El Raval was once Barcelona’s seediest area, but this is changing fast. Once a red-light zone with a mass of deprived immigrant communities, it has become increasingly upmarket overt he years. The area’s festa major has become a trendy, fusion-heavy music event and parts of the area have become quite chic This doesn’t mean Raval has fully cleaned up its act though, there are still Some dubious types behind the Boqueria and towards Drassanes to scare off tourists.