All Those Food Market, Bridal Fashion Week, and pizza festival: what's on this weekend in Barcelona and Catalonia

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.

All Those Food Market | April 20-21 I Food market | Moll de la Fusta, Barcelona 

All Those Food Market returns on April 20-21 for its 10th edition with more than 60 culinary artisans and entrepreneurs, offering a large range of craft products promising to bring tons of tasty dishes.  

The food market has found a new home this year at the Moll de la Fusta in Barcelona, near Barceloneta beach. The location offers plenty of space for culinary workshops and activities. There will also be an area reserved for babies and families to relax and play.   

Suzanne Valadon. A modern epic | April 19-September 1 |Exhibition | MNAC, Barcelona 

Catalonia's National Art Museum (MNAC) is presenting French painter Suzanna Valadon's work and story for the first time in Spain. Starting on April 19 until September 1 visitors can see the exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou-Metz and the Musée d'Arts de Nantes. The exhibition features a total of 109 works by Valadon and painters close to her, around 30 of which are exclusive to the Barcelona show. 

Choral Spring 2024 | April 18-May 10 | Choral singing | Pere Pruna Civic Centre, Barcelona 

The 18th edition of Choral Spring (Primavera Coral) presents eight free concerts between April 18 and May 10. The central theme is a tribute to Catalan Nobel-nominated writer and poet Àngel Guimerà for the 110th anniversary of his death.  

'The Pirates' Anthem' has been chosen as the song that will be performed at every concert. The song was created for a play celebrating the 50th anniversary of the play 'Mar i Cel', written by Guimerà. 

Festa Major Sagrada Família | April 19-28 | Festivities | Eixample district, Barcelona 

The local festival in the Sagrada Família neighborhood is held from April 19-28, filling the streets with traditional culture, joy and a festive atmosphere in the area around the iconic basilica. 

Over the course of ten days there are various sports activities, street markets, workshops, communal meals and concerts. Catalan traditions can also be found such as dancing sardanas and the castellers human towers. 

Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week | April 17-21 | Fashion week | Fira de Barcelona, Montjuïc 

Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week (BBFW) is from 17 to 20 April and will include catwalk parades from 30 designers and the participation of over 360 firms, mostly international. 

It launched with the inauguration of an eye-catching artistic installation created by theater group La Fura dels Baus. 'Barcelona goes Bridal!' is a rotating six-meter-tall rotating structure set up on Maria Cristina Avenue, with 30 wedding dresses from Catalan brands hanging from it. 

Visit Barcelona City Hall and Catalan parliament | April 20-23 | Open day | Barcelona 

As part of the Sant Jordi's Day celebrations, the Palau de la Generalitat, the Catalan government headquarters building, will open its doors for visitors on April 20, 21 and 23. 

Located directly opposite it in Plaça de Sant Jaume in the Catalan capital, Barcelona's City Hall will open its doors for visitors on Sunday April 21. There will also be a puppet show and workshop for children to personalize their own Sant Jordi knight puppet.

Mahou Pizzas Fest | April 19-21 | Pizza festival | Poble Espanyol, Montjuïc 

Poble Espanyol is celebrating the second edition of the Mahou Pizzas Fest, from April 19-21. Fourteen restaurants will each offer two types of pizza (their gourmet special and their most delicious classic pizza) and compete for the People’s Choice Best Pizza Award, based on the votes by the attendees, as well as the Jury’s Choice Best Pizza Award, determined by a group of renowned culinary professionals. 

In addition to pizzas, there will be workshops, cooking shows, contests and live music.

BCN Film Fest | April 18-26 | Film festival |Barcelona movie theaters  

The eight edition of the Barcelona Sant Jordi International Film Festival (BCN Film Fest) is held in multiple movie theaters in Barcelona, such as Cinemes Verdi, and will see visits from notable figures such as J.A. Bayona, Richard Linklater, Meg Ryan, Belén Rueda, Malena Alteria and Mikael Persbrandt. 

The BCN Film Fest offers 69 movies, including 15 world, 20 Spanish, and 11 Catalan premieres. 

Listen to the Filling the Sink podcast on J.A. Bayona here: 

Open Banc Sabadell | April 13 –21 | Tennis tournament | Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona 

The 71st edition of the Conde de Godó Trophy will be taking place on the courts of the Reial Club de Tennis Barcelona.  

Some of the world’s top tennis players will be competing in the tournament, such as Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev, Capser Ruud, Rafa Nadal, Alex de Minaur and Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

IMPACTE! | April 9-28 | Film festival | Movie theaters Catalonia 

The fourth edition of the IMPACTE! Catalan Human Rights Film Festival offers a program of 40 films, 23 of them full-lengths movies and 17 short films. The main theme for the festival is peace. 

The wars in Palestine and Ukraine, gender violence, women's empowerment, migration, xenophobia and colonialism are some of the topics featuring in this year's line-up. The festival plays movies in Barcelona, Lleida and Reus, as well as online. 

