Documentary festival, design market, and burger competition: 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.

DART International Film Festival of Art | December 10 - 14 | Art film festival | Barcelona

This weekend, DART, the International Film Festival of Art, celebrates its 9th edition in Barcelona. This year, the program will take place at the Mooby Bosque Cinemas in Gràcia. The festival will feature 33 documentaries, including 24 premieres, and will also offer parallel activities focused on education and outreach. Some of the highlights include 'ASCO: Without Permission,' a documentary about the Chicano art collective of the 70s and 80s that fused activism with artistic expression, and 'The Residents: Barking in the Dark' by Marie Losier, exploring the mysterious world of The Residents.

Disseny Market Barcelona | December 12 - 14 | Design market | Disseny Hub Barcelona

If you enjoy Christmas markets but with a touch of design, art, and creative proposals, this is the most avant-garde market in the city. This weekend, the Disseny Market Barcelona returns to DHub, in Glòries Square, as a meeting point for creatives and for anyone who wants to spend their Christmas budget on architecture, design, art, and craftsmanship. Among the exhibitors, you’ll find brands and creators offering fashion, accessories, home decor, contemporary jewelry, crafts, publications, furniture, illustration, lighting, and limited-edition art pieces.

The Champions Burger | November 26 - December 14 | Burger festival | Fòrum, Barcelona

The biggest hamburger championship in Europe is coming to Barcelona with the goal of finding the best burger in Spain. More than 30 burgers from different countries will be competing, and you’ll have the chance to try them all. When you buy a hamburger, you can scan the QR code to vote in the awards. You’ll be asked to rate the bun, the meat, the combination of ingredients, the presentation, and the originality. 

Premier Padel Finals | December 11 - 14 | Padel competition | Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona

For padel fans, this weekend brings a fantastic opportunity to watch the best padel pairs in the world compete live. From December 11 to 14, Barcelona’s massive Palau Sant Jordi will host the final tournament of 2025, featuring the sport’s top stars battling for the last title of the year. The competition will follow a knockout format, best of three sets, until only two finalists remain to fight for the Masters titles. Quarterfinals will be played on Thursday, December 11, and Friday, December 12. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, December 13, and the finals will be held on Sunday, December 14, starting at 11 am.

Sunway Chess Festival | December 12 - 22 | Chess festival | Sitges

Chess enthusiasts have a special event to look forward to this weekend in Sitges. The Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival will welcome top international grandmasters for a tournament open to players holding a valid international licence and meeting the required ranking criteria. This year’s edition will be held at the Hotel Sunway Playa Golf & Spa in Sitges. It features both classical and rapid games, with nearly €25,000 in prizes to be shared among the more than 300 players, including over 100 masters, who took part in the most recent edition, representing 37 countries.

Sagrada Família Christmas concert | December 12 | Christmas concert | Sagrada Família

Barcelona’s iconic basilica, the Sagrada Família, will hold its traditional Christmas Concert this Friday, featuring the Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. They will perform pieces ranging from Gregorian chants to works by great composers such as Bach, Saint-Saëns, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Vivaldi and Handel, before finishing with classic Christmas carols like El noi de la mare, Silent Night, and Joy to the World. Four hundred tickets have been awarded to lucky winners, and if you missed out, you can still follow the concert live.

Cardedeu's Torró nougat candy fair | December 12 - 14 | Christmas fair | Cardedeu

Among the many well-known Christmas fairs, there is one that often goes unnoticed: the Traditional Christmas and Torró Fair of Cardedeu, near Barcelona. This weekend, the town will come alive with artisanal and local products, with torró nougat taking center stage. In fact, torró de borrego, a distinctive variety of this nougat, is one of the signature products of the town.

Santa Llúcia Christmas Market | November 28 - December 23 | Christmas market | Barcelona Cathedral 

Barcelona's oldest Christmas market, Santa Llúcia, has opened for the 2025 festive season and will run until December 23. The fair has been held in front of Barcelona Cathedral since 1786 and is considered the oldest market in the world for nativity scene figurines. This year it will have 200 stalls dedicated to decorations, ornaments, nativity scenes, Christmas trees and unique Catalan Christmas traditions. 

