Place to see: Plaça del Rei, Barcelona, Spain

About this place:

Every Friday in spring and autumn some hundred people team up at Plaça del Rei to celebrate one of Barcelona's best-kept secret parties; a gathering of dance and upbeat folk songs played by musicians with traditional instruments in a medieval square.

On these evenings it breathes tradition and magic. The square is beautifully illuminated, enlightening the walls at the old square, as well as the stage just before the stairs in the corner, with the musicians playing their classical instruments, performing at their bests and fully enjoying the response of the crowd.

Hundreds of people dance, in pairs and also larger groups. Some perform traditional dances whereas others improvise what they feel. Yet during another song the whole crowd gets involved in a collective dance when people create large circle-formations. It is not hard to see how everyone is fully enjoying it, which counts for those that come each time as well as those who just discovered the place.

Dancing as if you are dancing in the Middle Ages, that's what life feels like during a Friday evening in Plaça del Rei in Barcelona, for ten years on a row now as this year is the 10th year anniversary.

When: Every Friday night 10-12pm (Spring and Autumn)
Where: Plaça del Rei, Barcelona
What: Traditional music and dance
Why: Guaranteed pure fun and joy
Web: http://www.divendresrei.cat/