Embassa't indie music fest, comics, retro games, and Night of the Museums: 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.

DocsBarcelona | May 7-17 | Film Festival | Various cinemas, Barcelona

Barcelona's premiere documentary film festival has 57 productions exploring the human condition from an empathetic perspective. The festival opened at the Aribau cinemas with 'A Fox Under A Pink Moon,' the story of Soraya Akhalaghi's resistance to escape Iran. That will be screened again on May 9. Meanwhile, American filmmaker John Wilson returns to Catalonia to present his latest work, 'The History of Concrete', a humorous reflection on concrete and urban life.

Night of the Museums | May 16 | Exhibitions | Across Barcelona

Barcelona's museums come to life this Saturday night for a special programme of events. Around 90 museums and cultural centres open their doors for free from 9pm until 1am, Saturday night into Sunday morning.  

Brit Under Festival | May 15-16 | Cultural festival | Poble Espanyol

Irvine Welsh and Neville Brody will headline the first edition of Brit Under Fest, a new festival celebrating new trends in British music and art in Barcelona, which will be held on May 15-16 in Poble Espanyol. 

Handmade Festival | May 14-17 | Fair | Fira Montjuïc

Spanning an area of 14,000m2 with exhibitors of DIY, paper, yarn and other disciplines. At the Handmade Festival, you'll find exhibitions, workshops, concerts, food trucks and family activities. In addition, you will have access to Ceramic Lab Barcelona, a space dedicated entirely to ceramics.

Embassa't | May 15-17 | Live music | Sabadell

An independent music festival from the Vallès region that has been held annually since 2009 in Sabadell, Embassa't has become an essential meeting point for lovers of pop-rock, urban music and live electronics in recent years. The line-up presents, year after year, a careful selection of the best that each local scene has to offer, becoming an obligatory stop for many artists on the Catalan festival circuit.

RetroBarcelona | May 16-17 | Games fair | La Farga de L'Hospitalet

RetroBarcelona is a non-profit event dedicated to technology and classic video games, born from the enthusiasm, nostalgia, and love for those classic systems found throughout Catalonia. It's a journey back in time to the 80s and 90s to relive all those machines and video games with which we had so many great times and continue to do so. It's the ideal setting to get together, play a few games, buy something for your collection, and share experiences with all the passionate fans of this wonderful world of video games.

Wine Festivals | Various dates through spring and summer | Wine and music | Neighbourhoods around Barcelona

Wine Festivals is a platform to celebrate wine, food, music and good living. A project for all those people in love with life. Their aim is to spread the culture of wine in a festive and accessible way, in unique outdoor locations, with good music to dance to. Dates: Gràcia, May 9; Poblenou, May 16, 17; Sant Antoni, June 5, 6, 7; Horta, June 13; Jardinets de Gràcia, June 27; Port Olímpic, July 10, 11. 

Comic Barcelona | May 15-17 | Fair | Fira Montjuïc

Fans of graphic novels of all types will want to make their way to Fira Montjuïc this weekend for one of the world's biggest comic book fairs. Over 100,000 visitors are expected at the 41st edition of Comic Barcelona where 195 exhibitors will be present, 40 roundtables, 30 meet and greets with artists, 22 publisher presentations, and two concerts.  

Strawberry season in Maresme | April 26-June 1 | Food fairs | Maresme county

Spring is the perfect time to celebrate Strawberry season, one of the year's most prominent gastronomic events, dedicated to the beautiful red fruit. This event, organized by the Costa del Maresme Tourism Promotion Consortium, begins on Saturday, April 26, and will take place in 17 municipalities across the region until June 1.

Vic Jazz Festival | May 14-24 | Live music | Vic

The 29th Vic Jazz Festival brings international excellence to central Catalonia, and shines a spotlight on the local scene. The programme once again positions the festival as a reference point within the jazz panorama, with the presence of prominent figures such as ADHD, Nicole Mitchell, and Nik Bärtsch, who share headline spots with local artists, reflecting the vitality and diversity of the sector. This commitment allows the festival to offer a broad and current view of jazz and improvised music, connecting different generations, aesthetics and contexts.

Sarrià Jazz & Blues Village | May 13-17 | Live music | Teatre Sarrià

Featuring performances by Ignasi Terraza and Christos Rafalides, The Heeks, Elvira Blues Reunion, and Balta Bordoy, and The Bad Boys, the first Sarrià Jazz & Blues Village takes place this weekend with a program of jazz and blues concerts that combine elegance, intimacy, and live energy. An event designed for both jazz aficionados and anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the unique atmosphere of this music.

