From August 22, Barcelona will host one of the most important sporting events in the world: the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup 2024.
The city has seven weeks of competitions, in which 135 regattas compete for first place (this competition has no second place). The entire tournament will be visible from the beach, so everyone can watch it for free.
This is evident from a study conducted by Pompeu Fabra University last year, Barcelona is expected to receive around €1.2 billion in economic benefits.
The Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation estimates that this event will create the equivalent of 19,000 full-time jobs.
These figures will be possible thanks to “Increased consumption of goods and services, the development of social and business initiatives, job creation, the promotion and revitalization of trade, global broadcast and visibility of Barcelona and commercial activities surrounding the event,” the foundation said in a statement.
To host such events, cities must always invest in infrastructure to both maintain competition and meet the needs of fans.
To achieve this, the Port of Barcelona is investing 120 million euros to renovate several buildings and rebuild others from scratch.
The aquarium and Barcelona’s oldest swimming club have been renovated. The Club Natació Barcelona will have new facilities and there will be new sights and walking areas.
With an investment of €4.6 million, the old IMAX cinema will feature new interactive and immense venues and activities that promote entertainment and educational purposes. The renovated cinema is expected to receive more than 1.5 million visitors.
A new museum next to the Camp Nou stadium will also open in September.
Another interesting development is the construction of a hydrogen filling station, because all non-sailboats participating in the competition run on green hydrogen.
“Given the great opportunity this event has created for the city, there were a number of planned works that were accelerated in order to be ready for the event. There is still some work underway, but everything is on track to be completed by the time the event starts.” the foundation said.
For those interested in watching the match, here are some key dates to keep in mind:
- Preliminary Regatta: August 22–25, 2024
- Tour of the Louis Vuitton Cup: August 29, 2024 – September 8, 2024
- Louis Vuitton Cup, semi-finals: September 14–19, 2024
- Louis Vuitton Cup Final: September 26 – October 5, 2024
- Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match: October 12–21, 2024
Following this event, Barcelona will also host the Puig Women’s America’s Cup, the first women-only competition in 173 years of history.
This event will bring together the elite of Olympic and world sailors from October 5 to 13 and will be held at the same venue as the 37th America’s Cup.