Fashion Freak Show | April 4-21 | Musical | Teatre Coliseum, Barcelona 

Jean Paul Gautier invites everyone into his world full of excesses, poetry and magic. Fashion Freak Show is an eccentric, scandalous, provocative, exuberant and funny production, where actors, dancers and circus artists play outlandish, passionate, larger than life, rude, sexy, sassy creatures. Set against the backdrop of a giant video wall, a key part of the production features vignettes of special guest stars, including a number of Gaultier's long-term, iconic supporters and friends. 

Cirque du Soleil's Alegria | Circus show | March 20 – May 19 | Hospitalet de Llobregat 

Cirque du Soleil, the world's largest producer of contemporary circus, has returned to Barcelona with its acclaimed show 'Alegria', following its previous successes in the city over a decade ago. After a makeover to attract new audiences while maintaining the essence of the original production, the two hours long show 'Alegria will premiere in Barcelona on March 21 and run for 80 performances until May 19. 'Alegria' premiered globally 30 years ago and has captivated more than 14 million viewers during its original 19-year tour.

Suburbia. Building the American Dream | Exhibition | March 20 – September 8 | CCCB (Barcelona) 

The museum CCCB in Barcelona presents the exhibition "Suburbia. Building the American Dream". It explores the cultural history of the American Dream by inviting visitors into the imaginary of the idyllic family home and analyses the model's controversies, such as the social, ethnic and gender segregation. Another part of the exhibition shows how the idea of the American Dream impacted Catalonia. The exhibition will run until September 8. 

Tim Burton's Labyrinth | Immersive exhibition | March 8 - June 16 | Barcelona

A new immersive exhibition into the mind of legendary American filmmaker Tim Burton has just landed in Barcelona. Famous for films such as Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton's creative universe will be on display at the Palau de Victòria Eugènia in Montjuïc from March 8. The immersive experience consists of an hour-long labyrinth-like route that allows visitors to choose their own path through themed rooms filled with lights, music, projections, sculptures and meticulous details that bring Burton's cinematic gems to life. 

From the Border | Exhibition | March 13 - June 24 | Barcelona

As the world watches wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and with other less-reported but equally deadly conflicts in places like Myanmar and Sudan, borders have become more relevant than ever. A new exhibition, 'From the Border', which opens today at Barcelona's CaixaForum, explores the complexities of borders. The show features eight contemporary artworks that aim to demonstrate that we live in a world with more borders than ever: some physical, others invisible through politics, technology, or social discourse.

BarnaSants 2024 | Music Festival | January 26 - May 19 | Across Catalonia

Barnasants 2024, Barcelona's international singer-songwriter festival, will take place from January 26 to May 19. Since its creation in 1996, the festival has become the most important event of the genre. Featuring established icons and emerging talents alike, Barnasants invites you to experience the essence of singer-songwriter magic in various locations throughout Catalonia.

The Lost Mirror - Jews and "Conversos" in the Middle Ages | Exhibition | February 23 – May 26 | MNAC (Barcelona) 

A look at the relationship between Christians, Jews, and converts in the Middle Ages. The construction of identity, the definition of otherness, intolerance, and the power of images are the central themes. The exhibition portrays the view that Christians had of Jews and converts between 1285 and 1492 through almost seventy works of art.  

Revered and Feared: Feminine Power in Art and Beliefs | Exhibition | February 21 – June 16 | CaixaForum (Barcelona) 

Through sculptures, sacred objects, and works from all the world's continents, the exhibition takes museumgoers on a 5,000-year journey through different cultural expressions of female spiritual power around the world. The exhibition invites the visitor to reflect on the stereotypes of feminine power and femininity through more than 150 pieces, including the iconic figure of the ancient Egyptian deity Sekhmet, as well as works by Marina Abramović, Anna Mendieta, and Niki de Saint Phalle. 

Tàpies Year | Until December 2024 | Exhibition | Antoni Tàpies Foundation, Barcelona 

The Antoni Tàpies Foundation kicked off its Tàpies Year on December 13, marking the centenary of the celebrated Catalan artist's birth. Two new exhibitions opened at the museum in Barcelona. 'Tàpies: The Zen Imprint,' curated by Núria Homs, looks at how the artist incorporated Zen Buddhism into his work, while 'A=A, B=B,' curated by Pep Vidal, is based on a book of lectures on science and philosophy, 'A New Vision of the World,' that provided inspiration for many of Tàpies' works.

'Dinosaurs of Patagonia' | October 26 - June 2, 2024 | Exhibition | CosmoCaixa Science museum

From the gigantic 38-meter-long Patagotitan mayorum to the diminutive Manidens condorensis weighing just 1kg, dinosaurs from Patagonia have descended on Barcelona's CosmoCaixa science museum. 

Running until June 2, 2024, 'Dinosaurs of Patagonia' is a journey back in time from the Mesozoic Era to modern-day Patagonia in South America.  The star of the show is the 38-meter-long reproduction of the Patagotitan mayorum, the largest dinosaur known. Visitors will be able to walk between the dinosaur's legs and imagine what it would have been like to witness this giant reptile up close, one that could weigh up to 77 tonnes, equal to 14 African elephants. 

The remains of this titanosaur were found just 11 years ago in the Argentine province of Chubut, one of the most significant paleontological discoveries made in Patagonia this century.