Barcelona Festivals, Events, and Holidays 2025

Come to Barcelona any day of the year, and you’re guaranteed to find the right event for you. Religious celebrations, concerts, food fairs, or a Mexican food meet-up? They’re always happening! Read this list of major events, festivals, and public holidays in Barcelona to help you plan your trip. Read more about Barcelona events to expect!

January 2025

New Year’s Day. January 1, 2025.  It’s a special holiday, meant to be spent with family and friends. Be aware that 99% of Barcelona shops and restaurants are closed. The only large retail center that’s open is the Maremagnum Shopping Center.

La Cavalcada de Reis (Three Kings Parade).  January 5, 2025. Instead of Santa Claus, the Catalan and Spanish folks have the Three Kings to give them presents. They arrive at the dock in Barcelona and have an elaborate theatrical parade through the major streets of Barcelona. The festivities start at 4:30pm as they make their way, throwing candy and sweets for eager children and adults to catch. It’s free!

Fira de Reis de la Gran Via (Three Kings Christmas Fair). December 16, 2025 – January 6, 2026. While most Christmas fairs closed on December 23, this Christmas fair on Gran Via de Les Corts Catalanes remains open into the night until January 5, Eve of the Three Kings Day. Here you can find toys, candy, artisan gifts, handmade jewelry, and lots of churro stands. Mmmm….

Dia de Reis (Epiphany / Three Kings’ Day). January 6, 2025.  Catalan and Spanish children wake up to open their surprise gifts exclusively from the Three Kings. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

Winter Sales Season. January 7 – end of March. Unlike in the US (where there are sales every damn day of the year), shopping sales are a huge deal in Spain. Why? Retailers start with major markdowns, sometimes at 70%. If they can’t get rid of stock, they may make a second markdown. The sales seasons happen twice a year (the other season is in August), so if you’re looking for that special something look for “Rebaixes” or “Rebajas” on the storefront. It might be worth it – if you want to find a special sweater from Zara or books from FNAC.

Foguerons de Sa Pobla: January 25, 2025. A tradition from the Spanish island of Mallorca, the Foguerons de Sa Pobla is when you’ll see around a dozen bonfires in the artsy neighborhood of Gràcia.  You also get to enjoy Mallorcan folk singing, concerts, theater, and more all week. Oh, and grilling meat in the bonfires!

Festa Major de Sant Antoni. January 17 – January 26, 2025. A trendy neighborhood for foodies, Sant Antoni holds its Festa Major, or neighborhood festival, which is usually earlier in the year. It all starts with a parade called the Cavalcada dels Tres Tombs. It’s a parade for…pets? Yup, pet parents come with their Fifis and Fluffies, and they get blessed by a Catholic official in the name of St. Anthony. Festivities also include a correfoc (fire run), performances, poetry recitals, beer festivals, and gegants (papier-mache giant puppets), of course.

February 2025

Festes de Santa Eulalia: February 7-12, 2025. As the patron saint of Barcelona, Santa Eulalia (or Laia for short) is the second-most celebrated Catalan festival in Barcelona (right after La Mercè). The celebration comprises of many folkloric Catalan traditions: correfocs, gegants, castellers, and dancing the sardanas. Some museums, like the Picasso Museum and the Fundació Joan Miró are also free to enter. Find out more here.

Carnaval. February 27 – March 5, 2025. Carnival is celebrated a week prior to Lent, which includes Fat Thursday, then the following Friday, the Rei de Carnestoltes (King of Carnival) arrives. The end of Carnival season is on Ash Wednesday when they hold a satirical funeral procession and bury a sardine.

There are seven ambassadors who accompany the Carnival King in Barcelona because they symbolize the seven neighborhoods of Horta, Sant Andreu, Sarrià, Gràcia, Sants, Sant Martí, and Les Corts.

Carnival is also celebrated on a smaller scale in some Barcelona neighborhoods. It’s also celebrated privately: kids and adults wear costumes at school, at work functions, or at special events. The real Carnival party is in Sitges, where you’ll see an elaborate kids’ parade and a general Carnival parade. Don’t miss the one-time event!

Festival Llum BCN (Light Festival). February 6-9, 2025. This is one of my favorite after-dark festivals where you can see light artists display light and music performances, mappings, art installations, and more. It’s held in the Poblenou / Glories area. It’s free and fun for the kids, too! Be warned – get there early for any indoor light installations because it can get crowded!

eDreams Mitja Marató (Barcelona Half-Marathon). February 16, 2025. This is the second-largest event after Barcelona’s main marathon. It’s a flat running course, and highlights include running near Arc de Triomf, parallel to the beach on Passeig de Pujades, and near the Torre Glories. My husband is running this one!

