Primavera - whats it like

fourmations

hi all

my cure mad friends are talking about primavera but im kinda on the fence, i see some reviews saying its kinda souless in a concrete car park and theres no-where to chill out and rest the bones, (we are all about 50),

any wisdom for me on accomodation, i assume they all gouge the f out of the prices, hotel? rent an apartment? air bnb? i can see this costing about a grand, for flights, tickets and accomodation before any spends

any tips welcome

@Fanirish dont suppose youve any insider info on other Cure dates for next year? no irish date i assume?

cheers

crl84

Great festival. Lineup not to my tastes next year unfortunately.
Plenty of chill out areas these days, and the whole main stage area has had artificial grass on it for several years. That said, if you're looking for things like random stages in the middle of some trees, you're completely out of luck. It's a festival to see acts, not wander and discover stuff. What you see in photos online is pretty much what you get.

Be doing well to get accommodation for less than a grand per room I'd say. We always just stayed in hotels around the Poble Nou area. Tram and metro goes through it and you can walk it if you really have to.

Fanirish

go to primavera Porto. Way more reasonable, cheaper, quieter

MrStuffins

Primavera is class! Last time I was there I was able to sit off to the side of the main stage on the grass for a lot of the headline acts.

Another beauty is that there's no camping, but there's free buses that will bring you back into town at night. Or the metro is handy too. Straight home to a hotel, comfy bed and shower, and back at it the next day.

Gus Ivey

One thing to note is that the weather is likely to be sunny & warm, and you are not allowed bring reusable water bottles. That alone would deter me from attending

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861368#Comment_123861368

you can bring an open bottle and have the cap hidden. It’s not that difficult

Gus Ivey

and your plastic bottle of water is constantly warm. Or just allow people to bring proper reusable water bottles that keep your water cold. not that difficult either

dav09

Very good festival, much different to any Irish festival that's for sure not comparable to any. Lineup looks great next year, Food/Drink much cheaper/affordable, there is a 24hr tram (T4 I believe) the nights of the festival and also a shuttle bus to Placa De Catalunya, from there you can get more busses. I would recommend getting somewhere accessible to either something on the T4 tram line or Pl. De Catalunya, either walk or late bus. There is a metro station nearby but stops around midnight I believe (fine for getting to the festival but not for getting back). I believe there is a taxi area but I've never found it. As for chill out spots, there are plenty to be honest but very casual, either the food court, steps, places near the sea, etc. I think the VIP tickets have more chill out spots but difficult to justify the probably 200 euro more for me. The whole festival is made up of 6/7 big stages in the sun, decent amount of walking between them (at least they got rid of the old Bits area, once took over an hour to walk from main stage to there, then walked back again). Would recommend for sure.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861543#Comment_123861543

pretty much no festival or venue allows re sealable water bottles especially metal ones cause of the risk of them being throw at artists

Gus Ivey

All Together Now does

lc180

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058425705/primavera-whats-it-like

A lot of good info shared! Don't think it's been mentioned yet but this festival goes pretty late and a headliner might not start til after 2am.

Mentally prepare yourself for a potential 2am Cure or MBV set.

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861662#Comment_123861662

and no most people only show around 7/8pm on masse

The Nal

Jaysiz lads a load of posts about water bottles.

Should be asking how busy the bars are or where to get drugs for fúcks sake.

Countrys gone……

MrStuffins

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861672#Comment_123861672

On this, the bars can be ok. But they institute a policy where you rent a cup from them at the start for a couple of euro or whatever and can get it refilled.

This becomes handy later because there are "Rocketman" lads walking around who will refill your beer for you to save you having to queue up at the bar. Very handy!

Ferris_Bueller

Went in 2017 and had a great time, purely from a music point of view it was probably the best festival I've been to. The way they had the two main stages back to back and staggered meant you could see a lot of major acts without really leaving the one area. It definitely lacked the 'craic' and looseness of a festival in Ireland or the UK though and the crowds felt a little tame in comparison. It also felt like a bit of roulette getting home if you were staying in the city centre as the metros got extremely busy with long queues and taxis very hard to come by.

You'd have a great time for sure if you went but I think it's an important one to do research for in terms of what to expect and how to do it correctly.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861672#Comment_123861672

I've found the bars there to be really terrible in the past. Staff just don't know what they are doing. Queued for ages a bunch of times, so then just started bringing in my own booze to make it easier.

One time, at a bar with a really bad queue, one lad asked what flavour of redbulls they had. And the bar guy actually sauntered to the fridge to look at the different options for him. This was with people waiting 45 minutes just to order a beer.

Citizen Six

Porto is supposed to be much more chilled, and a nicer greener venue. I've never been to Porto though.

Accomodation in Barcelona is grand as long as you book in advance. Although I'd prefer being closer to the venue, in a more modern apartment. Just easier to get to and from the venue.

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861651#Comment_123861651

As does Green Man. Thought it was standard, tbh.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861368#Comment_123861368

It only really kicks off in the evening. Sunny and warm is what you want then. I've spent all night there in just a tshirt, which was perfect.

lc180

If looking for hotels I stayed at Hotel Attica 21 Barcelona Mar in 2023. It's pricey but 15 minutes straight walk to/from the festival entrance.

Stillill42

I know Primavera Porto and Barcelona share a lot of acts but they're separate announcements, right? Nothing for Porto yet?

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861963#Comment_123861963

usually announced two week after Barca edition.

T.V Eye

The festival itself is great, I've gone 4 times and there's rarely down time because the line-up is usually stacked.

If you want beer and food there's loads of cafes across the road, you can grab bocadillos and some small cans for nothing and stroll back in after. No hassle.

The atomosphere is fairly chill, good range of ages.

The stage in front of the steps with the sea behind is such a lovely spot if you want to crash out a bit and watch a band.

Accommodation is mad expensive there though.

Obviously, it's in one of the best cities in the world too if you haven't been.

KawaKris

Went in 2018, one of the best festivals I was ever at, probably because the lineup that year was amazing for me. It starts in the evening and goes on till about 5 am, it was late anyway. Met loads of Irish there. Try stay close, taxis/buses are a long wait after. No issue with bar queues, just time it that your not going immediately at the end of a gig. The food court is pretty big with plenty of seats. We didn't mind sitting on the concrete when we needed to. There used to be rows of seats all along the right hand side of the main stage. It's a lovely setting by the sea. I'd recommend it highly.

Basq

Got tickets this morning too.

Looking forward to it though for a change.

Got 4 star hotel with rooftop pool for daytime lounging near Sagrada Familia for €900 for Wednesday to Sunday.. 45 minute walk at worst / 12 minutes on Metro / 10 minute taxi.

If I booked 2 hours earlier, the same hotel was €600. That's what I get for not jumping in it sooner.

Read about the plastic single-use water bottle but apparently they're OK with hydration bladders provided they're empty on arrival which is good to know.

Flights are pretty pricey at the minute so definitely bear that in mind too.

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123861963#Comment_123861963

Yes.

Porto has less stages, so will have less acts, and often doesn't get many of the bigger names that Barcelona does.

I thought about Porto a few times but never did it as the Barcelona lineup was far superior.