film
Sitges Film Festival 2026
The 59th edition of the fantasy, horror and cult films-focused festival
miniguide
The best things to do in Barcelona, curated by locals. Events, restaurants, nightlife and the spots worth knowing – updated weekly.
Barcelona
miniguide
The best things to do in Barcelona, curated by locals. Events, restaurants, nightlife and the spots worth knowing – updated weekly.
Events
Saturday, Oct 17
style-design
Barcelona Design Week 2026
A week dedicated to all things design with talks, exhibitions, workshops and more
arts-culture
Seat: Factory of Transformations
Castell de Montjuïc’s exhibition uses car company SEAT to tell a story about Barcelona
film
Filmets 2026
FILMETS returns for its 52nd edition of celebrating the short film
fitness-wellness
Outdoor Fitness Workout
An energizing group-training session at Barcelona’s seafront.
arts-culture
Echoes: Videos from the Han Nefkens Foundation Donation
An exhibition on a donation of 18 video artworks by Han Nefkens Foundation.
arts-culture
Light Filtered Through the Cracks
MACBA’s exhibition looks back to when video became a tool for political intervention.
arts-culture
Pere Portabella
A program of screenings drawn from this Catalan filmmaker’s repertoire.
arts-culture
Declaration of Love to Lenin, Juana Dolores Romero Casanova
This incredible artist’s first exhibition held at La Virreina.
arts-culture
KBr Flama’26
KBr Flama’26 returns to Fundación MAPFRE with a selection of new talent
food-drink
Mercat de Mercats 2026
The annual celebration of everything fresh and local from neighbourhood markets
arts-culture
Elisava
A sun-soaked photography project capturing the Poblenou coastline.
arts-culture
Josep Maria de Sucre, Activist and Visionary Artist
A new exhibition on the work of Catalan visionary artist Josep Maria de Sucre
arts-culture
Dana Lixemburg
An exhibition on three decades of work by this Dutch photographer
music
Ciutat Flamenco Festival 2026
Celebrate centuries of flamenco tradition at Ciutat Flamenco festival
film
Love and Hope International Film Festival (L’HIFF) 2026
L’HIFF brings an independent, international mix of films to the city
arts-culture
Biennial of Thought 2026
Talks, debates and performances asking what it means to live in the present
film
Barcelona Jewish Film Festival 2026
Festival Cinema Jueu returns for its 28th edition with a fresh lineup of films
music
James Massiah
Lauded South London poet and musician makes his Barcelona debut
film
Transhumant Film Festival 2026
The socially committed film and photojournalism festival returns
Sunday, Oct 18
arts-culture
Art & Coffee Oil Painting Workshop
Slow down, get creative and enjoy something a bit off the beaten track
film
Stranger Than Paradise
An early deadpan classic from Jim Jarmusch
Tuesday, Oct 20
arts-culture
After The Kiss
Taiwanese artist Attilio Chien comes with a solo exhibition devoted to the kiss
Friday, Oct 23
arts-culture
La Zona: Halloween House of Horrors
Think you’ve outgrown being scared of the dark? LA ZONA puts it to the test
Ongoing
arts-culture
The Cult of Beauty
The CCCB’s latest exhibition delves into one of the most loaded ideas in culture.
Places
food-drink
Bonsai
A matcha-obsessed Eixample café sourcing first-harvest ceremonial powder from Japan, stone-ground to order – with proper coffee alongside.
food-drink
Xiringuito Escribà
The Escribà family’s Bogatell-beach paella house, cooking over wood fires since 1992.
food-drink
Otsu
A creative Japanese-inspired café blending coffee, design and food in Poblenou.
food-drink
Fat Veggies
Vegan restaurant Fat Veggies serves up barbecue and smoked vegetables.
style-design
Manifesto Barcelona
A vintage store, gallery space and pop-up venue in El Raval.
style-design
Wit Salon
An international team of stylists run these two salons.
food-drink
Santamasa
Enjoy good food with a local feel at Santamasa in Sarrià.
nightlife
Gimlet
Founded by Javier de las Muelas, Gimlet was the first of what is now a global empire of cocktail bars.
food-drink
Little Fern
A slice of New Zealand brunch culture in Poblenou – flat whites, the charred-corn fritter stack and those kimchi pancakes, all done with real care.
food-drink
Eat My Trip
Eat My Trip is an exciting brunch spot in the city, tying together the inspiration of travel and food through the fusion of flavors from around the world.
food-drink
Taberna Noroeste
A restaurant serving up recipes from the North West of Spain.
food-drink
Bar Bodega Quimet
This old-school wine shop and tapas bar was founded in 1954.
food-drink
Viana
A gastronomic oasis in an otherwise bleak desert of tourist traps.
arts-culture
Terranova
A publishing house turned bookstore and gallery space in Sant Antoni.
arts-culture
Gaudí’s Pedrera: The Origins
La Pedrera after dark – projections inside and video mapping on Gaudí’s façade.
food-drink
La Pizza
It’s taken a while for the fast food of Sicily to filter through.
food-drink
Monopol
One of the city’s most exciting places to eat, drink and watch football.
arts-culture
Norma Comics
A range covering all genres from manga and superheroes to horror and beyond.
style-design
Carrera Peluqueros
There’s nothing conventional about this hair salon.
arts-culture
Moco Museum
Barcelona’s Modern & Contemporary art museum in El Born, sister to the original in Amsterdam.
nightlife
Ølgod
Revered Danish craft beer bar Kælderkold now has a younger sister.
lgbt
El Cangrejo
A kitsch, camp gay dive bar in the Raval, with drag nights and lip-sync shows.
food-drink
Takeaway & Delivery Picks
Good news in having some restaurants jumping back into action with takeaway and home delivery services.
food-drink
Brunch & Cake Rosselló
A brunch and dessert shop inspired by trips around Europe and North America.
food-drink
Koh-ndal Thai Bistro
Sant Gervasi Thai with a Mediterranean twist, from its French-Catalan owners.
food-drink
La Dama
Indulge in French delights at this lavish space.
fitness-wellness
French Kiss
A beauty parlor and spa with good prices, located next to Plaça Catalunya.
food-drink
Desoriente
This vegan restaurant mixes world cuisines to leave diners disoriented.
style-design
Boo
The brands reflect a commitment to quality, impeccable tailoring and timeless appeal.
food-drink
Koku Kitchen
A purposefully unflashy little ramen place hidden down a tatty side street.