Barcelona Online | What's on in Barcelona

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2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009...
We had Gaudí Year in 2002, the "Year of Design" in 2003 and the ghastly Forum in 2004, the "Year of Gastronomy" in 2005, Picasso Year in 2006, and celebrated Science Year in 2007. We're not sure what 2008 was supposed to have been... Or 2009, or 2010. The recession, perhaps...?

Picasso? Science?! I'm only coming to Barcelona for the football!

Football? I hate football! Take me straight to the concerts!

March 3
The Tapies Foundation (not our favourite Barcelona art museum) reopens, officially so on March 3, with March 5, 6 and 7 being entrance being free.

March 7
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.

March 21
Barcelona-Sitges vintage car rally
March sees the 52ndt edition of the Barcelona-Sitges vintage car rally. The winner depends on the car itself, not the time required to cover the 45km involved, with extra points going for dressing up appropriately.

To see the cars, go to Parc de la Ciutadella on the Saturday morning, or be in the Plaça St Jaume on the Sunday, before the rally starts at around 11.30. Well worth it!

Until June 13
Federico Fellini. El circo de las ilusiones
Fellini exhibition
The CaixaForum is Barcelona's most-visited art museum. OK, yes, that's partly because it's free -- but it also always has some great exhibitions on, with the Fellini exhibition being another one not to be missed.

Until June 20
Barcelona Guitar Festival
The full program for the 21st edition of Barcelona's is still to announced but venues are likely to include the Palau de la Música, L'Auditori, Luz de Gas and Bikini, with the closing concert by Paco de Lucía (Liceu, June 20) one of the highlights.

•Languages: English, Spanish and Catalan

Concerts
For what is on in the way of classical music, opera and the like, see what's on at the Palau de la Musica and the Liceu Opera House (two places well worth visiting for their architecture, even if you are not that keen on that sort of music). Tickets for these can be obtained from ServiCaixa, see below, which also has a rather frustrating to navigate calendar of events.

Classical music is also on at the Auditori, home to Barcelona's Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC). Tickets for this can be obtained from Telentrada (see below).

Coming up in Barcelona (or nearby, in the case of Badalona), we have Spandau Ballet (at the Palau Olimpic in Badalona, March 12); The Cranberries (same venue, March 13); Sonic Youth (Razzmatazz, April 18); the Pet Shop Boys, The Charlatans, Gary Numan (etc) at the Primavera Sound festival (Forum, May 27-29); Alicia Keys (Palau Sant Jordi, June 2); The Chemical Brothers at the Sonar festival (June 17-19); and Spanish pop idol David Bisbal (Palau Sant Jordi, June 18).

Barcelona concert tickets
ServiCaixa and Telentrada
Servicaixa is one of best sources of tickets for concerts and other events in Barcelona, being run by La Caixa, the city's major bank. Tickets can be bought online or at cashpoints throughout the city.

Telentrada is the online ticket service from rival bank Caixa de Catalunya.

Concert details are also to be found at concert promoters Doctor Music and concert tickets can also be obtained from TickTackTicket.

Football
Last season Barça [website] won the treble -- the Spanish League, the Spanish Cup and the Champions and very much deserved it was. They won six major trophies in 2009 and were looking good for a repeat this time round -- except that Sevilla knocked them out of the Cup, and they aren't looking quite so spectacular as last year.

Meanwhile, in the ridiculously one-sided Spanish league (make that two-sided if you seriously believe Real Madrid are a challenge to Barça this season), there are home games coming up at the Nou Camp against Valencia (March 14); Osasuna (Wed. March 24) and Athletic (April 4) -- before the big one: the away game against Real Madrid (April 11).

In the Champions, Barça have a last-sixteen tie against VfB Stuttgart, with the return leg at the Nou Camp on March 17.

Tickets to see Barça can generally be obtained from the club office's on Av.Arístides Maillol outside the stadium or from ServiCaixa (see above).

A visit to the Barça museum includes a look inside the stadium itself, one the world's biggest.

Espanyol [website], Barcelona's "other" first division side are now in a new stadium, out in Cornellà (to get there, take the FGC train line from Plaza Espanya, stopping at either Cornellà-Riera or Almeda).

Espanyol have league games coming up in their new home against Villareal (March 7); Sevilla (March 21); Sporting (March 28); Atlético Madrid (April 11); and then Espanyol's big one: their home game against Barça (April 18).

See also our Barcelona Sports page.

More on information on what's on in Barcelona
Guia del ocio
Barcelona's Time Out (well, no, you'll be disappointed if we say that), the Guia del ocio comes out on Thursdays and is to be found in the kiosks – or here on the Web.

Sections on cinema, theatre, restaurants, music, bars, art, hotels, gay Barcelona, tourism, "fiestas-erótica" (come again?) and a classifieds section.

•We liked: Its cinema listings and the site as a source of basic information (opening times etc).
•Not so hot: That beastly little pop-up!
•Languages: Largely Spanish, with the Tourism section (only) in English

LeCool.com
LeCool have a great little weekly e-mail bulletin of what's happening in Barcelona (with Madrid and Lisbon editions also available). Coming out every Thursday it features "events and leisure activities", with "exhibitions, movies, concerts & DJs as well as a careful selection of extraordinary bars, restaurants".

•We liked: Knowing what is on in Barcelona today...
•Not so hot: That horizontal scroll bar!
•Languages: Available in English and Spanish

What's on in Barcelona

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