5 January

Popular culture

Along with the La Mercè festivities, the Three Kings Parade is one of the most eagerly awaited and popular events on Barcelona's festive calendar. The entire city turns out for this large – and painstakingly planned – parade through the city centre streets, with a large retinue of pages, floats and choreographed pieces. It is a display of fantasy, colour and rhythm that attracts people of all ages. Pure Christmas magic created in Barcelona.

24 - 26 January

Music

The Tenor Viñas Contest is celebrating its 62th anniversary as one of the most prestigious singing contests in the world, an event that has brought to the public’s attention singers who are now well-known figures on the international lyric opera scene. The preliminary rounds of the contest, created in 1963 and organised by the Gran Teatre del Liceu, are held at some of the world’s leading opera houses, such as those of Paris, Beijing, Milan, London and New York, as well as at the Liceu itself. The most promising young lyric opera singers meet in this contest’s final round, which is open to the public.

7-9 February 

Festivals

Every February, the Poblenou neighbourhood lights up for three nights with installations, projections and mappings from the best creators on the international scene. Llum BCN is one of Europe’s major light arts festivals and a big public festive occasion.

3-5 February

Fairs

More than 1.100 wineries and 75 Designations of Origin will be exhibiting their best wines at a fair that highlights the quality of Spanish-produced wines to importers from around the world.  

The Barcelona Wine Week programme also features around 100 prestigious experts who will discuss the challenges the sector is facing and unveil the latest wines.

9 - 12 February

Popular culture

Known as Barcelona’s winter festival (festa major), this family-friendly celebration pays tribute to the city’s co-patron saint, St Eulàlia, with activities for everyone: street parades with giants, fire-runs (correfocs), human tower (casteller) performances, concerts and lots more. Don’t miss the Eagle’s Dance (Ball de l’Àliga) at Santa Maria del Mar!

16 February

Sport

The Half Marathon is much more than a sports competition. It is also a day of recreation which every year invites athletes from all over the world to enjoy running on a fast circuit surrounded by monuments around some of the city’s most emblematic streets. 

4 - 7 February

Fairs

Barcelona will become the global epicentre of the audiovisual sector with Integrated Systems Europe, the most important systems integration and audiovisual fairs in the world. It is the benchmark showcase of technologies and solutions in the audio, video and lighting fields and attracts the sector’s international community to the city. 

23 March - 11 April

Music 

March is classical music month in Barcelona. The Spring Festival brings the best international performers to stages at the Liceu, Palau de la Música Catalana and Barcelona Auditori. In addition, Ciutat de Clàssica hosts concerts by talented young performers in museums, art galleries and emblematic buildings, such as Casa Batlló.

Food and drink

A culinary festival in the heart of Passeig de Gràcia. Top restaurants on this thoroughfare and the surrounding area will be offering tastings at affordable prices. From dish-specific itineraries to gourmet meals, culinary evenings with Michelin star chefs and workshops led by renowned cooks, come and enjoy haute cuisine in one of the city’s most iconic spots. 

16 March

Sport

The long-distance race bar none is one of Europe’s benchmark marathons. The Barcelona Zurich Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label event and attracts thousands of runners every year who consider its little over 26 miles as one of the most spectacular routes in the world. The magic of Barcelona and sport combined in a unique experience.

23 March - 3 April

Music

Barcelona turns into the world piano capital for this prestigious competition aimed at promoting talented young performers from around the globe. The grand finale at the Palau de la Música Catalana is one of the most important piano events in the city. Moreover, public spaces are filled with pianos for everyone to enjoy and play throughout the event. 

24-30 March

Sport

This historical Catalan bike race is a top-flight event on the UCI World Tour and fought over seven stages between Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Barcelona, with an explosive final on the Montjuïc circuit.

Fairs

3 - 6 March

4YFN, the congress for start-ups, returns to Barcelona as the global benchmark for the innovation ecosystem. A new opportunity to connect investors, creators and entrepreneurs from all over the world in a unique setting: at the heart of the Mobile World Congress.

30 March - 2 April

Festivals

Discover the best contemporary, international independent and arthouse cinema at the D’A! The main attractions at this top Barcelona cinema event include award-winning films, world premières and Q&As with directors.

