Chinese New Year 2026
By Charlotte Stace
Barcelona’s Chinese New Year celebration is a brilliant, colourful reset featuring dragons, drums and lots of dancing. It marks the first new moon of the lunar calendar and welcomes the Year of the Horse, which is all about momentum, courage and fresh starts.
The highlight this year will be the opening ceremony and parade, with lion and dragon dances, martial arts and performances from local cultural associations. The procession starts by Parc de l’Estació del Nord and sweeps through to the Arc de Triomf area, where the festivities continue.
Beyond the spectacle, there’s a gastronomic and cultural fair that turns browsing into a snack crawl with traditional bites like zongzi (sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaf), plus crafts and family-friendly workshops from kite-making to lantern-making, and even the chance to try on a qipao. It’s joyful, welcoming and the perfect excuse to celebrate something bigger than your own calendar.