There is the cosmopolitan Barcelona of trendy places. And then there is another Barcelona, one that endures: the Barcelona of everyday neighbourhood life, where residents know one another and local shops and bars have been opening their doors for years. This side of the city comes alive with celebrations throughout August, and the best way to discover it is by visiting the festes majors of two of its best-loved neighbourhoods: Gràcia and Sants.

Also known as the Festes de Gràcia, this celebration takes over a neighbourhood already famous for its lively streets. During its biggest week of the year, that atmosphere becomes even more intense. Its streets and squares are renowned for the decorations they display throughout the festival: colourful, spectacular creations based on themes that remain secret until the very last moment, ready to leave visitors speechless. And rightly so, as an enormous amount of work goes into them. Local residents spend the entire year planning everything, so that stepping into their streets feels like entering a completely different world.

There is, of course, a competition. There are also prizes for the best decorated balconies, doorways and shops. Before any of that, however, everything begins with the opening speech. It will take place on 14 August in Plaça de la Vila, and this year it will be delivered by journalist Vicenç Sanclemente. He will be the one to proclaim: “Visca Gràcia i visca la festa major”. After that, the celebrations truly begin, with activities designed for all ages.

There will be dominoes, table tennis and chess tournaments. Tradition will also play an important role in events such as the Cercavila de Festa Major, a parade in which local cultural groups perform traditional dances, alongside the castellers and the procession of the giant figures Torradet and Gresca. The correfoc, or fire run, will have its moment too, while children and young people can test their ingenuity in the popular scavenger hunt. Make sure you also leave time for dancing at the street parties and, of course, to enjoy the neighbourhood meals that fill the streets with tables and chairs.

Just as the streets of Gràcia begin to empty, Sants takes over, decorating its own streets with colourful, fantastical figures to mark the beginning of its festivities. The official opening will actually come with the festival speech, delivered this year by film director Leticia Dolera. Her words will launch a week of celebrations that originally began to mark Sant Bartomeu’s Day, on 24 August, but gradually grew to occupy a much larger place in the calendar.

And how could it not, when the residents of Sants have created such a packed programme of festivities? Eight days have rarely offered so much: children’s games and entertainment, sardana dancing, routes around the neighbourhood exploring its history, guided tours of the decorated streets, concerts, giants and castellers.

And do not be alarmed when you come across the devils of the Colla de Diables de Sants. You will recognise the members of this group by their red costumes, the bat on their backs and their black horns. They are often accompanied by enormous creatures such as dragons, jellyfish and unicorns, and are responsible for filling the streets of Sants with its famous correfocs.

A neighbourhood festival in Barcelona is well worth spending one, two, three or even more nights in the city. You could stay at the Sercotel Ámister Art Hotel, with a rooftop pool you will never want to leave; the Sercotel Rosellón, home to what is probably the rooftop with the best views of the Sagrada Família in the whole of Barcelona; or the Sercotel Caspe, surrounded by the Modernist architecture of the Eixample.

Whichever you choose, we will help you feel like a true Barcelona local: waking up as though every morning were a Sunday, heading down for breakfast and thinking that our buffet must be the best part of the day, before speaking to reception and realising that it is not — because the best is still to come when you set out to discover the tips we have shared with you.