There are three months left to cast off, but the America’s Cup is already working with forecasts that reflect the magnitude of the event. Through the three areas where the giant screens will be located, in the Moll de la Fusta and next to the beaches of Sant Sebastià and Bogatell, the organization estimates that around 10,000 people will pass by each day from the start of the preliminary regattas, on 22 August. In these three spaces, access will be free of charge. Tickets to follow the event from the exclusive House of AC37, in the Port Olímpic, have also gone on sale, ranging between 550 and 1,100 euros per day depending on the regatta.
In this exclusive space, on two floors and designed expressly for the America’s Cup, you can follow the regattas with the naked eye and also through the screens. There will be a select gastronomic offer and large terraces open all day. Tickets are sold for individual days and there are also bonuses, which allow access to the space during all the regattas and every day, amounting to 27,000 euros. Tickets to follow the competition from the sea with Sail have also already gone on sale.
In the free access areas, in the Race Village of Moll de la Fusta, and in Sant Sebastià and Bogatell, the organization estimates that as the regattas progress the audience will increase to 100,000 visitors during the two weeks of the final challenge, half of the month of October. The number will also depend on the team that manages to reach the decisive match race of the tournament. If it were the Italians from Luna Rossa or the French from Orient Express Racing, a greater influx of people is expected due to proximity.
The organization has reported that in a couple of weeks it will present, in collaboration with the municipal authorities, its mobility plan, which will affect circulation in the areas near the installation of the giant screens, particularly the area surrounding the neighborhood of La Barceloneta. Regarding the use of maritime space, the responsibility for regulating traffic will ultimately fall to the Civil Guard. It is expected that around 1,000 boats will follow the competition from the water. They must first register so that each one is assigned a location in the area bordering the regatta course, where anchoring will not be permitted for safety reasons. At this time there are already about 700 boats registered, but the number will increase and it is not ruled out to reach 3,000 during the final regatta.
The event will visibly transform the Barcelona coastline. Not only in the Port Vell area (where the teams will be with their AC75), Barceloneta (observation points and villages) or the Port Olimpic (where the youth and women’s teams will be moored), but also the Port Forum, which will host between 30 and 40 superyachts and other sailing and volunteer activities.