Fireworks Competition, new Tibidabo ride and Experimental Photo 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.

International Fireworks Competition | July 23 - 27 | Fireworks Competition | Blanes

A fireworks competition to see the most impressive pyrotechnic work from Spanish, Italian, and French companies. The event takes place in the seaside town of Blanes, the first town in Costa Brava. 

Each day a fireworks company participate and exhibit their best work, and the winner is announced on Sunday. 

CCCB's viewpoint | July 28 | CCCB Barcelona

Throughout the year there are some Sundays when the CCCB, the cultural center of Barcelona, opens its viewpoint free to the public. 

It is located on the fifth floor of the CCCB and offers a different vantage point of the city: the sea, the Raval and the Gothic quarter, Montjuic, Tibidabo and the Collserola Tower.

Fet al Born | July 27-28 | Workshops | Barcelona

Barcelona's Born neighborhood will be filled with art, handcarfted pieces, and artistic workshops on another edition of 'Fet al Born.

The idea of this event is to showcase the art made by the residents in the neighborhood, as well as to offer workshops available for everyone. 

Poble Sec's 'Festa Major' | July 19 - 28 | Local celebrations | Poble Sec, Barcelona

The Barcelona neighborhood of Poble Sec will have its "festa major" celebrations with free concerts and DJ sets, shows for kids, art workshops, chess competition, and many more events and activities. 

Tibidabo's new free fall ride | July 27 | Amusement Park | Barcelona

Barcelona's amusement park Tibidabo will open its new freefall ride on Saturday. The new drop tower will feature a 50-meter fall and will have capacity for up to 24 people per ride. 

Experimental Photo Festival | July 24 - 28 | Photo Festival | Barcelona

More than 300 international artists and photographers will meet to create a space to share and discuss experimental photography. With activities such as workshops, conferences, and exhibitions among many others

Mecal Air | July 12 - September 13 | Outdoor cinema | Barcelona

Every Friday night from July 12 to September 13, there will be short film screenings in an outdoor cinema in Jardins Elisava in Poblenou. Entrance is free. 

El Born by Night | July 2 – September 7 | Guided tours | El Born CCM, Barcelona 

Get to know more of Barcelona's hidden history. Night-time guided tours to discover what the city was like in the year 1700. Tickets cost €4.

America's Cup cocktails | June 4 - October 27 | Cocktail festival | Many bars in Barcelona

The America’s Cup Cocktail is a unique creation that will be available on the menu of the 30 cocktail bars selected for the first Barcelona Bar Show, held in March. There’s also an alcohol-free version of the cocktail and demonstrations on how to make it. There are many options, including Bacardi Carta Blanca, Cordial de Miel Salada Infusionada con Tomillo, Float de Ratafia Alquimia, or Appletizier.

'Confessions of a Crowded Mind', by Robbie Williams | June 21 - November 20 | Exposition | Moco Museum, Barcelona

'Confessions of a Crowded Mind', Williams' first exhibition in Barcelona, features 17 artworks that explore themes of mental health. Using a mix of text and imagery, the British icon aims to engage viewers directly and encourage them to confront their fears. Williams wants to inspire others to channel their fears and anxieties into creativity, which he himself uses on a daily basis to navigate life in the public eye.

Agnès Varda | July 18 - December 8 | Exposition | CCCB Barcelona

Agnès Varda is one of the most important figures in the history of cinema, yet she remains unknown to a wide audience, especially compared to her male counterparts. Born in Brussels in 1928, Varda was a pioneer and the only woman in the Nouvelle Vague, a French art film movement that began in the late 1950s. Varda used her films to highlight women's experiences, struggles and resilience, exploring and challenging the social norms and gender roles of her time.

'Dalí Challenge' | June 13 - October 6 | Immersive experience | Reial Cercle Artístic in Barcelona

Become immersed in the life, work and obsessions of Dalí through an audio story in podcast format and discover more than 60 digitized works in this immersive experience, where virtual reality, augmented reality, micro-mapping and other technological elements will transport you to Dalí’s universe like never before. The show lasts 60 minutes and tickets cost up to €18.

