Barcelona Online | What's on in Barcelona

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

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010...
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 or 2009 were supposed to have been. 2010 was definitely the Year of Barça!

2011? The recession, perhaps...?

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

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

Starting March 1
Barcelona Guitar Festival
The full program for the 23rd edition of Barcelona's is still to announced but confirmed so far are Judy Collins, Els Amics de les Arts, Elliott Murphy, The Aristocrats and The Mothers of Invention.

Venues always include the wonderful Palau de la Música, L'Auditori, Luz de Gas and Bikini.

•Languages: English, Spanish and Catalan

Concerts
Coming up on the music scene in Barcelona we have UB 40 (Razzmatazz, February 4) and Bruce Springsteen (Estadi Olímpic, May 17).

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).

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
In 2010/11, Barça [website] won the Spanish League and the Champions. Given that it was their third Champions in the last six seasons, there's perhaps some justification for their claim to be the best team in the world (though for non-football fans it's hard to understand quite what they all get so over-excited about).

Barça have a home League games coming up against Real Sociedad (February 5); Valencia (February 19) and Sporting (March 4). The big game of the season is April 22, when Real Madrid come to Barcelona.

In the Copa del Rey, have disposed of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, Barça now have the return leg of the semi-final against Valencia at the Camp Nou on February 8th.

In the Champions, Barça have the return game of their last-16 tie against Bayer Leverkusen on March 7.

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 and get off at either Cornellà-Riera or Almeda).

As February begins, Espanyol are sitting nicely in a European place for next season, with home games coming up against Zaragoza (February 12) and Levante (February 26).

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

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