Cuts in number of Human Statues on La Rambla

Barcelona´s famous street La Rambla is full of character. It was once described by Lorca as “the only street in the world that I wish would never end.”

For many the human statues which line the street are one of the lasting images of Barcelona, particularly as so many tourists will return home with a photo of themselves and one of the statues! From Spring this year the Barcelona Ayuntamiento (town council) are imposing limits on the numbers of statues who can work on La Rambla.

They are creating strict rules with which the human statues must comply. There will be 15 spaces on La Rambla, each one 70cm by 70 cm. The day will be split into two shifts, one running from 10:00 until 16:00 and the following shift from 16:00 to 22:00. Those who work as statues will be allocated a space and even receive an identity card for it!

What´s more is that there will only be 30 people who are able to continue working full time on La Rambla; 15 doing the morning shift, and the remaining 15 working in the afternoon.  There are currently 81 human statues seeking one of these spots!

The spots will be allocated, for 12 months, to the human statues who are believed to be the best. The statues CV´s will be reviewed and their theatrical experience will be assessed. It is hoped that these regulations will help boost the quality of the entertainment on La Rambla.

The next few months may be an anxious few for the human statues who wait to find out whether they will be lucky enough to receive a fixed spot on the famous La Rambla! 

Photo by: Ferran Pestaña