting revolutionary spirit. Headlining with them is a classic group of tradiinnovació from southern Italy, Mascarimirì, with their unique mix of pizzica and electronic music.

Ticket sales

Tickets for Fira Mediterrània can be purchased at the Teatre Kursaal ticket office (Saturday mornings, from 11.00 to 13.00 and Tuesday to Sunday afternoons, from 18.00 to 21.00). Information on how to purchase tickets online is displayed on Fira’s website (www.firamediterrania.cat).

Tickets for the Circuit Estepa Mediterrània, can be purchased at Sibelius, Solans, Cal Manel and Ítaca. They can also be purchased online at www.stroika.cat.

Full details of the 20th Fira Mediterrània Manresa programme are featured on the web www.firamediterrania.cat.