The Catalan Government, DIPLOCAT and the Institut Ramon Llull announced today the most notable events and figures for this year's celebrations

At midday today, at a joint press conference at the Institut Ramon Llull (IRL) headquarters in Barcelona, the Catalan Minister for Foreign Action and European Union, Meritxell Serret i Aleu; the Secretary General of DIPLOCAT, Laura Foraster i Lloret; and the Director of the IRL, Pere Almeda, outlined some of the activities that will be taking place to celebrate the Day of Books and Roses on 23 April (Sant Jordi) around the world this year.

"Foreign action is a priority for the Government and the Sant Jordi festival provides an excellent opportunity to promote the Catalan language and culture worldwide", said Serret during the conference opening. As of today, a total of 325 events related to the festival are being organised around the world in 192 cities and 29 different countries. These include events planned by the Government's delegations abroad, which will play a pivotal role in bringing Sant Jordi to 90 cities in 21 different countries. "We firmly believe in the importance of continuing to engage in cultural diplomacy, and this celebration is a wonderful letter of introduction," said the minister.

For the first time, the Government's delegations in Japan and South Korea are collaborating with the Catalan communities in the two Asian countries to organise events there. "As a strategic area for the Government and for Catalan society as a whole, this year we're promoting the Sant Jordi Festival on the Asian continent," said the Catalan minister. Currently, the Government of Catalonia is represented by 21 delegations worldwide, covering 72 countries on all continents.

In her remarks, the Secretary General of DIPLOCAT, Laura Foraster i Lloret, described the Day of Books and Roses as "one of our country's greatest assets", emphasising its value as an "inclusive and deeply-rooted celebration that allows us to showcase Catalonia's best qualities to the world". Foraster pointed out that this year, the number of events organised by the Government's delegations abroad has increased, and information about these events, like all the others, can be found in the Books and Roses project web. She also introduced a campaign to promote Catalan books translated into English. Finally, as it does every year, DIPLOCAT will be inviting a group of foreign journalists to enjoy the festival in person in Barcelona.

For his part, the Director of the Institute Ramon Llull, Pere Almeda, explained that this year, they have been particularly involved in organising various events to celebrate Sant Jordi in Berlin at the KulturBrauerei Cultural Centre. This is the first time the IRL has promoted an initiative of this kind with local institutions abroad. According to Almeda, "It will be a celebration featuring music and debates that will set the stage for interaction with other cultures". The day, co-organised with the Government's Delegation in Germany, will feature stalls from different entities, children's activities, human tower performances and culinary spaces.