Top things to do in Barcelona and Catalonia this August

No summer plans yet? If you’re in Catalonia this August, there’s plenty to choose from. Whether you're based in Barcelona or looking to explore a bit further, the region offers a great mix of culture, nature, and local events this time of year.  

From city festivals and outdoor concerts to mountain getaways and quiet coastal towns, it’s a good moment to make the most of what’s around. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

Best plans in Barcelona 

Festes Majors 

Festes de Gràcia, August 15 – 21: Every year the local festivities of this famous neighbourhood of the Catalan capital are a result of the residents' work and drive to continue the traditional local celebrations like 'guarnicions' street decorations.    

Sants' Festa Major, August 23 – 31: One of the other neighbourhoods with local celebrations in August is Sants. Residents also get together to decorate the streets, and organize other activities such as concerts or 'castellers' human towers shows.

Cinema 

CCCB's Gandules: Barcelona’s Contemporary Culture Center (CCCB), right in the heart of the city, is also hosting an open-air cinema this August, with a special edition to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the D’A – Barcelona Film Festival.  

El Palace rooftop: from Wednesday to Saturday, you can catch screenings of popular contemporary classics like Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Intouchables, Shakespeare in Love, Grease, and Dead Poets Society, all while enjoying one of the best views in the city. 

Filmoteca de Catalunya: Missed the open-air tickets or just not up for mosquito bites? This is your plan. For one of the lowest entry prices in the city, catch The Substance, The Zone of Interest, and more recent hits and classics—indoors and hassle-free. 

Exhibitions

Picasso Museum’s latest exhibition: Growing Up Between Two Artists – A Tribute to Claude Picasso, offers an intimate look at Claude and Paloma Picasso’s childhood with their parents, Pablo Picasso and Françoise Gilot, in the south of France. 

Salvador Allende exhibition: Disseny Hub presents 'How to Design a Revolution: The Chilean Road to Design,' a comprehensive look at graphic and industrial design during Allende’s government, exploring how Chile’s peaceful revolution inspired a collective approach to design through socialism and democracy. 

Official Titanic exhibition: The exhibition will anchor at Poblenou’s Espai Inmersa and promises visitors a "cutting-edge" immersive experience with “breathtaking” virtual reality that allows visitors to travel more than 3,000 km to the bottom of the ocean. 

Is there life beyond Earth?:  '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. 

Antoni Tàpies exhibition: 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. 

Concerts

Blackpink at the Olympic Stadium, August 9: The K-pop phenomenon that took the world by storm with their fierce style, addictive tracks, and record-breaking performances comes to Barcelona this summer—becoming the first K-pop group to perform at the Olympic Stadium.

Brunch Electronik Festival, August 7-10: The festival expands its summer edition to four days in 2025, taking place at Parc del Fòrum and Poble Espanyol, with afterparties on Friday and Saturday. The lineup features big names like Nina Kraviz, Jungle (DJ set), Roísín Murphy, and The Martinez Brothers.

Candlelight Open Air: Tributes to Coldplay, ABBA, Imagine Dragons, Queen, The Beatles—even Bad Bunny and the film scores of Hans Zimmer. From the W Hotel to the Palau de la Música, iconic venues across Barcelona will light up with thousands of candles and unforgettable music.

Cap Roig, July 12 – August 18, Calella de Palafrugell: Not in Barcelona, but well worth mentioning—this festival takes place in the seaside town of Calella de Palafrugell, offering a stunning coastal backdrop for live music. This year’s lineup includes international names like James Blunt, Tom Jones, Franz Ferdinand, UB40 feat. Ali Campbell, The Tyets, and Simple Minds.

Porta Ferrada, July 12 – August 20, Sant Feliu de Guíxols: The 63rd edition of another standout Costa Brava festival, Porta Ferrada in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, will feature renowned international acts like jazz legends Kurt Elling with The Yellowjackets, Brad Mehldau Trio, and major names like Europe, Andrés Calamaro, Umberto Tozzi, and Los Secretos.

More activities

Visit the city's theme park: Sitting on top of the Collserola hill, is one of the oldest amusement parks still running worldwide. Dating back to 1901, it's currently owned by the Barcelona city council. Last year, the park presented a new freefall ride with a 360º view of Barcelona.

Watch FC Barcelona play: With construction ongoing at Camp Nou and the Olympic Stadium booked for the summer, the Joan Gamper Trophy will be held at Barça’s Johan Cruyff Stadium, just outside Barcelona, on August 10. The match against Italian side Como offers fans a unique chance to see stars like Lamine Yamal, Marcus Rashford, and others up close in a more intimate setting.

Outside Barcelona: Beach destinations

During one of the warmest months of the year, the beach is always a good idea to refresh and sunbathe while relaxing. Catalonia has more than 500km of coastline to offer various beaches and unique experiences.  

Costa Brava 

• Platja del Canadell: located in Calella de Palafrugell, this beach is near an urban space of the coastal town that offers lots of services and is accessible both with public transport and private vehicle. 

• Platja de la Gola del Ter: situated between l'Estartit and Begur, this beach is located next to the end of the Ter river and will offer a different view compared to others in Girona's Costa Brava. 

• Port Lligat: surrounded by mountains in a small bay protected from the sea is one of the area's most charming spots. 

Barcelona's Coast 

• Garraf: a 380-meter long beach with fine sand and old wooden shack houses that were traditionally used by fishermen. 

