FADfest is the annual get-together of FAD (Foment de les Arts i del Disseny) that celebrates creative excellence, recognises the work of professionals and companies, and aims to open up design to the public. It's the ideal way to discover some of the best projects of the year in architecture, interior design, graphic design, advertising, industrial design, crafts, art and fashion, in an event that is centred on the Disseny Hub Barcelona between June 27 and July 2. The aim of the festival is to put art within the reach of all through a variety of activities. In this year's edition, tourism in the city is the key FADfest theme, under the heading 'The tourist state. A general essay'– and includes key facts and figures about the phenomenon plus the chance for all those involved and affected by tourism in Barcelona to take part through a series of activities, conferences, workshops and exhibitions.
The inauguration features Michael Webb, one of the founding members of the mythic Archigram collective, considered one of the most influential and inspiring groups of design and contemporary architecture. There are also three key exhibitions within the festival: 'The best design of the year' located in Sala A of the Disseny Hub Barcelona (D-HUB); the itinerant show 'The tourist state' held in the exterior park of the D-HUB building; and 'The Materials Farm Exhibition', staged in the entrance of the D-HUB. Other key events include the ArtsFAD prize-giving (June 28); the 47th edition of the ADG Laus Awards for graphic design and visual communication (June 30); and the tour 'Alternative stories from Barcelona tourism' (July 1), which calls for the rights of residents to visit and inhabit some of the areas that the city has renounced and ends with an audiovisual show in Plaça Reial that combines music and screenings. The festival closes with a Writing Slam event (July 2), a live show of literary creation in which writers face narrative challenges in front of an audience and with a time limit.