Mobile World Congress: March 3 – March 6, 2025. Kind of like Muslims to Mecca, the Mobile World Congress draws techies from around the world, making it the largest exhibition for the mobile industry. Buy yourself a ticket if you want to hear from thought leaders, learn new trends and technologies, and expand your network. This is HUGE, which makes it about $1000 a pop. MWC is held between two convention centers, Fira Gran Via and Fira Montjuic.

March 2025

Brunch Elektronik Barcelona. March 2, 2025. This popular music festival of acid, techno, and house music, holding eight events throughout the year. Spend the whole day dancing to some tunes, having local food specialties, and also, set near the beautiful shopping center, La Maquinista.

Festa de Sant Medir. March 2-3, 2025. Set in the Gràcia neighborhood, colles (festival groups) parade during this “sweets festival”. Neighbors make a pilgrimage to St. Medir’s shrine, the Ermita de Sant Medir in Sant Cugat. Participants in the parade glide by in horse-drawn carriages and floats as young and old onlookers try to catch sweets and candy. It’s a great photo op! There are also castellers (human castles), musical processions, and more. Come for a culturally Catalan experience!

Festes de Sant Josep Oriol. March 15 – 23, 2025. Neighbors of en El Barri del Pi (neighborhood around the Santa Maria del Pi Church) honor St. Joseph Oriol, a devout priest who lived in the area and was famous for curing the sick. They put on a festival of giants, a parade, castellers (human towers!), and a chocolatada (where locals socialize and consume gallons of hot chocolate).

Important dates: Remember that many shops and restaurants are closed on Good Friday, March 29. They’re also closed on Easter Sunday, March 31 (like every Sunday. AND closures are on Easter Monday (yes, Easter Monday!), April 1. 

April 2025

Barcelona Beer Festival. April 11 – 13, 2025. Try over 650 types of beers at the largest beer festival with beers, food, and live music. Local beers include Mahou, Estrella Damm, and more. The Beer Festival takes place at La Fira de Montjuic.

Festa Major de Sagrada Familia. April 19 – 28, 2025. Coinciding with the special day of Sant Jordi (below), the local festival of the Sagrada Familia neighborhood is perhaps one of the most photogenic events – where you can photograph a casteller right in front of the majestic Sagrada Familia. Also expect to see dancing gegants, drummers and musicians, “devils” carrying fire during a correfoc, and more.

Holy Week. April 19 – 28, 2025. Easter week is low-key in Barcelona compared to other parts of Spain, where hooded men and women march in Easter processions. If you want to see traditional penance processions of Catholic fraternities carrying statues, crosses, and candles, go to Hospitalet or Badalona. Check out this page (in Spanish) to see which Catalan religious fraternity activities.

Día de Sant Jordi (St. George’s Day). April 23, 2025. The day of Sant Jordi is kind of like Valentine’s Day, but better! Men give women roses, and women traditionally give the men a book. Nowadays, women get both. Go us! It’s a festive day for book and rose vendors to set up tables around Rambla Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, Las Ramblas, and Placa Catalunya. Even famous authors come out to sign books. The ambiance is exhilarating. Go out there and support a small book shop!

Feria de Abril de Catalunya (April Fair of Catalunya). Usually in April/May. No date announced yet! Almost (but not quite) like the traditional spring fair in Seville, the Feria de Abril in Barcelona celebrates Andalusian style: flamenco dancing, polka-dot ruffle dresses, and pop-up restaurant tents with plenty of room for dancing sevillanas. There’s also a massive section of noisy carnival rides, retail stands, and cotton candy. The fun takes place in Parc del Fòrum.

May 2025

May 1 is Labor Day, and most shops and restaurants are closed.

Mother’s Day. May 4, 2025. It’s Mother’s Day here in Spain. Moms get the honor they deserve, such as being gifted roses or a special lunch. It’s celebrated similarly as in the US – but the Mother’s Day commercialism in Spain is not less understated. So if you’re traveling with your mom to Barcelona, be sure to buy her a Barcelona souvenir.

Salón del Cómic Barcelona (International Comic Fair). Fri, May 4 – May 6, 2025. This fair and convention for comic lovers and more has over 180 exhibitors, conferences and roundtables, kids’ activities, meet-ups, and more. Awards are also given to authors.

Cursa del Corte Inglés (El Corte Inglés race). Sunday, May 11, 2025. Department store giant, El Corte Inglés, puts on this wildly popular free race in Barcelona, this year marking the 44th year. 