Interior Berlanga | July 17 - April 20, 2025 | Exposition | CaixaForum, Barcelona

'Interior Berlanga' exhibition proposes to discover the work of this filmmaker and his international scene. Berlanga created his own universe that combines unexpected elements with satire, and caricatures. Tickets cost €6, but CaixaBank clients can access for free.

Grec Festival 2024 | June 26 - August 4 | Festival | Barcelona

Leading artists, such as La Veronal, La Brutal, Dagoll Dagom and Baró d’Evel will be performing at the Teatre Grec. This year, the venue will be inaugurating the festival, starring Sílvia Pérez Cruz with her show Circular, based on her latest album, Toda la vida, un día [All My Life, One Day]. Furthermore, the theatrical agenda features artists from the international scene, including Angélica Liddell, Lola Arias, Christiane Jatahy, Nat Randall, Anna Brackon, Jan Lauwers and Krzysztof Warlikowski, an extraordinary, top-class programme with a clear feminine aspect, and in cooperation with the Avignon Festival.

The productions in the main programme are complemented by around fifty activities in various venues, promoting the expansion of the Grec throughout the city. These include Tirant lo Blanc directed by Joan Arqué; Tots ocells, by Wadji Mouawad, directed by Oriol Broggi; and texts by Catalan authors, such as Malamort, by Daniela Feixas, and Les mans, by Llàtzer Garcia.

Music: Response | May 24 – July 31 | Immersive installation | Casa Batlló monument, Barcelona 

In the basement of Casa Batlló, The Cube, is a new immersive audiovisual installation to immerse visitors in the creative universe of The Chemical Brothers and Smith & Lyall. The Grammy award-winning British duo, The Chemical Brothers, have revolutionized electronic music, gaining worldwide success. The directors of their legendary live shows now present their work through kaleidoscopic images. 

Dinner with Stars | May 31 – October 6 | Gastronomy and science | Fabra Observatory, Barcelona 

The Fabra Observatory is holding its 'Dinner with Stars' during the summer evenings, offering gastronomy while stargazing combines with scientific dissemination and astronomy.  

Between May 31-October 6, people have the chance to eat dinner outside one of the greatest viewpoints in Barcelona, while also attending a half-hour scientific talk with the opportunity to ask questions and observe constellations, stars and the solar system through one of Europe's biggest and oldest working telescopes. The talks will be held in Spanish or Catalan.

‘Competing at sea. Sailing regattas in Catalonia’ | June 7 - November 10 | Sea sports | Maritime Museum, Barcelona

"Competing at sea" travels to the sailing clubs of the 19th century, where the earliest competitions began, firstly in rowing and then sailing. The exhibition also relives the effervescence of sailing in the 1960s .

It also looks at the outstanding names in Olympic regattas for ocean sailing, top-class solo regattas, the mini class and more, which have become standards for their generation and others that followed. This activity is part of the Cultural Regatta, the program of activities promoted by Barcelona City Council to go with the America’s Cup being held in Barcelona.

Talents Jazz at La Pedrera | May 16 - July 27 | Jazz concerts | La Pedrera rooftop, Barcelona

Talents Jazz, the festival for new jazz talents Barcelona, is held on the rooftop at La Pedrera every Thursday and Friday, from 16 May to 26 July.

The festival backs talent and musical creation and is organised in collaboration with three prestigious education institutions: the Conservatori del Liceu, the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) and the Taller de Músics. Admission to the concert also includes a glass of cava and a free tour of the attic at La Pedrera - Casa Milà, to get a first-hand look at the work of Gaudí and learn the keys to his genius.

Bubble Planet | April 19 – August 31 | Immersive experience | Espai Immersa, La Plata quarter, Barcelona 

Bubble is an immersive experience where visitors will be surrounded by bubbles. The experience includes virtual reality technology, 11 themed rooms, fantastical landscapes and a hot air balloon flight simulator.  

With oversized bubbles, balloons, soap and more, visitors will have the opportunity to see the worlds in a different way in this bubbly universe. 

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. 

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. 

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.