Cap Roig Festival
In the heart of the Costa Brava there is a garden with the name of a Festival. Stars of the music world like Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Liza Minnelli or Leonard Cohen have performed in a setting as magical as it is durable in time.
The history of the Cap Roig Gardens goes back to 1927, when the Russian colonel Nicolai Woevodsky and the English aristocrat Dorothy Webster were looking for a an idyllic location near the sea to begin an exciting life project together. Their dreams began to come true at a unique spot between the municipalities of Palafrugell and Mont-Ras, in an unspoilt natural area that traced the Costa Brava coastline. Here the colonel had a mansion built, surrounded by a majestic, 17-hectare botanic garden with plant species from all over the world, designed by his wife.
With the aristocrats now deceased, in order to preserve their private paradise the site is now run by the”Obra Social La Caixa” organisation. It houses a sculpture park among the vegetation, and every year one of the most prestigious festivals in the world is held there.
This is the Cap Roig Festival’s 17th year and it is now established as the biggest musical event on the Costa Brava and one of the leading festivals held in this country. It is managed by the publishing house Clipper’s and every year it assembles the biggest names in the national and international music worlds at Calella de Palafrugell, in an impressive seafront setting with room for 2,000 spectators. A unique and unforgettable experience whose common denominator is an eclectic and balanced bill with the most outstanding artists of every musical genre. Just in the last three years, artists such as Lady Gaga, Elton John, Sting, Brian Adams, Bob Dylan, Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Julio Iglesias, Enrique Iglesias, Alejandro Sanz, etc. have all performed there.
The natural setting formed by Cap Roig Castle and its Botanic Garden is the perfect framework for enjoying music on summer nights in a way that could never before have been imagined. The slogan of the Festival speaks volumes about its essence: “The music, the sea and you.”
The Russian colonel Woevodsky could scarcely have imagined that almost 90 years after his arrival on the Costa Brava, this beautiful spot where he conceived his new life would today be one of the most important botanic gardens in the Mediterranean and the open-air auditorium of one of the most prestigious summer festivals in the entire world. The Cap Roig Gardens are more than just a dream come true.
Photos:
Cap Roig gardens. Obra Social “La Caixa”
Rosario concert in Cap Roig Festival. José Irún
Jardins de Cap Roig. José Irún
