Find out what is happening in Barcelona during your holiday

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For events, concerts, and football tickets during your visit to Barcelona, use the official Spain Events website to see details and book directly online. This website offers the most reliable service and lowest prices that we know of (we buy our show tickets here too). Enjoy the show!

We have gathered below a short list of events in Barcelona for 2012 and there is also a more detailed description for the relevant month at the very bottom.

List of Public holidays in Barcelona:

• 1st January – New Year’s Day
• 5th January – Epiphany
• 19th March -St. Joseph’s Day
• Late March or early April – Maundy Thursday
• Late March or early April – Good Friday
• 1st May – Labour Day
• 15th August – Feast of the Assumption
• 12th October – National Day
• 1st November – All Saints’ Day
• 6th December – Constitution Day
• 8th December – Feast of the Immaculate Conception
• 25th December – Christmas Day

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Calendar of Events – 2012

January

• Dia de Reyes (Three Kings Day) – January 6th, — gift giving festival with firework displays
• Festes dels Tres Tombs – January 17th — part of the district festival of Sant Antoni Abat

February

• Feast of Santa Eulàlia — parades of ‘gigantes’ (medieval dances)

March

• Carnival — this carnival is held at the beginning of Lenten season and there are also a series of religious festivals

April

• Feast of Sant Jordi — April 23rd, book stalls are set up and couples exchange flowers
• Feast of Virgin of Montserrat— choir singing and ‘sardana’ dancing

May

• Corpus Christi — carpets of flowers, processions and a ‘dancing egg’ which is balanced at the cathedral’s fountain
• Dia de Sant Ponc — a herb fair in Carrer de l’Hospital, with fresh herbs, flowers, cakes, sweets and aromatic oils

June

• Feast of Sant Joan — June 23rd to 24th – with fireworks and feasts
• Grec Festival — end of June / beginning of July, this is a festival of theatre and music of all varieties
• Sonar — celebration of electronic music (claimed to be Europe’s biggest event of its kind)
• Gay and Lesbian Festival — around June 28th, this festival features a parade starting at the Placa de l’Universat on Saturday evening

July

• Gaude Home — popular men’s fashion show

August

• Assumption Festa Major — August 15th to 21st – celebrations and local parties in the streets of Gracia during the week leading up to Assumption

September

• La Diada — Catalan national day with many demonstrations, flags, and patriotic atmosphere
• Mare de Dèu de la Mercé (Our Lady of Mercy) — week of celebrations in honour of Barcelona’s patron
• BAM – around September 24th — free musical performances for the Feste de Mercé, taking place in the squares, city centre and waterfront

October

• Textile Exhibition – in mid October
• Festival de Tardor — October to November, classical and contemporary theatre, music, dance, cabaret and exhibitions

November

• Festival Internacional de Jazz de Barcelona — lasting for about a week and performed in many large venues around the city – this jazz festival features many international jazz musicians

December

• Christmas Fairs — many fairs and Christmas markets selling figurines and festive goods outside the cathedral and the Sagrada Familia
• Swimming cup — December 25th, annual Christmas swimming cup where people dive into the icy waters at the port
• New Year’s Eve — general festivities and parties throughout Barcelona

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MARCH — here is a more detailed account of what to expect this month:

Early-March – Throughout the world, Shrove Tuesday is a date known by Christians to fall forty days before Easter Sunday. It symbolises the start of Lent – a period of forty days in the run up to Easter in which Christians have traditionally shown abstinence from their vices, whatever they may be. Since I was a girl Lent has always been the only forty days of the year when I have not had ice-cream daily… So Shrove Tuesday is my last opportunity for some vanilla and chocolate…

This is the whole idea of Shrove Tuesday, Carnival, Mardi Gras or Carnestoltes – whatever people call it around the world. It is the one last blowout party before the period of suffering and will-power begins. In Spain it is celebrated, of course, with a fiesta!

The fun begins on ‘Fat Thursday’ which is the third of March and ends the following Wednesday with a traditional ceremony in which sardines are buried to symbolise the beginning of the fast.

Depending on the town or city, different places have their major party on different days. However, there is often a large street parade known as the Gran Rua de Carnaval on the Saturday of the celebrations.

There is always something going on here – so have a great holiday and we hope to see you soon!

The BDT team