Recent urban developments in Sant Andreu del Palomar have exposed several party walls that were not originally intended to be seen and have since become deteriorated by graffiti, stickers, or dirt. With the aim of beautifying these spaces and reclaiming the neighborhood's identity, the City Council is developing the Popular Memory Route of Sant Andreu.
The project will transform five party walls located at numbers 167, 176, 188, 254, and 278 on Gran de Sant Andreu street into an artistic installation. These surfaces will become artworks that will form a route through the neighborhood's popular memory. This initiative is part of the transformation of Gran street, which began with the urban planning modification in 2015 and the redevelopment carried out between 2019 and 2023.
This new route will join the existing Green Route (six walls with vegetation) and the Mosaic Route (twelve walls with works by artist Antoni Gabarre) already present on the street.
The winning proposal from the ideas competition, titled Vine a la Festa! (Come to the Party!), created by Jordi Pesudo and Paula Garcia, highlights Sant Andreu's festivals as a central element of the neighborhood's identity. Using ceramics as the main material, the artwork will feature elements of popular culture such as the Colomí, human towers (castells), fire runs (correfocs), sardana dances, and drummers, combining ancient and recent traditions.
The proposal also emphasizes the role of local cultural entities such as the Germandat de Trabucaires (Musketeers Brotherhood), the Foment Sardanista (Sardana Promotion Association), and the Satànica. Each wall will have its own design, but all will share the representation of neighbors and the use of ochre and brown tones, similar to the facade colors.
Currently, work is underway on the preliminary project, contact with the involved residents, and the hiring of the technical team. The executive project and the bidding procedures for the works will take place in the coming months, with the installation expected to begin in the first quarter of 2028. The date has been delayed at the request of local businesses and residents, who have asked for the work to be carried out after the Christmas campaign and the Tres Tombs festival in January, to minimize disruption in a busy area.
