Making Magic Happen

From its humble beginnings as a small café, the Arnau family empire has grown into the behemoth now known as elrow. Their parties are renowned for their unique brand of hedonism that includes a dazzling selection of music, costumes and performance art, bringing the best in electronic sounds to revellers in Barcelona and across the globe.

Barcelona Metropolitan caught up with elrow CEO Juan Arnau to find out how he plans to continue his family’s 150-year legacy.

What makes Barcelona such a special place for elrow?

Of course, we love all the usual things: the beach, food, small size and international vibe – Barcelona’s energy matches the elrow family ethos, to “make magic happen.” When our club first opened its doors here eight years ago, Barcelona was the perfect spot to nurture our core concept. We couldn’t have achieved the same results elsewhere.

How did elrow go from family business to a venture capital-backed brand?

As a small business, we had two options: remain confined to Southern Europe or think big and go global. We wanted to bring our brand to the world, so going global meant either approaching a bank or speaking with investors. Superstruct, backed by Providence Equity Partners, ultimately proved to be the best partner. We make a great team because they care about our audiences and values, not just the numbers.

With big global investors, has the live entertainment industry lost a little of its magic?

More people are paying particular attention to festivals and nightlife, and in recent years the industry has grown and matured a lot. Some might complain about the loss of the “underground” in going more “mainstream,” but we see these partnerships as a way of bringing smiles to more people. They legitimize our work and allow us to focus on what is most important: being more creative and bringing joy to our audiences.

How does elrow keep things fresh?

It’s not easy, and that’s why having such a solid foundation in Barcelona is so important. It’s our spiritual home and allows us to get creative. At the end of the day, our business is like any other business: If you want to survive, you have to innovate, transgress, surprise. Our team of creatives are always hard at work to keep bringing the “wow” factor to audiences.

With that in mind, what’s next for elrow and live entertainment at large?

The market is saturated, and people realize that they need to differentiate themselves in more interesting ways. Hopefully we’ll see more weird and wonderful offerings. For us, it means growth. Next year we’re hitting new cities and increasing our number of shows, including a new boutique festival at a ski resort in Granada’s Sierra Nevada alongside our existing festival presence. And, of course, some new and exciting parties in Barcelona and beyond.  

elrow’s winter season comes to Barcelona this month, with events at their flagship club in Viladecans on December 8 and 25 and January 1.