Do you love board games? Then head to Fabra i Coats, where from 13 to 16 November the fourteenth edition of DAU Barcelona takes place. The festival has continued to grow year after year, and the organisers describe this one as the biggest and most ambitious in its history.

DAU Barcelona is the largest cultural board game festival in Catalonia and a major reference point across Spain. It is organised by Kid’s Cluster, an organisation focused on innovation in children’s activities, with the collaboration of the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB).

This year’s edition expands in duration, capacity and number of activities, nurturing a growing community of players and professionals. Over four days and two nights, DAU will offer around one hundred activities and expects to exceed 30,000 visitors, which would make it the most successful edition yet.

In 2025, the festival gains an extra day and spreads across 10,500 square metres, with nine themed gaming areas, specialised shops and food zones. Entry to all spaces and activities is free, although places for some sessions are limited.

Looking for new experiences? Explore the giant pavilion with 107 gaming tables, stop by the Fandom Zone to meet or get autographs from 25 renowned game designers, or test your skills in the Tournament Area.

Players, publishers and professionals from across Spain will be at the heart of a programme filled with family workshops, expert sessions, demonstrations, product launches and participatory activities that reveal the full creative universe of games.

New this year is DAU Tranquil, a space designed for highly sensitive players who prefer a calm environment, with a maximum capacity of fifty people and the presence of specialists in diversity and inclusion.

Other highlights include theLudoteca Expert, dedicated to complex games for experienced players, and the DEVIR 25th Anniversary Space, featuring activities, talks with creators and forty demonstration tables. Publishers Mercurio and Asmodee will also celebrate their anniversaries with special events and commemorative activities.

The festival also makes room for reflection with the DAU Professional Congress, the largest of its kind in Spain. This year’s edition welcomes Italy as guest country and brings together over 200 professionals from the gaming culture. The congress, built around three key areas — Talent, Industry and Academia — includes 15 talks and nine professional activities, reinforcing Barcelona’s status as a European hub for creative and playful innovation.

Around 3,000 students from 50 schools will enjoy two full days of activities as part of the Schools at DAU programme, which promotes board games as tools for learning, communication and inclusion.

The festival also honours creativity with the DAU Awards Night on Friday, 14 November, held at SAT! Teatre. Prizes will be awarded for Best Game Designer, Best New Designer, Best Artist, Best Contribution to Game Culture, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

And beyond Fabra i Coats, DAU in the Neighbourhoods brings eighteen playful activities to community centres across the city, making sure the festival spirit reaches everyone.

Open, inclusive and free, DAU Barcelona has become the unmissable gathering for game lovers and a key cultural event in the city. The festival promotes values such as inclusion, creativity, community and playfulness, seeing game culture as a tool for communication, coexistence, learning and intergenerational leisure.

DAU is supported by main sponsors DEVIR, Asmodee and Mercurio, with institutional backing from the Barcelona City Council, ACCIÓ and the Government of Catalonia, and hosted at Fabra i Coats.

For full details about DAU Barcelona, visit the festival’s official website.