Starting 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 will see seven weeks of competitions, in which 135 regattas will compete for first place (this competition doesn’t have a second place). The entire tournament will be visible from the beach so everyone can watch it for free.
According to a study carried out by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra last year, Barcelona is forecast to receive some €1.2 billion in economic benefits.
The Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation estimates 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, the creation of employment, the promotion and revitalization of trade, global broadcast exposure and visibility of Barcelona and commercial activity around the event,” said the foundation in a statement.
In order to host such events, cities have to always invest in infrastructure to both hold the competition and meet fans’ needs.
To achieve this, Barcelona’s port is investing €120 million to revamp several buildings and construct others from scratch.
The aquarium and Barcelona’s oldest swimming club have been remodeled. The Club Natació Barcelona will have new facilities and there will be new sightseeing points and walking areas.
With an investment of €4.6 million, the old IMAX cinema will boast new interactive and immense venues and activities fostering entertaining and educational purposes. The renewed cinema is expected to host over 1.5 million visitors.
Also, a new museum next to Camp Nou stadium will be open in September.
Another interesting development is the construction of a hydrogen gas station, as all non-sailing boats taking part in the competition run on green hydrogen.
“Given the amazing opportunity this event has created for the city, there were a number of planned works that were accelerated to be ready for the event. There are still a few works going on, but everything is on track to be completed by the time the event starts,” the foundation said.
For those interested in watching the competition, here are some key dates to keep in mind:
- Preliminary Regatta: August 22–25, 2024
- Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins: August 29, 2024 – September 8, 2024
- Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-finals: September 14–19, 2024
- Louis Vuitton Cup Finals: 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 in the same place as the 37th America’s Cup.