12–20 April

Sports

Created by Carlos Godó Valls, count of Godó, and held for the first time in 1953, this tournament is an iconic event for the city of Barcelona. Grand slam champions, some of Spain's best players ever and a long list of top-ranked players in the world have written this competition’s history. Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz, currently world No. 2, has confirmed his participation in the 2025 championship. 

23 April

Traditions / Culture

Every 23 April, thousands of people go for a stroll through Barcelona and enjoy one of the most special, intense and beautiful days of the year. Sant Jordi’s Day, declared World Book Day by UNESCO, fills the streets with books and roses, which are traditionally given as gifts to loved ones. Few celebrations bring the people of Barcelona together as much as this day. A cultural event not to be missed.

4 - 6 April

Fairs

New edition of the unmissable event for fans of comics and graphic novels. Major international authors will be visiting the 43st edition of the fair. Over the course of three days, it will feature competitions, themed exhibitions, talks, signing events, film and videogame sections, but most importantly a great atmosphere. 

Open days

Barcelona is one of the 120 European cities taking part in Museum Night, an event linked to International Museum Day (18 May). Museums and heritage sites will be opening until the early hours for a night of culture where visitors can enjoy collections and exhibitions, as well as guided tours, family workshops, concerts and recitals.

30 May to 1 June

Sport

New edition of the prestigious international regatta, once again bringing the excitement of top-class sailing to the city’s beaches. The world’s finest sailing crews will be taking part in the competition, organised by the Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona since 1974. 

13 - 15 May

Fairs

This is another of the major tech events on Barcelona’s calendar. The IOT Solutions World Congress is the leading international event devoted to the transformation of the sector via disruptive technologies. The fair will bring together 250 first-class experts and specialised talks, along with an exhibition zone where more than 300 companies from all over the world will display the latest IOT, AI and DT trends, products and applications.

30 May to 5 October

Food and drink

“Dinner with the Stars” combines scientific outreach and star gazing with truly tempting cuisine. Dine in the open at one of the best vantage points in Barcelona and gaze upon faraway constellations, stars and much of the solar system with one of the largest and oldest telescopes in Europe.

20-22 May

Trade fairs

The complementary fair includes a programme of activities for sector professionals:  the Sustainable Building Congress addresses sustainability as a vector for innovation in the sector and, in 80 sessions and talks, it presents real projects that showcase materials, construction systems and technologies designed for responsible construction.

8-10 May

Festivals

Disseny Hub Barcelona is once again the venue for OFFF Barcelona - the benchmark creativity, design and digital culture festival. International professionals, influencers and innovators will share what is happening right now in the creative industries, including conferences, performances, interactive installations and exhibitions.

23 June

Festivals

The night of 23 June is the “Revetlla de Sant Joan”, a magical night celebrating the summer solstice, and one of the most traditional popular festivals held in Catalonia.

In Barcelona there isn’t just one, city-wide celebration, instead all the neighbourhoods have their own bonfires and “St John’s Eve” parties at the same time. It all starts when the Canigó Flame arrives in Plaça de Sant Jaume, and then taken by runners all over the city to light the neighbourhood bonfires, which herald the start of the festivities with communal meals, firework displays featuring devils, beasts, dances, bangers and, without fail, traditional Sant Joan cake.

24 June - 21 July

Music

Sheryl Crow, Glen Hansard, Alice Cooper, Take That, Jamie Cullum and James Blunt are just some of the artists performing at this year's Alma, the festival where you can relax, dance and enjoy great live music during Barcelona's summer nights, all at the city's legendary venue, Poble Espanyol. Before the concert, take a stroll around the Village and enjoy a concert by an up-and-coming artist, as well as the food area.

Festivals

The history and programme of the international festival for theatre, music, dance and circus make this one of the most iconic events on Barcelona’s cultural panorama. With over 45 editions under its belt, the Grec backs exceptional artistic projects and offers a showcase for the finest local creations and the most innovative projects from stages all over the world. 

Popular culture

The Dancing Egg is a Barcelona tradition linked to the festival of Corpus Christi. It consists of making an egg “dance” on the jet of water coming from fountains in the cloisters and gardens of unique historical buildings: the Cathedral, the Museu Frederic Marès, the Casa de l’Ardiaca and the Ateneu Barcelonés. The fountains are decorated with fruit and flowers, offering fragrances and textures typical of the spring. This is a festivity that invites people to take to the streets and discover the most beautiful corners of the city.

28 june - 20 july

Festivals

The grand festive occasion standing up for LGBTI rights and freedoms is one of the most popular in Europe, attracting thousands of people every year. Packed concerts, lectures, talks, films, exhibitions and a big demonstration all form part of an extensive programme of activities to give a voice to sexual and gender diversity, make it more visible and celebrate it.

Music

As its name tells us, Bachcelona is Barcelona’s festival devoted to Johann Sebastian Bach. The competition features concerts and a variety of musical activities in iconic venues across Barcelona, such as the Palau de la Música, the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau and La Pedrera. Reflecting its commitment to quality, every year the festival invites the most renowned international artists specialising in Bach. 

3 - 12 July

Music

This festival has been held in Barcelona since 2005 and features lyrical singers from all over the world. It preserves and internationally promotes the repertoire of Latin American and Iberian artistic song in Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese and indigenous languages, along with its composers and performers.  The event consists of a course in the history and interpretation of the vocal repertoire of a cycle of concerts with top-class international artists.

Film

The summer brings us another edition of the Sala Montjuïc open-air film festival, with a selection of the season's most outstanding films, the most recent releases and the award winners, as well as essential cult and classic films, accompanied by concerts and picnics under the stars. All the films are in the original version with subtitles.

Film

An event to enjoy good films in the outdoors on summer nights. The programme features quality films that have been screened at renowned film festivals, and these are shown in original version with subtitles in Spanish. Each session also starts with a short film. The completely free event is held on Sant Sebastià Beach in Barcelona.

9 - 17 August 

Festivals

Circuit is one of the largest LGBTI leisure festivals in Europe, running over nine fun-packed days on the beach with pool parties, terraces and night-time events. The event offers good music, a place to make friends from around the globe and meet new people, celebrate diversity and discover Barcelona – a city with non-stop culture and leisure attractions.

Football

If you're a football fan, this is a chance for you to watch Barça play live. The Joan Gamper Trophy is a historic tournament, where FC Barcelona will be launching the 2025-2026 season squad to fans in a friendly match. For the past four years, this trophy has also had a women’s category, offering a spectators the chance to enjoy one of the best women's teams in the world.

Popular culture

If visiting the city in August, make sure you head over to Gràcia. The neighbourhood hosts one of Barcelona’s most important summer festivals in mid-August. It is famous for its distinctive best decorated street competition that the locals spend the whole year preparing for. Walk around decorated streets that have transformed into small fantasy worlds with a wide variety of themes.

18–21 September

Fairs

Barcelona’s art season kicks off with this event for art lovers, collectors and professionals. This weekend, the city´s top galleries will be hosting exhibitions by national and international artists, together with presentations, performances, conversations, gatherings and guided tours. It’s a can’t-miss event for anyone interested in learning about the latest trends in contemporary art. 

Popular culture

Barcelona is La Mercè and La Mercè is Barcelona. If you want to truly experience the city’s essence, this is one of the best times to visit. Barcelona will be abuzz with its festa major, or main annual festival, one of the events Barcelona residents look forward to all year. Streets, parks and public spaces will be filled with street art shows, concerts featuring all kinds of music, gegants [giant figures], castellers [human tower builders], devil figures and fire creatures. The celebration culminates with a spectacular musical fireworks display that attracts thousands of people every year. 

Sport

The Copa del Món UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator is a race in which adrenaline, explosiveness and technical prowess stand out. The Eliminator is a cross country race where four riders compete in unison along a short course with many obstacles. The world's best mountain bike riders meet in Barcelona to vie for the jersey by which they will be recognised as a champion on a world scale.

Sport

The Fòrum Park will host one of the largest urban sports events in Europe. Fans of extreme sports and action sports won't want to miss the scooter, skate, BMX and breakdancing competitions, which will feature international stars in these disciplines. 

Food and drink

Great food, music and the unbeatable setting of the Born are at the heart of this street food fair. The best restaurants and chefs in the area will prepare dishes with seasonal products in front of the public, who can then enjoy a taste of their creations.

