Christmas lights, Camp Nou comeback, and sustainable art: what's on this weekend

From concerts to cultural festivals, events and nightlife, there are countless things to do in Barcelona and around Catalonia this weekend. 

Here's a selection of some of the best plans and what's on this weekend. 

Christmas lights switch-on | November 22 | Street show | Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona

Barcelona will turn on its Christmas lights on Saturday, November 22, the city council announced on Thursday. The switch-on ceremony will take place at 6.30 pm on Passeig de Gràcia, from where all the city’s festive lights will be illuminated. The show will feature a performance of Barcelona's Christmas carol – 'Un cor que batega' (Beating Heart) – and acrobatic dances, culminating with the switch-on of the city's Christmas lights, including specially designed displays at Plaça de Catalunya, Via Laietana, Carrer d'Aragó, Gran Via, and Passeig de Sant Joan.

Sant Pau Christmas lights | November 20 - January 11 | Christmas lights | Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, Barcelona

Starting this week, the art nouveau-style buildings of Barcelona's iconic Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau will be illuminated with Christmas lights nightly until January 11. The former hospital complex, designed by Catalan modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, is hosting Els Llums de Sant Pau for the fifth year. The festive lights show has drawn more than 800,000 visitors over the last four years. This year, event organizers hope to draw half a million. 

Symphony of Stars | November 22 - January 5 | Digital arts show | Sant Jaume Square, Barcelona

Each Christmas, the Barcelona City Council unveils a special installation in Sant Jaume Square, the central square that houses both the city and Catalan government buildings. This year’s creation is Symphony of Stars, an immersive digital-art projection by Xavi Bové Studio that reimagines traditional Christmas imagery through light and cosmic motifs. The installation runs daily from 6.30 pm, until 10 pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends.

Christmas Solidarity Market | November 21 and 22 | Cotxeres del Palau Robert, Barcelona

Browse handmade crafts and holiday-inspired gifts at the Villavecchia Foundation’s Christmas Solidarity Market, taking place on November 21 and 22 to coincide with Barcelona’s Christmas light switch-on. This year the market moves to Cotxeres del Palau Robert, with new products, activities, and even solidarity chocolate. All proceeds support children and young people with cancer or serious illnesses, as well as their families.

Barça returns to Camp Nou | November 22 | Football game | Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona

FC Barcelona will play its first football match at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday, November 22, after the city council granted the license for activity this week. The game against Athletic Bilbao will be the first game at the club's home stadium since May 2023, when the team bid farewell to Camp Nou against Mallorca RCD.

Sants Fantasy and Horror Film Marathon | November 20 - 22 | Film festival | Sants, Barcelona

The Sants Fantasy and Horror Film Marathon celebrates its 37th edition this week, offering screenings of short and feature films, micro-story competitions, and free parallel activities. The marathon brings together the International Fantasy and Horror Short Film Competition, featuring productions from around the world and several complementary activities such as a haunted passage, a micro-story contest, and meeting spaces where attendees can share their passion for the most unusual cinema.

Drap-Art '25 | November 20 - December 21 | Art and sustainability festival | Barcelona

Drap-Art ’25, the International Festival of Sustainable Art, returns to Barcelona with a month of art activism. The Gòtic neighbourhood will host exhibitions, cultural events, and free activities, as more than 60 artists transform discarded objects into works rich in meaning and committed to sustainability.

El Culturista Festival | November 22 and 23 | Culture festival for families | Nau Bostik, Barcelona

Enjoy a full weekend of family culture at El Culturista Festival, returning to Nau Bostik on November 22 and 23 with workshops, concerts, shows, a food area, and a pop-up shop featuring curated books and toys. Entry is free for all ages and includes access to performances and open play areas, while workshops require a small €3.50 registration fee. A perfect plan for families looking to explore, create, and have fun together.

World Press Photo | November 7 - December 14 | Exhibition | CCCB, Barcelona

The twenty-first edition of the most renowned exhibition in the field of photojournalism worldwide. The display brings together the winning photographs of the World Press Photo 2025 competition. The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, the environmental crisis, migration, and political polarization are some of the main themes. Tickets are €8, concessionary €6. Visits on Sundays from 3 pm to 8 pm are free of charge and must be pre-booked.

Act x Palestine | November 14 - December 23 | Various events | Barcelona and beyond

A global mobilization campaign promoted by the main Palestinian human rights, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and cultural organizations, together with a broad network of European organizations. Featuring a launch event on Saturday, 15 November at La Paloma, Barcelona, The Unsilence Forum from November 14 to 16, Catalonia v Palestine friendly football match on November 18, and series of concerts from November 15 to December 23.

Historic metro trains | November 15 - January 6, 2026 | Exhibition | El Clot, Barcelona

An outdoor exhibition at La Farinera del Clot Cultural Center showcasing five historic train series – 100, 300, 400, 1100 and 3000 – restored for the centenary of Barcelona's metro system. Visitors can explore the carriages both from the outside and inside, with full accessibility for people with reduced mobility. Free admission.

Berlin Wall: A Divided World | November 7 - March 2026 | Exhibition | Espai Inmersa, Poblenou

An international exhibition on the Berlin Wall was launched on Friday at Espai Inmersa, in Barcelona's Poblenou district. After stops in Paris and Madrid, 'Berlin Wall: A Divided World' has now arrived in the Catalan capital, where it will remain open until March 2026. The exhibition features over 200 original artefacts and six authentic sections of the Berlin Wall, each measuring 3.6 metres high and weighing over three tonnes.

