What's on this weekend

With events ranging from music to cultural festivals, art, and celebration, there are countless things to do in Barcelona and around Catalonia. 

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

Castanyada | October 31 | Popular culture | Everywhere

Yes, Halloween is the dominant global festival taking place on October 31. But Catalonia resists, as the region has its own tradition for this date, known as 'Castanyada'. On the eve of All Saints' Day, it's tradition to eat delicious panellets, roasted sweet potatoes, and drink sweet moscatell wine. The clash between the two customs is nothing new, and perhaps the two are even morphing into a hybrid 'Castaween' these years, but it's important too to remember the original traditions from the land. You can learn more about it from the first ever episode of our podcast, Filling the Sink, published this week six years ago. 

Inclusive Football Festival | October 31-November 1 | Sports | CEM Teixonera, Horta-Guinardó

Even if you've lost a leg, you don't have to lose football. This weekend sees a very special weekend of sports take place in the hillside neighbourhood of Barcelona, Horta-Guinardó. Saturday will see training for children and adults with all types of disabilities, together with friends without disabilities, while an inclusive football tournament will be held on the Sunday. Registration is required and free, via this form. It will also be a great event to simply come and watch, enjoy the atmosphere, and see inclusive football in action. 

BOCA Festival | October 31 | Music | Parallel 62

The perfect plan for underage adolscents to enjoy Halloween. The party's 4th edition presents itself as the best cultural alternative for Halloween night, designed by and for young people aged 14 to 18. Often underrepresented in the city’s cultural scene, these youths find in this initiative a platform to express their interests and preferences. 

Monumental Club | October 31 | Live music | Plaça Monumental 

Monumental Club returns this Halloween Saturday with a terrifyingly special edition, featuring its now classic costume contest. The lineup is headlined by the unmistakable live act Los Ganglios, who will bring their signature stage presence, filtering electronic music and punk through their own unique lens, alongside a coven of DJs in the booth, with sets from Hal9000, Siria DJ, and Asia Knox. Staying true to its daytime party spirit, the event also caters to the little ones with 'Monumental Kids' starting at 12pm, with a DJ set and a children’s show by Siameses DJs, followed by a set from DJ Xau.

Fira de Sant Narcís | October 23 - November 1 | Popular culture fair | Girona

Sant Narcís is the patron saint of Girona, and the northern city's festa major is always one of the most joyous times to see this marvel of a city. The packed-out program features plenty of musical performances, popular culture displays and exhibitions, family-friendly activities, and many more things to get involved in the fun on.

'Sharks: Guardians of the Ocean' | October 22 - September 26, 2027 | Family-friendly exhibition | CosmoCaixa Science Museum

A new exhibition at Barcelona's CosmoCaixa Science Museum is inviting visitors to reconsider one of the ocean's most feared and misunderstood animals. Created by the Australian Museum and, in partnership with Evergreen Exhibitions, it has already toured internationally to museums in the United States and New Zealand, but has now arrived in Europe. Featuring 10 life-size replicas of different species alongside interactive elements, the exhibition lets visitors explore the diversity of this ancient group of animals.

75th Old and Modern Second-Hand Book Fair | October 16 - November 1 | Book Fair | Barcelona

Second-hand, antique and modern books fill Passeig de Gràcia with 29 stalls, giving browsers a chance to find true gems and out-of-print editions. Exhibitors from across Catalonia, plus Madrid and Valencia, offer everything from 16th-century manuscripts to first edition 20th-century avant-garde works.

Panoràmic festival | October 15 - December 27 | Art & Culture Festival | Granollers, Terrassa, Barcelona, Vic

The 10th Panoràmic festival of visual arts and cultures brings 25 exhibitions and nearly 50 free activities to Granollers, Terrassa, Barcelona, and Vic. To mark the 200th anniversary of photography, the program includes work by Donna Ferrato, who documents gender-based violence, and Czech photographer Miroslav Tichý, who built his own cameras, plus a light installation in a former thermal power plant.

Barcelona Jazz Festival | September 30 - December 23 | Music Festival | Barcelona

This year's 58th edition opens as organizers prepare a bid, with the Catalan Government and Barcelona City Council, to make the city the international jazz capital in 2028. Between now and the end of the year, more than 60 concerts featuring top-tier artists in venues all across Barcelona.

Horrorland Halloween | October 9 - November 15 | Scream park | Illa Fantasia 

Where your nightmares come to life. Europe's best scream park returns this Halloween with 5 new haunting experiences. Located just 15 minutes from Barcelona at the Illa Fantasia water park.

Escena | October 8 - December 19 | Theatre and music | Barcelona community centres

Live arts. A free program of theater, circus, music, and dance performances across 36 stages in civic and cultural centers throughout the city's districts. The Escena series will present 145 theater, circus, music, and dance performances, all free of charge, subject to advance reservation.

Emancipations | October 8 - February 7 | Photography exhibition | Foto Colectania 

A new reading of the Foto Colectania Collection, curated by Florian Ebner, head of the Photography Department at the Centre Pompidou, Paris. This exhibition explores how photography accompanied the transformation of Spanish society and the evolution of the photographic medium itself, placing Spanish photography in dialogue with the major narratives of European modernity.

Dana Lixenberg and Flama’26 | October 1 - January 17 | Photography exhibitions | KBr

The photography of Dana Lixenberg has gained international recognition for its honest and committed approach to documentary portraiture. Over more than three decades, she has developed a deeply human body of work focused on the representation of marginalized communities, iconic figures in popular culture, and social landscapes imbued with memory. Meanwhile, the KBr Photography Center also presents the sixth edition of its annual showcase dedicated to emerging photographers who are beginning their professional careers after completing their training in Barcelona.

Iniesta Experience | September 28-January 10 | Exhibition | Port Vell

A new exhibition is opening up in the old IMAX Port Vell theatre, taking a look at the career of legendary footballer Andrés Iniesta. An experience where football, personal experiences, and a champion's mindset merge into an inspiring journey that reveals the reality behind every great victory.

Live music

Actress | October 30 | CaixaForum

Pitbull | November 4 | Palau Sant Jordi

Ginestà | November 7 | Razzmatazz

Bryan Adams | November 14 | Palau Sant Jordi

Kingfishr | November 24 | Sala Apolo

Carolina Durante | November 28 | Palau Sant Jordi

Hercules & Love Affair live | December 15 | Sala Apolo

Amaia | December 20 | Palau Sant Jordi

Buhos | January 15 | Razzmatazz

Editors | January 31 | Razzmatazz

Amble | February 10 | Sala Apolo

Passenger | April 4 | Razzmatazz

Angèle | April 28 | Sant Jordi Club

Olivia Rodrigo | May 1, 2, 5, & 6 | Palau Sant Jordi

Rodrigo y Gabriela | May 7 | Sala Apolo

Gracie Abrams | May 27 & 28 | Palau Sant Jordi

The Cult of Beauty | May 21 - November 8 | Exhibition | CCCB

Based on the ideals of human beauty that exist in all eras and cultures, the latest exhibition at the CCCB traces the evolution of these ideals throughout history. ‘The Cult of Beauty’ analyzes how aesthetic canons have been constructed, and stands up for bodies and beauties excluded from the norm. Through 400 pieces, the exhibition puts works, objects, and installations into dialogue to address how the idea of ​​beauty is conditioned by morality, status, and gender.

Experience 'The Last Days of Pompeii' | Open March 20, 2026 | Exhibition | IDEAL Montjuïc

Towering flames of lava taking over the skies, ash and soot flooding homes and buildings; utter devastation and total destruction inevitable. ‘The Last Days of Pompeii’ is the newest exhibition from IDEAL Digital Arts Centre, taking visitors back to 79 AD and one of the most compelling episodes of ancient history. The experience seeks to bring visitors closer to the lives and culture of the people who lived in the shadow of Vesuvius. 

Joan Miró: Cirlces | March 13, 2026 - March 12, 2028 | Art | Joan Miró Foundation

A new exhibition reorganizes the Miró collection and invites visitors to reinterpret the artist's work through Joan Miró's creative process rather than a traditional chronological or thematic narrative. The show presents 102 works from across the artist's career and will run for two years, with some pieces rotating every six months.

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.