> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://barna.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Morrissey closes Barts Festival in summer downpour - URL: https://barna.news/morrissey-closes-barts-festival-in-summe/ - Published: 2026-07-27T08:53:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-10T10:30:12.000Z - Description: Morrissey ended the first Barts Festival at Barcelona's Poble Espanyol with a near-capacity concert marked by heavy rain, a vegan-only food offer and an anti-bullfighting message. - Author: Barbara Town - Tags: whats-on Morrissey closed the first Barts Festival at Poble Espanyol in Barcelona on Saturday 25 July, performing through a brief but heavy summer downpour as fans filled the venue close to capacity. The rain arrived during *How Soon Is Now*, while festival bars offered only vegan food, a condition associated with the singer's shows. For concertgoers, the finale capped a 20-night programme that the festival said drew 68,000 attendees with an average occupancy of 70%. Some fans had waited at the entrance from the previous night in order to be among the first inside, local reporting said. ## Morrissey performed 20 songs after delayed start The concert was scheduled to begin at 21:30 and Morrissey took to the stage 11 minutes late, according to [Poble Espanyol's event listing](https://poble-espanyol.com/en/activity/barts-festival-morrissey/?ref=barna.news) and reporting by *El Periódico*. Early songs were affected by a dense sound mix that initially obscured his voice, *El País* reported. His voice became more prominent as the set continued. The 20-song performance included *Billy Budd*, *I Just Want To See The Boy Happy*, *A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours* and material from his latest work, *Make-up is a Lie*. - **Date:** Saturday 25 July 2026 - **Venue:** Poble Espanyol, Barcelona - **Festival total:** 68,000 attendees across 20 nights, according to the festival's closing balance --- ## Anti-bullfighting appeal accompanied the Barcelona date The Manchester singer's Barcelona appearance followed a public appeal to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to ban bullfighting. Visual material opposing bullfighting was also shown during the concert. > "\[Bullfighting\] continues to tarnish Spain's credibility." The show was Morrissey's fourth Barcelona appearance, following a 1985 performance with The Smiths at Studio 54 and solo concerts at Sant Jordi Club in 2014 and Razzmatazz in 2015, according to *El Periódico*. The storm fell during *How Soon Is Now*, pairing the song's tremolo guitar with a short, intense spell of rain before the concert continued. --- *Reported by Luis Hidalgo, Jordi Bianciotto, poble-espanyol.com, barts.cat, russpain.com, bbc.co.uk, euronews.com, Por EFE, Laurence Dollimore.* --- ### Related on Barna.News - [MACBA Bar joins Barcelona’s Alimenta food programme](https://barna.news/macba-bar-joins-barcelonas-alimenta-foo/) - [Gràcia Festa Major set for 15 to 21 August 2026](https://barna.news/gracia-festa-major-set-for-15-to-21-augu/) - [Shanghai to join La Mercè 2026 as guest city](https://barna.news/shanghai-to-join-la-merce-2026-as-guest/) - [Vilanova Festa Major listed from 18 July](https://barna.news/vilanova-festa-major-listed-from-18-july/)