Fira de l'Avet d'Espinelves | December 6 - 14 | Christmas market | Espinelves

This weekend also marks the start of one of the most beloved markets outside the capital, dedicated entirely to Christmas trees: the Fira de l'Avet d'Espinelves. The small town of Espinelves, in Girona, transforms into a festive hub filled with trees and families from December 6 to 14.

Rodoreda, a Forest | December 5–May 25, 2026 | 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.

Reteena | December 5–14 | Youth film festival | Various venues, Barcelona

Reteena's 8th edition brings films, workshops, concerts and youth-led activities to venues across Barcelona, including the Filmoteca, CCCB, Zumzeig and Nau Bostik. Running from December 5 to 14, the festival offers a mix of screenings and cultural events aimed at young creators and audiences.

Inclús Festival 2025 | December 3–15 | Disability-themed film festival | Various venues, Barcelona 

This 13ᵉ edition of the Inclús Festival – Barcelona's International Disability Film Festival – runs from December 3 to 15 across venues like CaixaForum Barcelona, CCCB, Cinemes Girona, and others. All screenings and events are free and fully accessible: audiodescription, subtitles, and sign-language interpretation are provided. The lineup includes feature films, documentaries and shorts around diversity and disability, plus workshops, panel talks, and relaxed-viewing sessions aimed at inclusivity and social awareness.

Sant Pau Christmas lights | November 20 - January 11 | Christmas lights | Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, Barcelona

Starting this week, the art nouveau-style buildings of Barcelona's iconic Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau will be illuminated with Christmas lights nightly until January 11. The former hospital complex, designed by Catalan modernist architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, is hosting Els Llums de Sant Pau for the fifth year. The festive lights show has drawn more than 800,000 visitors over the last four years. This year, event organizers hope to draw half a million. 

Symphony of Stars | November 22 - January 5 | Digital arts show | Sant Jaume Square, Barcelona

Each Christmas, the Barcelona City Council unveils a special installation in Sant Jaume Square, the central square that houses both the city and Catalan government buildings. This year’s creation is Symphony of Stars, an immersive digital-art projection by Xavi Bové Studio that reimagines traditional Christmas imagery through light and cosmic motifs. The installation runs daily from 6.30 pm, until 10 pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends.

World Press Photo | November 7 - December 14 | Exhibition | CCCB, Barcelona

The twenty-first edition of the most renowned exhibition in the field of photojournalism worldwide. The display brings together the winning photographs of the World Press Photo 2025 competition. The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, the environmental crisis, migration, and political polarization are some of the main themes. Tickets are €8, concessionary €6. Visits on Sundays from 3 pm to 8 pm are free of charge and must be pre-booked.

Act x Palestine | November 14 - December 23 | Various events | Barcelona and beyond

A global mobilization campaign promoted by the main Palestinian human rights, peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and cultural organizations, together with a broad network of European organizations. Featuring a launch event on Saturday, 15 November at La Paloma, Barcelona, The Unsilence Forum from November 14 to 16, Catalonia v Palestine friendly football match on November 18, and series of concerts from November 15 to December 23.

Historic metro trains | November 15 - January 6, 2026 | Exhibition | El Clot, Barcelona

An outdoor exhibition at La Farinera del Clot Cultural Center showcasing five historic train series – 100, 300, 400, 1100 and 3000 – restored for the centenary of Barcelona's metro system. Visitors can explore the carriages both from the outside and inside, with full accessibility for people with reduced mobility. Free admission.

Berlin Wall: A Divided World | November 7 - March 2026 | Exhibition | Espai Inmersa, Poblenou

An international exhibition on the Berlin Wall was launched on Friday at Espai Inmersa, in Barcelona's Poblenou district. After stops in Paris and Madrid, 'Berlin Wall: A Divided World' has now arrived in the Catalan capital, where it will remain open until March 2026. The exhibition features over 200 original artefacts and six authentic sections of the Berlin Wall, each measuring 3.6 metres high and weighing over three tonnes.

