Barcelona Events

Carnival

Lent is traditionally a time of fasting and denial, and Carnival is the period before Lent to celebrate pleasures, extravagance and indulgence with an abundance of feasting and dancing. Street parades, float processions, and parties fill every street and plaza in the city and revellers come dressed in rich costumes. A mock funeral procession on Ash Wednesday marks the end of the festivities.

Date: 31 January to 6 February 2008; Website: www.bcn.es/carnaval

Spanish F1 Grand Prix

The fifth race of the Formula One season, the crowds gather to watch the thrills, spills and speed that accompany a spectacle of this nature. Formula One is the king of motor sports and attracts the best drivers from around the world.

Venue: Catalunya; Date: 27 April 2008; Website: www.circuitcat.com

Primavera Sound Festival

Primavera is one of Spain's biggest music festivals and sees some of the world's principal pop and rock stars grace the summer stages for a fiesta of fun and music in the glorious sunshine.

Venue: Port Area; Date: 29-31 May 2008; Website: www.primaverasound.com/index.php?idioma=en

St John’s Eve (Sant Joan)

Midsummer in Barcelona is celebrated with a big bang as fireworks colour the sky in a festive prelude to the national holiday of the Feast of John the Baptist. Ancient traditions observed the summer solstice as the most important event of the solar year and fire was celebrated as the symbol of abundance, purity and fertility. So too today, the solstice festivities have fire as their central focus. Each neighbourhood stages fireworks and all-night bonfires are fuelled by collections of old furniture, but the biggest celebration is at Montjuic with a fabulous fireworks display and a colossal bonfire. There are dances and celebrations in the squares, street parties, music and entertainment throughout the city, and in all the homes traditional cake or 'coca' is eaten and sparkling wine is drunk.

Date: 24 June 2008, TBC; Website: www.bcn.es/santjoan

European Balloon Festival

European Balloon Festival

Thousands of spectators gather to watch as the sky is filled with a wonderfully colourful display of hot air balloons from around the world. Market stalls are set up to complete the festive atmosphere of one of the biggest ballooning events in Europe. For more information phone +34 (0)93 804 2202 or email jm@ultramagic.com

Venue: The town of Igualada, located about 31 miles (50km) inland from Barcelona; Date: 2-6 July 2008

Barcelona Summer Festival

The Barcelona Summer Festival, popularly known as the Grec Festival, is the cultural highlight on the summer calendar, and one of the most important arts festivals in the world. Every summer the city is filled with some of the finest national and international theatre, dance and music performances aimed at promoting different types of contemporary music and performance arts, as well as classical and ancient music and traditional acts. It is famed for its creativity and attracts a wide variety of visitors and locals alike. For more information email bcnfestival@mail.bcn.es

Venue: Various locations around the city; Date: June to August 2008, TBC

Giants of La Mercè

Festival of La Mercè

The Festival of La Mercè is dedicated to the patron saint of Barcelona, the Virgin of Mercy, and involves a fabulous assortment of popular Catalan traditions and mythology. The city celebrates by hosting one of the biggest parties of the year with street music and dancing, fairs, theatre, concerts and parades. Firework spectacles light up figures of dragons and devils, and gigantic folklore icons of Catalonia ('gegants') are paraded through the city centre, while traditional teams of 'Castellers' build human pyramids in St Jaume Plaza. For more information contact the Institute of Culture on +34 93 301 7775.

Venue: Various squares and open places around the city; Date: 24 September 2008; Website: www.bcn.es/merce