La Nit dels Museus (Museums Night). May (no dates announced yet). Take advantage of entering 68 museums for free from 7 pm to 1am. Museums include MACBA, Recinte Moderniste de Sant Pau, Museu, FC Barcelona, MNAC, and Museu Picasso. Go early because queues can be long.

Pentecost Monday, or Whit Monday is, May 20. Shops and restaurants are closed!

Fira Modernista. May 23-25, 2025.   This fair celebrates Catalan Modernism, which took place over 120+ years ago in Eixample, the neighborhood birthplace. Expect to see nostalgic modernist costumes, stalls, workshops, crafts, local products, rides for kids, and vintage cars of the Modernist era. It’s free and it’s fun!

Spanish Grand Prix. May 30 – June 1, 2025. If cars and races are your thing, don’t miss the Formula One Grand Prix. For the 33rd consecutive year, the races will be held at Montmeló. You can expect about 500,000 folks to participate.

June 2025

Primavera Sound. June 4 – June 8, 2025.  This multiple-day music festival started in 2001 and has grown like crazy, from 7,700 people, now over 500,000 folks. It draws music lovers from Spain and all over the world with its diverse lineup. This year, it includes Beabadoobee, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and many, many more! See below.

June 9 is Pentecost Monday. Shops and restaurants are closed!

L’Ou Com Balla (The Dancing Egg). June 19 – June 22, 2025. Ever see an egg dance on water? L’Ou Com Balla celebrates Corpus Christi, 60 days after Easter Sunday. In several squares and cloisters around Barcelona, you’ll see an empty egg bouncing up and down on fountain waters. Catch it at Barcelona Cathedral (most popular), Frederic Marès Museum, the Maritime Museum (Museu Marítim), and Pedralbes Monastery. In some places, you can see the dancing egg until June 14.

Festival Jardins de Pedralbes: TBD. [NOTE: this event may be canceled 🙁 Stay updated on the official website.] This small-crowd music festival is set in the Pedralbes gardens, and manages to draw the largest names. On this year’s list is James Blunt, Dido, Raphael, Andres Calamaro, Patti Smith, Crowded House, Cat Stevens, Diana Ross, and MORE! Names are still being added and prices are reasonable.

Sónar Festival. June 12 – 14, 2025. One of the most important electronic music festivals, Sonar blends music, technology, and creativity with DJ sets, live performances, and immersive art. Visit the Sónar website to see the full lineup.

OFFSónar Festival. June 10 – 15, 2025. More electronic and techno music is celebrated with this “off” festival, kind of a smaller festival in various venues across Barcelona. OFFSónar Festival includes artists Solomun and Adriatique. It takes place at Poble Espanyol. Visit the OFFSónar website.

Tast a la Rambla (Tasting on Las Ramblas). Early June 2025. This food festival is where you can nibble on some traditional and classic bites on the most iconic Barcelona street, Las Ramblas. Get a taste at one of the 50 local restaurants and, participate in the food workshops, and enjoy the live music!

Nit de Sant Joan (St. John’s Eve): June 23, 2025. Sant Joan marks the first day – to ring in the summer. Gigantic bonfires are found at the beach, but they’re also around different neighborhoods at intersections. Families and kids throw firecrackers. Don’t be alarmed by seeing huge flames because they’re pretty controlled. Most people gather around the beach area to enjoy the night-time fires, drinking, and just being merry. It’s the longest night of the year! And don’t expect to sleep. It’s LOUD.

June 24, 2025. Dia de San Joan (St. John’s Feast Day). All shops and restaurants are closed!

Cinema Lliure a La Platja (Open-Air Cinema at the Beach). June – August, 2025. Check out full-length independent films shown at the San Sebastian beach on the sand. They’re usually in Spanish or Catalan, are projected on a big screen. They’re usually held on Thursdays at 9 pm, but that’s still TBD. And it’s FREE! Just bring a blanket, snacks, friends, and your favorite teddy bear.

Brunch in the Park: TBD. This summer music festival series features international artists and DJs in a sunny park setting. Performances are held in different locations like Parc de Joan Brossa in Montjuic. Shows have already sold out. It’s also a family-friendly event – with play zones and activities for the kids. It’s the perfect place for parents to feel hip: enjoying the sun, dancing to music, and taking the family.

Montjuic Open Air Cinema: See below.

Alma Festival Jardins de Pedralbes. June and July. This intimate music festival used to take place in Pedralbes gardens, but is now situated in the Poble Espanyol. This year, The Corrs, Wilco, Alan Parsons Live Project, and more, rock the crowds. LINK

July 2025

Montjuic Open Air Cinema: TBD. This is the only place in Barcelona where you can watch a film outdoors at a 17th-century fortress. Bring a blanket, snacks, and water with you as you watch a film at Montjuic Castle. They have live music at 8:45pm, and the film starts at 10:00pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Buy your tickets in advance because some films have already sold out! Get your tickets here. 

