BROOKLYN STREET ART LOVES YOU MORE EVERY DAY
Today, we travel to a community in Spain that knows how to nurture its connections, celebrate its culture, and recognize the value of art in the streets.
In the small Catalan town of Calldetenes, just outside Vic in the comarca of Osona, about 40 minutes from Barcelona, the FACC – Festival d’Arts al Carrer de Calldetenes (FACC) turns quiet streets and village façades into a stage for contemporary urban culture. With figurative, hyperrealistic, illustrative, abstract, and graffiti/calligraphic lettering styles, it reflects many of the street art and mural movements one may see in large cities across Europe and the world. Nonetheless, this spirit is clearly local in flavor.
With a population of only a few thousand, the town embraces the idea that art belongs in everyday life, and during the week of Sant Jordi (April 23)—the beloved Catalan celebration of books, roses, and cultural pride—the festival brings murals, music, performance, and community life together in a compact, energetic program. Organized by a local nonprofit association founded in 2005 to “bring life to the village,” the festival is supported through a hybrid of municipal backing, regional cultural support, and private partners, while a core team of volunteers—neighbors, families, and friends—help build a new edition each year from the ground up.
Murals are central to the project, with invited artists painting large-scale works on village façades while a jam session encourages additional painters to work side by side in a more spontaneous format. But FACC is broader than a mural festival. Throughout the main festival week, the streets host circus performers, theater pieces, poetry readings, DJs, concerts, dance, and community gatherings, collectively reflecting the festival’s aim to make art accessible as a shared civic experience.
The tone is proudly local and distinctly Catalan. The organizers speak of “acostar l’art a la gent”—literally “bringing art closer to the people”—and the festival itself embodies the phrase “fer poble,” a Catalan expression meaning to strengthen the life of the village through collective participation.
Language and identity run through the event. Catalan dominates the program and communication, reflecting a culture that values community and creative expression. The festival has become a point of pride for residents who see street art not as an imported spectacle but as something that grows naturally from village life. The murals become both cultural exchange and neighborhood conversation.
The town is excitedly anticipating the latest edition this April.
Here we have some recent shots from photographer Lluis Olivas Bulbena, who shares his photos with BSA readers.