Wallay! | May 13-24 | African Film Festival | Filmoteca

Wallay! - the African film festival of Barcelona - arrives for its 9th edition with a scorpion dance and a swimming pool in N'djamena; with the energy on steroids of the unattainable Lagos, or a beating heart in Cape Town. From the Sahel to Angola, from Nigeria to Madagascar, Wallay! continues the journey to the diversity and creativity of the African continent filled with freedom and comedy, and lands again in the Raval to explore, enjoy, shudder.

Estrella Damm 150 years | May 16 | Live music | Parc del Fòrum

Barcelona's biggest brewery, Estrella Damm, commemorates its 150th anniversary with a unique day of concerts, toasts, and open-air music on May 16 at Parc del Fòrum. Catalan pop-rock and urban music will be the order of the day, with Oques Grasses and Love of Lesbian headline the lineup. Mushka, The Tyets, Els Catarres, 31 Fam, Ginestà, and Maria Jaume complete the lineup.

Palo Alto Market | May 16-17 | Market | Poblenou, Barcelona

Palo Alto Market is perhaps Barcelona's most artistic and creative market experience. From boutique crafts to vintage clothing, with great music playing all the time in the background, Poblenou's Palo Alto Market is always worth checking out. 

Chez Matisse | March 27-August 16 | Exhibition | CaixaForum, Barcelona

An exploration of Henri Matisse's trajectory, evolution, scope, and influence on international artists and avant-garde movements. The exhibition highlights part of the immense dialogue surrounding his name in 20th- and 21st-century art, from his first self-portrait to the artistic freedom of his later paintings and gouaches.

Experience 'The Last Days of Pompeii' | From March 20 | 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. 

New Phenomena Experience cinema | Open from April 2 | Phenomena Cinemas

Barcelona's famed Phenomena Cinema is entering a new phase, offering audiences a more "sensory" cinematic experience, aiming to let viewers perceive films with the technical precision intended by their creators. Phenomena Experience first opened in December 2014. Last September, the theater closed for renovations and was simultaneously announced as the recipient of the Carlo Lizzani 2025 European Best Theater Award at the Venice Film Festival.

'Recovered from the Enemy' | February 20-June 28 | Exhibition | MNAC

During the turbulent Civil War and early dictatorship years, Catalonia's National Art Museum of Catalonia was one of many sites used as a depository for artworks that the Franco regime tagged with a label, 'Recovered from the enemy'. A new exhibition, open until June 28, explores the dual role of the museum during these years, first as a site for the Catalan government to collect precious artworks and heritage documents. The backs of many of the 146 pieces are on display, showing the various labels on frames, including some that read 'Recovered from the Enemy,’ symbolizing the forceful implementation of a new political order.

Live music

Joshua Idehen | May 14 | Razzmatazz

Oxxxymiron | May 19 | Razzmatazz

Skillet | May 20 | Razzmatazz

Apparat | May 21 | Razzmatazz

Ben Howard | May 28 | Sala Apolo

Bad Bunny | May 22, 23 | Olympic Stadium

Madison Beer | May 26 | Sant Jordi Club

Mogwai | June 3 | Razzmatazz

The Wombats | June 12 | Parallel 62

The Weeknd | September 1 | Olympic Stadium

Ty Segall | September 21 | Parallel 62

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.

We Are Seventeen | March 6-May 17 | Exhibition | CCCB

What does it mean today to be seventeen? In this exhibition, over 300 young people explore who they are, what they feel and how they see the world, by means of photography, cinema and the word. “We are seventeen. A collective portrait” takes a look at the places, experiences and concerns of seventeen-year-olds who have produced portraits of themselves and photographed their immediate surroundings. The show includes photographs, films and texts in the first person, genuine perspectives that shake off adult prejudices and the codes habitually used to represent adolescence.

'The Perpetual Movement of the Wall' | February 13-September 6 | Art | Tàpies Museum

The Tàpies Museum has opened a new exhibition, 'The Perpetual Movement of the Wall', exploring what Antoni Tàpies' exhibitions were like in the 1950s. Not only are the artworks recreated, but also how they were displayed and how critics and the public responded.

New works by Banksy | Until December 2026 | Exhibition | Moco Museum

The Moco Museum Barcelona recently unveiled a new exhibition featuring the British pseudonymous artist Banksy. 'New works by Banksy,' showcases 25 artworks, most of them new additions to the museum’s existing collection of the artist’s pieces. It is the largest exhibition of Banksy’s work ever held in Spain and includes two previously unseen pieces in a museum setting. All the pieces share a common theme: power and its disruption, a recurring motif in the artist's oeuvre.

Rodoreda, a Forest | Until May 25 | Exhibition | CCCB

This exhibition explores the imaginative universe of Catalan writer Mercè Rodoreda through artworks, manuscripts and immersive installations. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm, tickets are priced at €6 (€4 reduced), with free entry on Sundays from 3pm to 8pm.

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. 

‘Extraterrestrials. Is there life beyond Earth?’ | Until August 30 | 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.