Festival CruÏlla: TBD. A raging music festival for Catalan music, reggae, Latin, and rock. Past editions have included Placebo, Gwen Stefani, and Of Monsters and Men. A single day’s ticket starts at 65 euros. It happens at Parc del Fòrum. 

Gay Pride Barcelona: TBD. Barcelona is a pretty open-minded city, which even has a gay district called “Gaixample” in Sant Antoni. Gay Pride Barcelona celebrates diversity with a parade, music performances, and more. Check Pride BCN for more info.

Grec Festival of Barcelona. TBD. It’s music, theater, dance, and circus events at this small open-air theatre in various venues across Barcelona including the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya, Montjuic, . Stay tuned for program information!

Festa Major del Raval (Raval Neighborhood Festival). Mid-July-ish, TBD. This neighborhood festival is in the colorful and diverse neighborhood of Raval, which has gegants, and correfocs, musical shows, dances, children’s activities, parades, and performances.Stay tuned here for updates!

Festa Major de Poble Sec. TBD. Traditionally a working-class neighborhood, Poble Sec has festival events around Parc de Les Tres Xemenies, Placa Navas, and Carrer Blai, among others. Expect concerts, correfocs, DJs, castellers, open-air cinemas, children’s activities, and more. 

August 2025

Important notes: Most people in Barcelona (and all over Spain) take their vacation/holidays during the entire month of August. That means many shops and restaurants are closed. The tourist attractions and major shops will probably open.

Montjuic Open Air Cinema: See above.

Brunch Elektronik Barcelona. August 8, 2025. More of this popular music festival of acid, techno, and house music. It’s set in Parc del Forum.

Musics als Parcs. TBD. This summer music event series features live jazz and classical music and it’s held all over Barcelona’s parks. The ambiance is feel-good and relaxing and are the perfect concerts to attend with the family, including grandparents 😉

August 15 (Feast of the Assumption). Most restaurants and shops are closed!

Festa Major de Gràcia: TBD. Gràcia holds the largest, most exuberant neighborhood festival of all. Residents enter a competition: they decorate their own street according to a theme, and they only use recycled materials. The papier-mâché structures and colors are out of this world! Check it out in my post here. Also, there are correfocs, sardanas, concerts, workshops, and so so much more. If you go, please be mindful of the neighbors as guests are often too loud or destroy decorations 🙁 

Festa Major de Sants: TBD. This is a milder version of the Festa Major de Gràcia and attracts fewer visitors, but it’s still worthy of visiting. One) because the streets are also decorated, and two) it’s way less crowded! Expect the usual fare of correfocs, concerts, dances, kids’ activities, fairs and gegants!

September 2025

La Diada: September 11, 2025. ‘mericans say September 11th, Catalans say National Day of Catalonia. La Diada commemorates a day in 1714 when Barcelona city fell to Spanish troops. The past few years, the significance of La Diada has intensified due to the ongoing political tension with Catalan independence. Expect to see mostly peaceful marches and lots of red-and-yellow Catalan flags. Shops and restaurants are closed.

Festa Major de La Barceloneta (La Barceloneta Festival). TBD. Also called the Festa Major de Sant Miquel, this neighborhood festival is held in the seaside neighborhood of La Barceloneta. It has gegants, a parade of cannons (that shoot candy!), decorated streets, correfocs, and dancing of sardanas. 

Festa de La Mercè. Around September 21-24, 2025. A citywide festival spanning a few days, this is the largest (and FREE!) festival in Barcelona. It honors the other patron saint of Barcelona, the Lady of Mercy. There are 600 activities spread throughout Plaça Sant Jaume, La Barceloneta, Plaça Catalunya, Passeig de Gracia, Park Ciutadella, and all the neighborhoods. It includes concerts (the BAM festival is included here), gegants, workshops, castellers, correfocs, theater, kids’ activities, performances, and so much more! IMHO, it’s the best time to visit Barcelona because it’s not extremely hot, there are fewer tourists. And it all ends with fireworks!

September 24, 2025: Dia de La Mercè. Shops and restaurants are closed.

October 2025

Sitges Film Festival. TBD. Just down south is the beautiful town of Sitges, where they also celebrate the international Sitges film festival. Films are mostly fantasy and horror films timed with the Halloween season. There are also lots of stands and activity going on around the boardwalk, including an annual Zombie Walk.