30 September - 2 October

Trade fairs

This is the leading international event for defining the future strategy of Europe’s property market and a place to discover projects to invest in according to environmental, social, and governmental criteria. This three-day congress brings together specialists in property assets to gauge the market and anticipate the major trends for the different classes of assets and their performance.

Day events

This is the leading annual gathering for Barcelona's ecosystem of international talent, the main welcoming and networking space foreign professionals living and working in our city. 

BICD offers information and practical sessions, workshops, networking activities, music and performances in other disciplines, children's activities and more. There's also a fair with companies and organisations offering products, services and other initiatives for the international community.

2-5 October

Fairs

Swab is Barcelona's contemporary art fair. It is an independent project created 15 years ago as an experimentation platform for emerging artists. Priority is given to the quality of the artistic programme and the project's proximity to the public. Around eighty art galleries from all over the world take part in the event, which was founded by the architect and collector Joaquín Díez-Cascón.

7-17 October

Festivals

The Barcelona Design Week (BDW), the city's annual design, creativity and innovation event, is one of the world's leading events in its field. The festival, which seeks to introduce the public to the world of design, will cover areas such as social design, creativity, impact and digitalisation in an expansive programme of exhibitions, conferences, workshops and a variety of spaces open to all.

Food and drink

Barcelona is a market city, and Mercat de Mercats is the markets' grand celebration. This gastronomic fair focuses on high-quality, local and sustainable food and takes place in Plaça de les Glòries, where you can taste tapas prepared by some of the best local chefs, buy fresh food from the markets' suppliers and even cook it yourself right there in the barbecue area. There will also be chats, talks and show cooking by professional cooks.

Festivals

48h Open House is one of Barcelona's main architecture events. A full weekend of free guided tours in which over 250 buildings of all types, shapes and sizes in the city of Barcelona and its surrounding areas will throw open their doors to visitors. The festival is a perfect opportunity to enjoy experiences related to Barcelona's heritage, from Roman ruins to today's city, including buildings that are examples of Catalan Gothic, Neoclassicism, Catalan Modernisme and the Modern movement. 

4-6 November

Fairs

The first international summit on cities and smart urban solutions brings together leading figures from companies, governments and the most innovative organisations from over 400 cities around the planet. The congress offers a three-day programme with renowned experts to share ideas and discover the best practices for a more sustainable world, plus an exhibition zone where hundreds of businesses and organisations will be showcasing their avant-garde projects and smart solutions.

4-6 November

Fairs

This international event on smart and sustainable urban mobility is held every year in Barcelona in parallel to the Smart City Expo World Congress. The congress explores mobility projects and initiatives for the future, with national and international experts and businesses, organisations and research centres looking to strengthen their capacities, increase collaboration and share solutions to speed up the transition to sustainable mobility.

6-10 November

Festivals

This November, Barcelona, a UNESCO City of Literature, will be the capital of non-realistic literature. Festival 42 provides a meeting point for creators, readers, publishers and disseminators of fantasy genres, an unmissable event that boosts connections ranging from mythology to science fiction and from YA fantasy to the most unsettling horror, featuring domestic and international authors and the latest releases. 

Sports

The Jean Bouin is the longest-running athletics race held in Barcelona and this year it celebrates in 102st edition. The race consists of a 5k and a 10k course which go through some of Barcelona's most iconic streets. The Jean Bouin is named after the French long-distance runner who broke several world records at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.

Fairs and conferences

Arts Libris has become firmly established as one of the most important international artist's book fairs in the world. The fair breaks away from the traditional Anglo-Saxon model adopted by most fairs in this sphere, casting its gaze instead towards southern Europe and Latin America. The fair features around a hundred publishers and an ambitious range of cultural activities, including talks, debates and workshops around artist publications, contemporary bibliographies and photobooks.

18–20 November

Fairs

Barcelona is confirming its leadership as a destination for congresses and business by hosting IBTM World, the jewel in the crown in this sector. This is the most important global fair for tourism linked to meetings, incentives, conferences, events and the business travel industry (MICE). The last edition brought together around 2,650 hosted buyers (international companies in charge of organising events) and 2,500 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, along with 12,000 professionals from the sector.

Shows 

Every year, Barcelona sees in the Christmas season by switching on the Christmas lights throughout the city. It is something unique to behold, full of imagination and excitement, and specially designed to kick-start the most magical time of the year. All the Christmas lights in the city are officially switched on right after the end of the show, lighting hundreds of streets and squares and filling them with a festive atmosphere and the Christmas spirit. If you come to Barcelona during the holiday season, let yourself be dazzled by the decorations in the city's most iconic places. You will be pleasantly surprised!

Sports

The Challenge Barcelona Triathlon promises to exceed expectations and offer a unique experience for athletes of all levels. One of the main new aspects to this year’s event comes in the form of 80 places for amateur athletes in the short distance, who will have to meet two basic requisites: to be federated triathletes and to accept and meet all the cut-off times and established rules for this distance. The other categories are: Olympic, sprint, junior challenge and aquathlon.

Festivities

During the month of December, Barcelona is transformed to celebrate one of the most magical festivals of the year. The city is all dressed up, its illuminated streets brimming with activities to suit all tastes. You’ll find the iconic Santa Llúcia and Sagrada Família fairs, shows, concerts and festivals for all the family, such as those in Plaça Catalunya and Plaça de la Universitat, along with traditional nativity scenes like the one at the Museu Frederic Marès and innovative alternatives such as the one in Plaça Sant Jaume. Experiencing Christmas in Barcelona is a true gift.

Festival

5-8 December

Japanese culture and Barcelona combine for Manga Barcelona, the stellar event for manga and anime lovers which is held at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via. The fair offers the latest developments and trends in this sector, specialised publishing companies and booksellers, with a chance to enjoy roundtable discussions, talks, meetings with authors, competitions and all sorts of activities, including the most international of cosplay competitions, the World Cosplay Summit.

Fairs

Barcelona confirms its place as one of the grand design capitals with events such as this one. Design Market Barcelona is the market for independent designers, organised every Christmas at the Disseny Hub Barcelona by the association Fostering Arts and Design (FAD). Featuring over a hundred exhibitors, it offers a chance to find the best products and creations in fashion and accessories, household items, contemporary jewellery, crafts products, furniture, illustrations, games, food products and lots more. Lovers of great design will be able to find the perfect gift here.

Sports

Barcelona becomes the international padel capital in December. The Palau Sant Jordi will be hosting the second edition of the Premier Padel Tour Finals, where the eight top pairs in the world ranking will be competing to win the last trophy of the 2025 Premier Padel circuit season.

Shows 

As Christmas draws near, the Sant Pau Modernista Complex becomes a space full of fantasy, joy and colour, delighting young and old. Els llums de Sant Pau is a light show like never before, a fully immersive experience in an extraordinary setting, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. An essential event for enjoying the magic of Christmas with the family.

Routes

The Barcelona Christmas Tour is a unique experience enabling you to really feel the magic of Christmas. This panoramic bus tour takes you on an evening trip around the city’s grandest streets and avenues and its most iconic buildings, such as Passeig de Gràcia, the Sagrada Familia, the Cathedral and the Arc de Triomf, all specially decorated and lit up for the festive season. The tour follows a route full of colour where the authentic Christmas ambience will rub off on you and you’ll discover the traditions and secrets surrounding Christmas in Barcelona, explained by tourist guides on board the bus.

31 December

Sport

Every year, Barcelona closes out the sports year on 31 December with a highly original and festive run which has become a true Christmas tradition in the city. The Nose Race is a 10 km event open to all which attracts large numbers of runners in a circuit around the streets of Barcelona. The event is complemented with a 5 km event, the International Nose Race 5K, exclusively for 50 professional runners and considered by many as the best race in the world over this distance. 

31 December

Festivities

Barcelona sees out the year with the most spectacular countdown from Montjuïc’s emblematic Magic Fountain. Music, fireworks, a monumental set and the most spectacular tech innovation are set to make Av. Reina Maria Cristina a really special place to bid farewell to 2025 and see in 2026. This is a show to amaze anybody wishing to celebrate a New Year’s Eve packed with magic and emotions and in the best of company.