Carnival is already here. The metropolis is preparing to kick off the official events of the celebration, but surely parents and children are already experiencing the party this week in which it has already been installed in the schools of the territory.
Officially, the starting shot will be given in most municipalities of the metropolitan area of Barcelona on Fat Thursday, this February 12. From then on, and until February 18 — Ash Wednesday — Carnival, the king of the carefree, can be seen in the streets of the metropolis
The party in the count's city begins with the Arrival and will end with the Burial of the Sardine. In between, however, there will be many opportunities to enjoy the festivity and, for those who wish, to dress up
1. The Arrival
The Arrival welcomes Carnival to the city of Barcelona. This Fat Thursday, February 12, the party will begin at the auditorium of the Cotxeres de Sants from 5:00 PM and will continue at 6:00 PM, when the carnival giants — the rodanxó and the rodanxona — will lead a parade to the Casa del Mig. There, at 6:30 PM, the Arrival will take place.
Once again and as is already tradition, Queen Belluga will be the protagonist of this event. This year, and after 14 years, she will change her costume to show off at the Arrival and the central events of the Barcelona Carnival in the coming years. Queen Belluga will be accompanied by 24 artists who will perform a show of about 30 minutes
2. Taronjada
The Taronjada festival will be celebrated on the same Fat Thursday in Sants, following the Arrival. In fact, it is the culmination of the act in which Reina Belluga is welcomed to Barcelona.
A shower of orange confetti and the urban dance group Black Bubbles, winner of Eufòria Dance Kids, will take charge of the event. La Taronjada is a tradition that honors the taronjada of 1714 and symbolizes the explosion of party, revelry, and carnival freedom in the city
3. Carnival parades
Friday and the weekend (especially Saturday), the streets of Barcelona will fill with a multitude of parades to show off the best costumes. The different municipalities of the metropolis and the neighborhoods of Barcelona usually organize their own.
In Barcelona, one can highlight, for example, the Ravalstoltada 2026 (Friday at 6 p.m. in Ciutat Vella), the Rua de la Vila de Gràcia (Saturday at 6 p.m. in Gràcia) or the Rua de Carnestoltes del barri de Sant Andreu (Sunday at 10 a.m. in Sant Andreu).
4. Saint Eulalia and Saint Valentine's Festivals
Although it is not part of the carnival festivities, this year carnival coincides with the Festes de Santa Eulàlia (from the 12th to the 15th) and also Valentine's Day (Saturday the 14th). All in all, Barcelona's winter festivals will bring to the city a cultural programme full of activities. Among the most notable are the eagle's dance, on Friday at 9:00 PM in the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, or the Santa Eulàlia correfoc and the fire show on Saturday. Due to the feast day of Barcelona's patron martyr, Monday, February 16th will be a holiday in Barcelona schools
Surely Valentine's Day will also make itself felt in different businesses in the metropolis that will celebrate this imported festivity
5. Costume Parties
For those fans of revelry and party, several nightclubs in Barcelona will celebrate carnival (and Valentine's Day) this week. Sala Apolo, for example, will dedicate Friday's Milkshake and Sunday's Churros to carnival, while on Wednesday, Bresh will be dedicated to Valentine's Day.
At Razzmatazz, both Dirty on Wednesday and Mandanga on Thursday will have space for costumes. At Paral·lel 62, on Saturday the Carnaval Bravo will be celebrated, with Sra. Tomasa and Los Tigres del Raval. And at La Paloma, also on Saturday, the Carnaval Glove Party is celebrated.
Regarding the metropolis, the Sala Salamandra in L'Hospitalet will have a cowboy night on Friday with Reverse Carnaval, while Titus Carpa Badalona will celebrate carnival on Saturday with Perkal
6. Carnival in the neighborhoods
Traditionally, carnival is a festival with great participation from the neighborhoods. From Thursday, with a very family-oriented side, until Ash Wednesday, Barcelona will host a hundred activities throughout the town so you can choose those that are closest to home. You can consult them at the following link on the City Council website.
Barcelona, in this sense, is not an exception. In other large cities like L'Hospitalet, the different neighborhoods also present their own programming for the festival. The same happens in Badalona, where on Sunday there are scheduled three children's parades at the same time in different parts of the city.
7. Culture in Civic Centers
During carnival week, activity in the metropolis's civic centers is frantic. You can go, for example, to Casa Orlandai, which offers costume workshops, a carnival parade, or participate in the omelet contest and the carnival parade of the Zona Nord Civic Center. At the L'Elèctric Civic Center, they will celebrate a carnival in the mountains, where Carnestoltes will tour the streets of Vallvidrera, accompanied by revelry and merriment, in addition to a good breakfast and a show with the Magician Ferbuch
8. Sitges Carnival
Less than an hour from Barcelona, the Sitges Carnival is an experience worth living. The Rua de la Disbauxa and the Rua de l’Extermini make this carnival the most transgressive in the metropolis and probably also the most recognized. The parades will take place on Sunday 15 and Tuesday 17, respectively.
Saturday the bed race takes place, where groups of disguised friends push beds on wheels through the center of the municipality. This, very funny, fact constitutes another of the great attractions of the Sitges Carnival.
9. Carnival of Vilanova i la Geltrú
Vilanova i la Geltrú, just like Sitges, offers one of the best parties to celebrate carnival less than an hour from the metropolis. In this case, more than 300 years of history have shaped the parties, full of symbols and rituals
One of the acts that attracts the most visitors is the parade of the Comparses, when Vilanova fills with colors to celebrate Carnival Sunday. After the parade, the town hall square becomes a battlefield where candies fly from side to side to gently hurt those present. The Coros dels Carstoltes and the Ball del Vidalot are also essential dates of the Vilanova Carnival
10. Burial of the Sardine
Finally, the Burial of the Sardine marks the end of the festivities. This act, loaded with symbolism, bids farewell to the revelry that King and Queen Carnival led, who are now dead, and gives way to Lent. Again, each municipality and district usually has its own burial