October 12, Spanish National Holiday. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

Oktoberfest Barcelona: TBD. Just like in Munich, Germany, Barcelona brings its own version of the beer festival. You’ll find Heineken, Weissbeer, Cruzcampo, and of course…German sausages! Now pass the bratwurst! It goes down at the Fira Montjuic.

Cursa de Bombers de Barcelona (Barcelona Firemen’s Race). TBD. This charity race is run by the Firemen of Barcelona. (Imagine a massive group of manly men in firemen uniform with their gear running!!) It’s open to the public and covers 10 kilometers.

Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival: October – November (TBD). Love jazz? This internationally acclaimed festival takes place in scattered venues like at the Palau de La Musica, Sala Apolo, or the Harlem Jazz Club. Past jazz artists include Diana Krall and Jimmy Cobb. Tickets are sold based on individual performances, and they go fast!

48H Open House Barcelona. TBD, end of the month usually. While Gaudí and Modernist buildings are incredible, Barcelona is busting with architectural wonders that go widely unnoticed like the Media-TIC building. You’ll get a guided tour (mostly in Catalan, but they may cater to Spanish speakers, depending on your guide). I highly recommend the Arc de Triomf, Antiga Fabrica Estrella Damm, or the Casa Vicens. Get there early because lines get long. The event is FREE!

La Castanyada: October 31 – November 1, 2025. More of a tradition and not an event, La Castanyada celebrates the welcoming of fall. Catalans eat roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, then top it off with some muscatel. La Castanyada celebrations are normally in homes or at schools. But you’ll see some of the few stalls selling chestnuts throughout Barcelona. Halloween has been creeping into Catalan culture, more each year. 

November 2025

November 1, 2025: All Souls’ Day. Shops and restaurants are closed,

In-Edit Barcelona. TBD. Music documentaries are a thing of their own at the In-Edit festival. 2019’s film titles included “Gay Chorus Deep South”, “Mystifying Michael Hutchence”, and “David Bowie: Finding Fame”. Intrigued? Check it all out on the In-Edit website.

Women’s Race Barcelona. TBD. The Carrera de La Mujer happens all around Spain, and women run a 7.8-kilometer race for charity. Power to the woman!

Black Friday sales. November 28, 2025. Black Friday is now a worldwide thing, and it probably won’t go away. If you’re eyeing something to buy, know that some shops hold their own Black Friday sales like El Corte Ingles, FNAC, H&M, etc.

Festa Major de Sant Andreu. TBD. The Festa Major de Sant Andreu closes the calendar of major festivals in the city. You can’t miss the correfoc (“fire run”) of guys dressed as devils from Sant Andreu.

December 2025

December 8, 2025. Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

Fira de Santa Llucia (Santa Lucia Christmas Fair). TBD. last days of November – end of December-ish 2021. The most popular and largest Christmas fair in Barcelona, you’ll find rows and rows of stalls in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. Expect to see Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, caganers, wooden toys, and a huge tió de nadal that the children can beat with a stick. ( <- What?? Yup, find out about that here.)

Christmas activities in Barcelona: End of November-ish, January 6, 2026. Holiday activities are ongoing throughout Barcelona. Most activities are in Plaça Catalunya and Plaça Sant Jaume. Check out Christmas activities in Barcelona – as I update it every year!

Fira de la Sagrada Familia (Sagrada Familia Christmas Fair): Last weekend of November – December 23rd. This is a fun Christmas market to go right in front of the Sagrada Familia. You’ll see Christmas trees, artisan gifts, Christmas decorations, food vendors, Nativity scenes, and more. A great place to visit right after seeing the grand church! 

Fira de Reis de la Gran Via (Three Kings Christmas Fair). End of November-ish to January 5, 2026. Description is above. This Christmas fair IS open on December 26 when everything is closed. Hurrah!

Festival de la Infancia (Children’s Fair). TBD.  This is an indoor event for kids to learn, discover, and play! It’s held at the Fira Gran Via, where kids can learn about the Barcelona tram, pretend they work at the Barcelona port, or be a footballer. It’s meant to inspire children about future careers. I went in 2019, and queues were quite long for some stands like the one for FC Barcelona, so I suggest going early to knock those out of the way. Then enjoy the rest of the stands!

December 25, 2025. Christmas Day. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

December 26, 2025. Boxing Day / St Stephen’s Day. Most shops and restaurants are closed.

New Year’s Eve: December 31, 2025. Barcelona’s main New Year’s Eve event takes place in Placa Espanya with fireworks and all! 

Friends, there are other events going on, like All Those Food Market, Monumental Club, Tapantoni, and so so much more! What time of year are you coming to Barcelona? Have any doubts? Let me know in the comments!