arts-culture
Festa Major of Esquerra de l'Eixample 2026
One of the city’s biggest neighbourhoods celebrates its festa major
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
Monday, Oct 5
arts-culture
Pere Portabella
A program of screenings drawn from this Catalan filmmaker’s repertoire.
arts-culture
Light Filtered Through the Cracks
MACBA’s exhibition looks back to when video became a tool for political intervention.
arts-culture
Seat: Factory of Transformations
Castell de Montjuïc’s exhibition uses car company SEAT to tell a story about Barcelona
arts-culture
Echoes: Videos from the Han Nefkens Foundation Donation
An exhibition on a donation of 18 video artworks by Han Nefkens Foundation.
film
IndiFest Film Festival
Barcelona Indigenous Film Festival returns with films dedicated to Indigenous stories
film
Transhumant Film Festival 2026
The socially committed film and photojournalism festival returns
Tuesday, Oct 6
arts-culture
Declaration of Love to Lenin, Juana Dolores Romero Casanova
This incredible artist’s first exhibition held at La Virreina.
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
After The Kiss
Taiwanese artist Attilio Chien comes with a solo exhibition devoted to the kiss
film
Boogie Nights
Paul Thomas Anderson's tale of the rise and fall of a California porn star
style-design
Colorful breads made with natural ingredients by BonsFocs
Bake your own colourful, artisanal bread at this breadmaking workshop
film
Amílcar
Miguel Eek’s poetic portrait of an anti-colonial revolutionary
Wednesday, Oct 7
music
DJ Forum @ Apolo
DJs, collectives and musicians come together for an evening of networking
Thursday, Oct 8
film
What's Up, Doc?
Peter Bogdanovich’s classic screwball comedy
film
Hard Eight (Sydney)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s coolly controlled debut feature
music
GRLS
Mexican alt-pop pair arrive on tour
Saturday, Oct 10
fitness-wellness
Outdoor Fitness Workout
An energizing group-training session at Barcelona’s seafront.
Sunday, Oct 11
arts-culture
Art & Coffee Oil Painting Workshop
Slow down, get creative and enjoy something a bit off the beaten track
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
Bar Cañete
Step inside it feels like traveling through time to Spain’s glory days.
nightlife
Diobar
You’ll find one of Barcelona’s best music venues in the basement of a Greek restaurant.
food-drink
Elsa y Fred
The weekend brunch is a local fixture, offering staples like pancakes and Eggs Benedict.
nightlife
Sub Rosa
Among the flurry of one of La Rambla’s many Gòtic tributaries, Sub Rosa would be everyone’s regular watering hole, if only there was enough space.
nightlife
Marsella
This charmingly grimy Raval bar is famous for its absinthe, and said to be Barcelona’s oldest.
food-drink
Maná 75
A Barceloneta paella specialist – a dozen varieties, 19 open cooking stations.
nightlife
Paradiso
Paradiso serves up unusual and creative cocktails.
romance
Forest Days Glamping
Leave your tent at home and book comfortable digs at Forest Days Glamping.
food-drink
El Celler d’en Frank Peterssein
Armando pours house vermouth in a Raval bodega with old Singer-base tables.
music
JazzSí
A tiny Raval live-music room run with the Taller de Músics school next door.
romance
Oops!
The city’s best-known swingers club – discreet, stylish and not remotely seedy.
food-drink
Sésamo
Hofmann-trained chef Alfredo has made this vegetarian restaurant his culinary playground.
lgbt
La Chapelle
One of the skinniest gay bars you’ll ever visit, but also one with the most charm.
lgbt
Skybar
The Axel Hotel’s rooftop – city views, strong cocktails, a crowd that dresses up.
nightlife
Two Schmucks
This “five-star dive bar” is the result of Moe and AJ’s dedication and love for cocktail shaking.
food-drink
Can Recasens
Five generations have been providing the neighborhood with traditional fare.
nightlife
Kælderkold
One of Barcelona’s most exciting craft beer utopias.
food-drink
Betlem
A gastrobar based out of a locale with a history going to back to 1892.
food-drink
Abissínia
Take a journey to Ethiopia without leaving Barcelona.
food-drink
Azimuth
Perched atop the glitzy Almanac – a five-star rooftop built for Manhattans by the pool and sunsets that flatter everyone in them.
food-drink
Jaqueline
Mediterranean restaurant, jazz club, Japanese bar and clandestine cocktail bar in one.
food-drink
Bar Treze
This tapas bar sits among Sarrià’s burgeoning scene along its main street, Major de Sarrià.
food-drink
Flax & Kale
Their “flexitarian” cuisine is rooted in nutrition and 35 years of culinary experience.
food-drink
La Terraza del Claris
The rooftop of an Egyptologist’s hotel – discreet, art-filled, no day-club treatment.
food-drink
Bar Castells
This tapas bar/restaurant dates back some hundred years.
nightlife
Big Bang Bar
Big Bang Bar has long been a mecca for local musicians and traveling tunesmiths looking to share music on an intimate stage.
food-drink
El Pachuco
Wash down generous portions of Mexican fare with peso-priced micheladas.
nightlife
14 de la Rosa
This hidden cocktail bar in Gràcia offers coffee in the morning, vermouth in the afternoon and a killer cocktail by night.
nightlife
Dr. Stravinsky
A cocktail bar done up as a mad alchemist’s lab – test tubes, fermenting jars.
nightlife
Gimlet
Founded by Javier de las Muelas, Gimlet was the first of what is now a global empire of cocktail bars.