'Barcelona et dona la benvinguda': Barcelona International Community Day focuses on integration ahead of largest edition yet 

The 13th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day will take place on Saturday, October 24, at the Maritime Museum, featuring an expanded exhibitors’ fair and activity programme. 

The event, promoted by Barcelona City Council, continues to gain ground as a welcome, integration and networking venue for international people living and working in Barcelona. This year, the fair will welcome 84 exhibitors, the highest figure in the event’s history, a quarter of whom will be participating for the first time.

This edition will see an increase in the resources targeted at the integration of new arrivals, with a greater focus on learning Catalan, volunteering, and community participation.

The programme has also grown to include 68 activities, with sessions on employment, entrepreneurship, health, linguistic integration, education, networking, popular culture and family activities.

Barcelona Activa is boosting its range of job-search services, while Mobile World Capital Barcelona is promoting the participation of multinationals and tech hubs to connect international talent with professional opportunities in the city.  

The event is open to everyone, including people interested in connecting with the international community that brings diversity and richness to the Catalan capital. 

The Barcelona International Community Day is an initiative organised by City Council through its Directorate for International Economic Promotion. 

The venue will be open from 10am to 7pm and the event is free of charge with registration at barcelona.cat/internationalcommunityday. 

Exhibitors' fair and activities 

This year the fair will have a record 84 exhibitors, the highest number in the thirteen years of the Barcelona International Community Day. 

Public organisations and associations account for 45% of the total exhibitors. There will be 19 such public institutions, 35 companies, 19 associations and 11 educational organisations. 

This evolution reinforces the event’s role as a space of guidance not only to facilitate the international community’s arrival in Barcelona but also to promote their active engagement in city life. 

Visitors will find services related to legal matters, real estate, healthcare, education, business and language learning, as well as relocation companies, international schools, business schools, sports activities and other useful resources for settling in Barcelona.

Support for the integration process will be one of the main focuses on this year's edition. Barcelona International Community Day is particularly highlighting language, with twice as many organisations devoted to promoting Catalan learning and use. The Consortium for Linguistic Normalisation (CPNL), the Ateneu Barcelonès, the Coordinator of Associations for the Catalan Language and the Speak Catalan initiative will all be there.

Likewise, resources focused on volunteering and social participation have been increased, with the presence of Plataforma de Festes Majors de Barcelona and the Catalan Federation for Social Volunteering.

The activities programme continues to grow as well, with 68 activities that address practical issues related to settling in Barcelona, access to the job market, entrepreneurship and networking. There will also be popular culture shows and family activities.

One of the most prominent activities will be debates on the tech hubs and professional opportunities that Barcelona offers, job market trends and international entrepreneurship, as well as practical sessions on taxation, immigration, housing, education, health and volunteerism. 

Employment will continue to be one of the key topics. Throughout the entire event, Barcelona Activa will provide services geared at facilitating job placement, like the Business-Employment platform, a professional photography service for CVs, virtual reality tools to prepare for job interviews and four practical workshops on improving job searches.