Library of Fantastic Beasts | November 4 - January 11 | Exhibition | Casa Amatller 

The Library of Fantastic Beasts, a new exhibition in the Art Centre of the Casa Amatller modernist building, located beside Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gràcia, is now open. In it, dragons, unicorns, basilisks, and many more fantastic beasts come to life. The exhibit combines interactive fun with historical rigor to create an unbeatable experience for the whole family to learn about the creatures, both real and imagined, that were used in the Middle Ages to explain the physical and spiritual world.

Miramiralls for free | Every Sunday in November | Amusement Park | Tibidabo, Barcelona  

Tibidabo, Barcelona’s iconic amusement park perched atop the Collserola mountains, is opening the doors of its famous Miramiralls attraction for free and without prior booking every Sunday in November. Historically known as the Hall of Mirrors, the space features original visual effects, playful light displays, and optical illusions that create magical experiences for visitors of all ages.

Visit 50,000-year-old Siberian mammoth | Every day | Museum | CosmoCaixa, Barcelona 

Barcelona's CosmoCaixa Science Museum unveiled the latest addition to its exhibition: a large six-meter-long and 3.5-meter-tall Siberian mammoth. The mammoth is between 40,000 and 50,000 years old and will now be part of the permanent exposition. 

Miró and the United States | October 10 - February 22 | Art | Miró Foundation 

The links between Joan Miró and America take center stage in the Joan Miró Foundation's newest exhibition, 'Miró and the United States.' From October 10 to February 22, the museum will showcase 150 artworks by Miró and other influential artists who shaped or were shaped by this artistic dialogue. Icons such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Louise Bourgeois, and even Salvador Dalí will appear in conversation with Miró’s works.

Ink against Hitler | October 8 - January 11 | Exhibition | MNAC, Barcelona

The exhibition Ink against Hitler is the presentation in Barcelona of the discovery of the only Catalan and Spanish artist who worked for British and Allied propaganda during the Second World War. From 1941 to 1945, the Catalan Mario Armengol Torrella drew around 2,000 cartoons and caricatures in the service of the British Ministry of Information against the Third Reich and the Axis to publish them in newspapers and magazines in London's allied and neutral countries, from New Zealand to Haiti.

Escena | October 10 - December 20 | Performing arts | Various locations across Barcelona

Live Arts. A program of 31 theater, circus, music, and dance performances on 34 stages in the city's civic and cultural centers. From October 10 to December 20, Escena will schedule 173 theater and circus performances, concerts, and dance shows, always free of charge and with advance reservation. 

Festival Jazz Barcelona | October 10 - March 1, 2026 | Music | Various venues

A lineup packed with international artists, including Snarky Puppy, Laurie Anderson, Tigran Hamasyan, Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet, Chris Thile, and Janis Siegel. From October 10, 2025, to March 1, 2026, the Barcelona Jazz Festival celebrates its 57th edition, offering a lineup that combines major international names, emerging voices, and special projects that celebrate the history and diversity of jazz. The program consists of 48 concerts spread across 10 venues, including Palau de la Música Catalana, Jamboree, Conservatori Liceu, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Paral·l 62, L'Auditori, Teatre Auditori Emma Vilarasau de Sant Cugat, and La Paloma. 

Leonardo versus Michelangelo | From September 17 | IDEAL Digital Arts Centre, Barcelona

The Mona Lisa, or The Sistine Chapel? The Last Supper, or Pietà? Vitruvian Man, or David? Impossible choices? Well, at IDEAL Digital Arts Centre in Barcelona, visitors are going to have to decide which Renaissance Man takes the crown. Leonardo versus Michelangelo takes a look at the lives, legacies, and rivalry between these two historic greats of art. These pair lived at the same time in Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries, and although they initially respected each other, they quickly developed a bitter rivalry.

Phantom of the Opera | September 23 - February 1 | Opera | Tivoli Theatre

The Phantom of the Opera is coming to Barcelona for the very first time. Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical runs at Teatre Tívoli from September 23 to February 1 as part of a Spain-wide tour. Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, and with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, this production in Spanish is directed by Federico Bellone, with musical direction by Julio Awad.

Soundit | October 18, November 8, 22, December 13 | Live music | Monumental, Barcelona

One of Barcelona's best day festivals returns for its autumn lineup. This year's program features five Saturdays of live electronic music, featuring huge names in dance music, from 2manydjs, Ben UFO, Jayda G, Ben Klock, and plenty more. 

‘Extraterrestrials. Is there life beyond Earth?’ | February 26 - August 30, 2026 | Science exhibition | CosmoCaixa science museum

'Extraterrestrials - Is There Life Outside Earth?' delves into topics such as our place in the cosmos, the meaning of the concept of life, and how literature and cinema have shaped the collective imagination about what form alien life could take. Visitors begin by discovering Earth's place in the cosmos. The exhibition then explores, from a historical perspective, the great philosophical debate between those who argue that life is unique to our planet, and those who believe in the existence of other inhabited worlds.

Antoni Tàpies: The Imagination of the World | February 13 – January 25, 2026 | Art exhibition | Tàpies Museum

The solo exhibition The Imagination of the World proposes a revision of the work of Antoni Tàpies based on ideas found in his earliest period of production. With Tàpies as the centre of the project, the exhibition seeks to map out a network of relationships between active agents, discourses and practices, as related to two key areas: on the one hand, the complex assimilation of artistic tendencies—such as dada and surrealism—and currents of thought—psychoanalysis, Marxism—in Barcelona in that period; on the other hand, the dialogue of these movements with various forms of the vernacular tradition of popular culture.