Library of Fantastic Beasts | November 4 - January 11 | Exhibition | Casa Amatller 

The Library of Fantastic Beasts, a new exhibition in the Art Centre of the Casa Amatller modernist building, located beside Casa Batlló on Passeig de Gràcia, is now open. In it, dragons, unicorns, basilisks, and many more fantastic beasts come to life. The exhibit combines interactive fun with historical rigor to create an unbeatable experience for the whole family to learn about the creatures, both real and imagined, that were used in the Middle Ages to explain the physical and spiritual world.

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. 

Miró and the United States | October 10 - February 22 | Art | Miró Foundation 

The links between Joan Miró and America take center stage in the Joan Miró Foundation's newest exhibition, 'Miró and the United States.' From October 10 to February 22, the museum will showcase 150 artworks by Miró and other influential artists who shaped or were shaped by this artistic dialogue. Icons such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Louise Bourgeois, and even Salvador Dalí will appear in conversation with Miró’s works.

Ink against Hitler | October 8 - January 11 | Exhibition | MNAC, Barcelona

The exhibition Ink against Hitler is the presentation in Barcelona of the discovery of the only Catalan and Spanish artist who worked for British and Allied propaganda during the Second World War. From 1941 to 1945, the Catalan Mario Armengol Torrella drew around 2,000 cartoons and caricatures in the service of the British Ministry of Information against the Third Reich and the Axis to publish them in newspapers and magazines in London's allied and neutral countries, from New Zealand to Haiti.

Escena | October 10 - December 20 | Performing arts | Various locations across Barcelona

Live Arts. A program of 31 theater, circus, music, and dance performances on 34 stages in the city's civic and cultural centers. From October 10 to December 20, Escena will schedule 173 theater and circus performances, concerts, and dance shows, always free of charge and with advance reservation. 

Festival Jazz Barcelona | October 10 - March 1, 2026 | Music | Various venues

A lineup packed with international artists, including Snarky Puppy, Laurie Anderson, Tigran Hamasyan, Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet, Chris Thile, and Janis Siegel. From October 10, 2025, to March 1, 2026, the Barcelona Jazz Festival celebrates its 57th edition, offering a lineup that combines major international names, emerging voices, and special projects that celebrate the history and diversity of jazz. The program consists of 48 concerts spread across 10 venues, including Palau de la Música Catalana, Jamboree, Conservatori Liceu, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Paral·l 62, L'Auditori, Teatre Auditori Emma Vilarasau de Sant Cugat, and La Paloma. 

Leonardo versus Michelangelo | From September 17 | IDEAL Digital Arts Centre, Barcelona

The Mona Lisa, or The Sistine Chapel? The Last Supper, or Pietà? Vitruvian Man, or David? Impossible choices? Well, at IDEAL Digital Arts Centre in Barcelona, visitors are going to have to decide which Renaissance Man takes the crown. Leonardo versus Michelangelo takes a look at the lives, legacies, and rivalry between these two historic greats of art. These pair lived at the same time in Florence in the 15th and 16th centuries, and although they initially respected each other, they quickly developed a bitter rivalry.

Phantom of the Opera | September 23 - February 1 | Opera | Tivoli Theatre

The Phantom of the Opera is coming to Barcelona for the very first time. Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic musical runs at Teatre Tívoli from September 23 to February 1 as part of a Spain-wide tour. Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, and with lyrics by Charles Hart and Richard Stilgoe, this production in Spanish is directed by Federico Bellone, with musical direction by Julio Awad.

Soundit | October 18, November 8, 22, December 13 | Live music | Monumental, Barcelona

One of Barcelona's best day festivals returns for its autumn lineup. This year's program features five Saturdays of live electronic music, featuring huge names in dance music, from 2manydjs, Ben UFO, Jayda G, Ben Klock, and plenty more. 

‘Extraterrestrials. Is there life beyond Earth?’ | February 26 - August 30, 2026 | 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.

Antoni Tàpies: The Imagination of the World | February 13 – January 25, 2026 | Art exhibition | Tàpies Museum

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. With Tàpies as the centre of the project, the exhibition seeks to map out a network of relationships between active agents, discourses and practices, as related to two key areas: on the one hand, the complex assimilation of artistic tendencies—such as dada and surrealism—and currents of thought—psychoanalysis, Marxism—in Barcelona in that period; on the other hand, the dialogue of these movements with various forms of the vernacular tradition of popular culture.