In 1926, at a time when the sardana was tentatively making its way into Santa Coloma de Gramenet, a group of young people decided to take a step forward and give it a stable structure. Thus, the Agrupació Amics de la Sardana was born, an organization that one hundred years later has become an essential benchmark in the cultural fabric of Santa Coloma. In 2026, coinciding with this centenary, the organization will commemorate it with an intense calendar of auditions, dances, and special events that will extend throughout the year.
The presence of the sardana in the city has never been the result of improvisation. At the end of the 19th century, Santa Coloma was a small town, with a social life marked by ballroom dances in casinos and popular tavern dances. The first documented sardanas did not appear until the beginning of the 20th century, performed by bands in religious ceremonies, which sparked the interest of some young people.
One of the first written accounts dates back to 1912, during the Summer Main Festival, with a performance by the Tusell brothers. From then on, sardana dances became more common in public spaces, with open and spontaneous participation. During the 1920s, this movement began to take shape around La Colmena, a key space in Colomenc associative life, until 1926 when Amics de la Sardana was formally established, in the midst of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship.
Despite the economic difficulties and changes in the political and social context, the entity managed to consolidate regular activity. The Civil War caused an abrupt break, with the almost total disappearance of the sardana from the public space for years. However, the perseverance of the sardanistas from Santa Coloma allowed for the gradual recovery of activity during the post-war period.One of the most symbolic moments of this trajectory was the celebration of the first Sardana Gathering of Santa Coloma, on June 7, 1936, at the Font de l’Alzina. That Gathering, interrupted for twenty years due to the war, was resumed in 1956 at Can Butinyà and has continued uninterruptedly to this day, even in exceptional circumstances such as the 2020 pandemic.
The year 2007 marked another turning point, with the proclamation of Santa Coloma as the "Ciutat Pubilla de la Sardana" (Host City of the Sardana). That recognition consolidated decades of associative work and left a tangible legacy, such as the monument to the sardana in Parc d’Europa, as well as an extensive program of activities with a clear commitment to social cohesion.
Now, a hundred years after its founding, Amics de la Sardana begins 2026 as a particularly significant year. The centenary is not just a historical commemoration, but a clear commitment to continuity, with a program that combines tradition, dissemination, and popular participation, and which reaffirms the sardana as a living part of the cultural heritage of Santa Coloma de Gramenet
Activities of Friends of the Sardana during 2026:
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February 1st (Sunday), 7:00 PM Centenary Opening Concert Sagarra Theatre Cobla Sant Jordi with Colla Laietans and a Soprano
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March 1st (Sunday), 11:30 AM Women's Day Concert Plaça de la Vila Cobla Ciutat de Girona
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March 27th (Friday), 2:00 PM Dinner Dance Font de l’Alzina Duet Domino
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April 23rd (Thursday), 7:00 PM Sant Jordi Concert Plaça de la Vila Cobla Sant Jordi
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May 30th (Saturday), 7:00 PM Sardana Concert Can Roig i Torres Cobla Can Roig i Torres
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May 31st (Sunday, 72nd Sardana Gathering of Santa Coloma de Gramenet Parc d’Europa
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June 21st (Sunday), 10:00 PM Member's Dance Font de l’Alzina Cobla Ciutat de Terrassa
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September 6th (Sunday), 7:00 PM Summer Concert Sagarra Theatre Cobla Marinada
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September 7th (Monday), 7:00 PM Main Festival Concert Can Sisteré Gardens Cobla Bisbal Jove
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September 11th (Friday), 12:00 PM Catalonia Day Concert Plaça de la Vila Cobla Ciutat de Terrassa
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December 31st (Thursday), 12:00 PM Sant Coloma Day – Main Festival Plaça de la Vila Cobla Contemporània