• Platja d'Ocata: only a train ride away from Barcelona, this beach in Masnou has various shops and restaurants nearby. 

Costa Daurada 

• Cala Crancs: located near Salou, this small beach surrounded by trees offers a unique opportunity to enjoy the ocean and relax. 

• Cala Fonda: or also known as Waikiki, is one of the greenest parts of the coast of Tarragona. 

• Platja dels Capellans: outside of the city of Tarragona, this beach is surrounded by rocks and pine trees and offers pathways to other beaches around the area. 

Terres de l'Ebre 

• Punta del Fangar: north of the delta, where the River Ebre empties, this beach has a desert-like feel to it with fine sand and dunes that extend about 8km  

• Platja del Trabucador: as one of the most impressive spaces in southern Catalonia, this beach consists of a sand arm that goes into the sea. From this point, you can observe the sea on both sides. 

Dog-friendly beaches

Two out of three seaside towns in Catalonia will set up spaces on their beaches for dogs during the 2025 summer season. Of the 69 municipalities on the shore, 45 will allow animals on the sand. Overall, 65% of the Catalan shoreline towns will have a beach for dogs, compared to 53.6% in 2023. Here's an interactive map to find the nearest dog-friendly beach.

For more stunning beaches, check out our full guide to the best beaches in Catalonia, including nudist and dog-friendly areas. 

In addition, Catalan News has published two podcasts with two diverse stories about the beaches in Catalonia, so you can listen while sunbathing: 

Mountain destinations 

If you do not enjoy the beach, with waves and sand, Catalonia has many mountain routes and activities to do in a natural environment. 

Montserrat

Montserrat is one of Catalonia's most widely known mountains because of the shape of its multi-peaked mountain range and the 1,000-year-old Benedictine monastery. This holy place, which has played a pivotal role throughout Catalonia’s history, hosts a world-famous boys' choir as well as 'La Moreneta', the sculpture of a black Madonna. The monastery is about an hour's drive from Barcelona and easily accessible by public transport.

Pyrenees

• Vallter: The most eastern part of the Pyrenees has had a sky station for more than 40 years. Vallter 2000, with the highest point situated at 2,535 meters, offers unique views both in the winter and the summer. In addition, there are hikes to see the beginning of the Ter River 

• Vall d'Aran: this valley resting in the northern side of the Pyrenees is one of Catalonia's most remote regions. This county faces the Atlantic Ocean, not the Mediterranean Sea, which gives the valley a unique climate. A part of Catalonia with a 'singular territorial entity' and its own language. 

• Adventure activities: The rivers formed between the mountains of the Pyrenees offer numerous chances to practice water sports such as rafting, kayaking or canoeing.  

Climbing

Catalonia has been popular among the climbing community for more than a decade. The mountains here offer a unique quality of the rock, as well as stunning landscapes and a good climate. Some of the most popular spots for climbing spots can be found in Lleida and Tarragona.

La Garrotxa

This county of Catalonia offers a wide natural park which highlights its volcanic zone. Home to about 40 volcanoes, aged from 100,000 to 700,000 years old, La Garrotxa has great natural areas as well as various picturesque towns, which make for great tourist spots.  

The list of Catalan New's podcast dedicated to the mountains is almost endless, with stories varying from American climbing stars to witches and witch-hunts. Put your headphones on and enjoy the sound of nature: 

Best stargazing spots

Catalonia offers several outstanding spots for stargazing enthusiasts across the region.

Montsec Astronomical Park: Known as the top stargazing destination in Catalonia, this park in Àger (Noguera) boasts some of the darkest skies and lowest light pollution in southern Europe. Since opening in 2009, it has attracted growing numbers of visitors with a lively program of both day and night events—often featuring live music.

Castelltallat Astronomical Observatory: Located in Sant Mateu de Bages, northwest of Barcelona, this observatory has earned the prestigious Starlight Park certification for providing an exceptional night sky viewing experience.

Fabra Observatory: Situated in Barcelona, the Fabra Observatory is one of the oldest working observatories in the world. It offers guided tours and night sky observation sessions, making it a perfect urban spot for astronomy lovers to connect with the cosmos without leaving the city.

Prades Mountains Astronomical Park: Nestled in the Prades mountain range, this park is renowned for its pristine night skies, recognized with official protected status by the Catalan government. In its five years of operation, it has hosted a variety of activities including dinners, photography contests, and even corporate team-building events under the stars.

Theme parks and water parks

Catalonia has a fair share of amusement parks located all around the territory. 

PortAventura

Located in the southern seaside towns of Salou and Vila-seca, PortAventura is the largest and most famous theme park in Catalonia. PortAventura has a unique skyline with plenty of loops and towers seen from afar. Next to PortAventura there is also Ferrari Land, Europe's first theme park entirely dedicated to Ferrari, as well as Caribe Aquatic Park, the water park adjacent to the theme park.

Water World

Located in Lloret de Mar, some of the slides in the park are visible when driving to enter the city. The park has a wild river, a rafting river, and a wave pool. 

Aquabrava

This park is situated in northern Catalonia, in Roses, offers multiple slides and rides that ensure an adrenaline rush like the Black Hole or Kamikaze.  

The amusement parks in Catalonia have a long, and sometimes controversial, history. Learn more about it in Filling the Sink's podcast: