Barcelona Online | What's on in Barcelona

>> Ages ago | Just missed it | On this month | Coming up

•See also our "Ages ago" page (link above) for other annual events...

September 23
La Mercé
Barcelona's "festa major", La Mercé, is named after its patron saint and includes music and dance as well as some spectacular traditions such as the castellers (human castles, pictured, right) and the correfoc (literally the firerun), at which dragons belch fire over the packed crowds and demons spray everyone with sparks.

The Mercé also includes a very popular 10km fun run across the city.

•We liked: Being sprayed with sparks... No, really: it was kind of, you know, kinky!
•Not so hot: Don't expect the official site to be up and running long in advance
•Languages: English (very limited), Spanish and Catalan

September-October (2010 dates to be confirmed)
Festa al Cel
If you can tell the difference between an F18 and the Eurofighter, collected Airfix kits and don't get vertigo watching Sopwith Camels loop the loop, don't miss Barcelona's hugely popular Festa al Cel airshow, at the Parc del Fòrum. 300,000 people went last year...

Main events are Sunday morning, usual the weekend after the Mercè (se above) ends.

•Languages: Spanish and Catalan

October 7-14
Sitges Film Festival
A popular seaside resort some 40km down the coast from Barcelona, Sitges has an equally popular film festival, which this year celebrates its 43rd edition.

The main sections are science-fiction, fantasy and horror with both commercial and non-commercial movies.

•Languages: English, Spanish and Catalan

October 17
Barcelona Triathlon
If you can't wait till March for the Barcelona Marathon, there's always the Triathlon, with a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run on a circuit stretching from the beach to the Arc de Triomf and the Torre Agbar.

There's also the possibility of entering a three person team, with each member taking one stage.

•We liked: Getting off the beastly bike (the only bit we did like, in fact)
•Not so hot: The organization
•Languages: English, Spanish and Catalan

October 21-24
Rally Catalunya
Details on our sports page.

November 6-14
Saló Nautico
Barcelona's International Boat Show is one of the biggest and most interesting of its many trade fairs. See our review.

December
Christmas in Barcelona
We have a few odd Christmas traditions here in Barcelona, as this page shows...

If you are visiting Barcelona and going to be decorating the house for Christmas - particularly if you have a crib (Nativity scene), don't miss the Feria de Santa Lucia, in the square in front of the Cathedral.

As for those odd traditions, note the traditional Catalan figure of the "caganer", the (ahem...) "shitter" (as illustrated, right).

December 17-18
Encuentro Práctico ELE
The "Encuentro práctico para profesores de ELE", now in its nineteenth year, is an annual congress for teachers of Spanish as a foreign language.

27 December 2010-4 January 2011
Festival de la Infancia
Barcelona's annual "Children's Festival" (this year the 44th edition) is a great day out for kids - with basically anything you could wish the Three Kings (aka Santa) would bring you.

•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan

2010 dates to be confirmed
Festival Asia
The Casa Asia promotes this annual event, which includes cuisine, dance, music, theatre and a variety of different exhibitions.

Starts 31 December
Barcelona World Race
The Barcelona World Race is a two-handed, non-stop round the world yacht race. Nine teams competed in the first event (2008) -- 25,000 miles in three months in (er, let me check...) an "IMOCA Open 60 monohull".

2011

March 6, 2011
Barcelona Marathon
After a public outcry when Barcelona town hall refused permission (I mean, I ask you, what town hall wants to promote sport, for goodness sake?!!!), the Barcelona Marathon is back, with a route taking in a number of Barcelona's big sights (Nou Camp, the Pedrera, the Sagrada Familia, the Torre Agbar...).

Pictured, right, Barcelona-Online editor Tom Walton leads the field mid-way through the 1986 edition... [Er... "appears to lead"? Ed.].

•We liked: The website's countdown to the big day
•Not so hot: Er... maybe I'll wait till tomorrow to start training.
•Languages: English, Spanish, Catalan and French.

•See also our "Ages ago" page for other annual events...

What's on in Barcelona

>> Ages ago | Just missed it | On this month | Coming up