100 days until Tour de France kicks off from Barcelona: celebration at Arc de Triomf

Did you see lots of yellow around Barcelona on Thursday evening?

On March 26, the big countdown to the world's most famous cycling event – which for the first time will start from Barcelona – began.

In honour of this, a city-wide celebration took place with over 70 iconic buildings, fountains, and spaces in the city lit up in yellow at 8 pm – together with a party open to the public at Passeig de Lluís Companys, next to Arc de Triomf. 

The 100-day party began at 5 pm with a variety of bicycle-themed activities for families, followed by the main official ceremony at 7.30 pm, where sports councillor David Escudé appeared alongside Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme, professional cyclists, and Mayor Jaume Collboni.

"Barcelona was the obvious choice, for its prestige, its beauty and its mountains," Prudhomme said, commenting on why the tour starts in the Catalan capital this year.

The evening featured a performance by the Musicals' Choir, a youth choir from a local music school, followed by a concert by Doctor Prats, a Catalan band known for blending pop, funk, ska, reggae, and traditional Catalan music into lively songs.

During the concert, they premiered the official song for the 2026 Tour de France Grand Départ, with the fitting title 'Energia!'

"We have organized a great city-wide party to mark that we are entering the final stretch and that we have everything ready to welcome July and the most powerful cycling event in the world," Escudé declared before the start of the celebrations. 

A city in yellow lights

Among the spaces illuminated in yellow were the façades of Barcelona City Hall, the Arc de Triomf, Casa Batlló, the Palau Sant Jordi, the Sant Pau Modernist Complex, La Pedrera, the Glòries Tower, and the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

Water features also played a part in the display, with numerous fountains across the city lit in yellow, including the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc and the Twin Fountains of Plaça de Catalunya, among others.

The private sector joined in as well, illuminating landmark establishments such as the Grand Hyatt Barcelona, H10 Art Gallery, and Hotel Sagrada Família in yellow to complement the citywide theme.

Tour de France Grand Départ in Barcelona

The Tour de France will kick off from Barcelona on July 4, placing the Catalan capital at the forefront of global sport as it hosts the 'Grand Départ' which is the official start of the Tour. 

The event in Barcelona will last six days, starting with the arrival of teams and their equipment at the end of June, while the actual races through Catalonia will take place over three days.

A major highlight will be the team presentation on July 2, held near the Sagrada Família, where cyclists will be introduced to the public in one of the city's most iconic landmarks. 

Instead of being a simple on‑stage lineup, the presentation is planned as a parade‑style route between two of Barcelona's most famous sites –  starting at the Sant Pau Modernist Complex and proceeding along Gaudí Avenue to culminate at the Sagrada Família. 

The race will officially start on July 4 with a 19-kilometre team time trial through Barcelona’s streets, expecting to draw hundreds of thousands of spectators. 

The next stage will begin in Tarragona, south of the Catalan capital, with a 182-kilometer ride to Barcelona, finishing at the city's Olympic Stadium in Montjuïc, offering riders and fans stunning views of Catalonia along the way.

The final race take off from Granollers, north of Barcelona, ending across the French border in Les Angles.