Avant-garde music, film festivals, and a unique Mediterranean salad: 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.

Mostra | March 12-15 | Music festival | Casa Montjuïc / Vall d'Hebron Olympic Pavilion

An independent, small-format music festival of avant-garde and experimental electronic music which emerged as a counterpoint to the macro-festivals and the overcrowded, commercial, impersonal offerings of other large events held in Barcelona.

Brain Film Fest | March 11-15 | Film festival | CCCB 

"Inhabiting the Mind" is the focus of the 9th Brain Film Fest. Through film, we explore how the environment we inhabit shapes our minds, our health and our daily lives, as well as reflecting on how we can transform these spaces to live better. Screenings free with prior booking.

Americana Film Fest | March 10-15 | Film festival | Various cinemas, Barcelona

A film festival celebrating North American indie movies. Screenings will take place in Cinemes Girona, Texas, Zumzeig, Aribau, and Video Instan, with some additional screenings in Filmoteca de Catalunya. 

Barcelona Marathon | March 15 | Sports | Throughout the city

Last weekend in Lisbon, Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo set a new world record for a half-marathon race, completing the course in just 57 minutes and 20 seconds. The athlete ran the Barcelona half-marathon last year in just 56:42, but that wasn't ratified as a world record because of illegal pacing assistance. Will we see any similar heroics repeated this weekend? With a record 32,000 runners racing, anything is possible. 

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.

Passeig de Gourmets | March 12-22 | Food fair | Passeig de Gràcia

Eleven days to enjoy the gastronomic talent of Passeig de Gràcia, from the hands of the most renowned chefs and restaurants. Discover high-quality gastronomic proposals, with the option of choosing between the Ruta de Platets, the Entrepans d'Autor, the Gourmet Menus, the Creative Pastry, and the Experiences.

Ruta del Xató Festival | March 15 | Food fair | Vilafranca del Penedès

The xató is a famous salad from the regions just south and inland from Barcelona. A light and intense dish, refreshing but tasty, traditional and innovative at the same time, made with the best products from the sea and the garden. Now imagine that, in addition, you can eat as much of it as you want, because it is very healthy and has all the benefits of the Mediterranean diet. This is xató: crispy endive, mixed with the honeyed texture of cod and tuna, with the acidic touch of anchovy or hake.

FRMNT | March 14-16 | Fermentation festival | Nau Bostik, Barcelona

The second edition of the FRMNT Festival, open to the public, will feature presentations, workshops, networking, tastings, pairings, and a market with the best fermented products to try.

Brasa & Fuego | March 15 | Barbecue | Parc de la Trinitat Vella, Barcelona

An authentic Argentinian asado in Barcelona! Delicious Argentinian barbecue with a selection of the finest cuts of meat, empanadas, pastries, choripanes, fernet, mate, handicrafts, and exquisite alfajores. Immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of Argentina with live music, from tango to folk and rock. DJs will keep the party going throughout the event.

Live music

Los Espíritus | March 11 | Razzmatazz

Iridia Fest | March 14 | Parallel 62 

Humour | March 14 | Heliogàbal

Leire | March 15 | Razzmatazz

Gabriel Prokófiev | March 15 | L'Auditori

The Wave Pictures | March 17 | Razzmatazz

Nils Hoffman + Palladian | March 18 | Sala Upload

Arnau Obiols | March 20 | L'Auditori

Airbourne | March 24 | Razzmatazz

Suede | March 25 | Razzmatazz 

Live sports

Note: Football and basketball matches shown are not the teams' full schedules, but only games taking place in Catalonia. 

Girona v Athletic Club | March 14 | Football

CE Europa v Betis Balompie | March 15 | Football

Gimnàstic v Sabadell | March 15 | Football 

Sabadell v CE Europa | March 22 | Football 

Joventut Badalona v Barcelona | March 15 | Basketball 

Girona v Andorra | March 15 | Basketball 

Igualada FineArt | February 27-March 22 | Photography festival | Igualada

Located about 60 km from Barcelona, Igualada will host the 14th edition of the 'FineArt Igualada' photography festival, which will run for 24 days. The event features 35 exhibitions across 14 different venues throughout the city and will be complemented by 36 parallel activities, including guided tours, poetry readings, dance performances, and more.

'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.

Dansa Metropolitana | March 5-22 | Performing arts | Various locations

From March 5 to 22, dance will once again fill theaters, streets and unique spaces with the ninth edition of Dansa Metropolitana, which claims the freedom of bodies to inhabit and transform public space. Many of the performances are free of charge.  

 

Beginner ukulele workshop | January 24, March 21, April 11 | Music workshop | Music mueseum, Barcelona

Although it is known as an instrument originating from the Hawaiian Islands, the ukulele is the result of the influence of the guitarrons of the Iberian Peninsula in America and Polynesia. It is a small instrument, easy to play and playful: without a doubt, the favorite musical companion of children and adults. In this workshop you can learn to play it and make some songs.

Guitar BCN Hivern | Until March 18 | Music festival | Several venues

Guitar BCN presents a winter programme that brings live music to the heart of the city, staying true to the festival's spirit: a combination of established talent, emerging voices and projects that explore the guitar in all its facets. The season offers concerts in both intimate formats and large venues, showcasing stylistic diversity and the festival's ability to reflect the creative vitality of the current music scene. Its artistic direction is committed to quality and closeness, consolidating Guitar BCN as a key date for music lovers and as a space where artists and audiences share experiences that resonate with contemporary musical sensibilities.

Tradicionàrius International Folk Festival | Until March 27 | Music festival | Several venues

The 39th edition of this famous traditional music promotes folk music in all its forms and fosters artistic and musical alliances among traditional folk artists. This year is covers the sound of the Pyrenees from the Basque Country to Aragon, Occitania and the Catalan-speaking lands. Throughout the festival, there are several events scheduled in many venues including the Palau de la Música Catalana, the Sant Jaume Square, and the Fabra i Coats - Creativity Factory.

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.

Berlin Wall: A Divided World | Until March | 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.

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.