Christmas 2018
Barcelona hosts more than a thousand activities for everyone during the festive season.
Christmas lights and Lord Winter
On 22 November, the Christmas lights will be officially lit at an event in Carrer Guipúzcoa, with a show by the Efímer company presenting Mr Winter and the Great Book of Small Things, the motifs of this year’s Christmas festivities. Mr Winter is a giant puppet who, always accompanied by an artifact in the form of a book, will be responsible for lighting the streets to illuminate the city’s Christmas activities.
The City of Smiles in Plaça Catalunya
Plaça Catalunya, as it is customary, will be filled with recreational and scenic activities, transforming it into the City of Smiles. Mr. Winter will once again be the protagonist, and the star of a show that will be repeated throughout the day. Also on offer will be activities including games, workshops, sports, music, theatre, and plenty more besides. Finally, the Boulevard of Memories will take you on a journey through time to past Christmas celebrations.
Obviously, as is tradition, in Plaça Catalunya on 2, 3 and 4 January, the youngest members of the family will be able to visit the pages Estel and Omar who will personally deliver their letters listing wished for presents to Kings Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar.
Barcelona’s central square will also host, for the fourth consecutive year, the Fair of Responsible Consumption and the Social and Solidarity Economy. The objective, as always, is to raise awareness of the existence of products, services and activities of companies and entities that promote and enable responsible local consumption.
New Year's Eve in Barcelona
This year, the city’s official celebrations will be in the hands of the French company Groupe F, whose multimedia show will be based on the local tradition of eating 12 grapes coinciding with the 12 chimes of the clock at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Through contemporary choreographies they will create a magnificent and delicate environment that is deeply emotional and expressive of a collective celebration.
The Three Kings cavalcade
Barcelona boasts of having the biggest Three Kings Parade in the world. This year, the person in charge of heading the parade will be Mr Winter with the Great Book of Small Things, together with four other puppets.
Make sure you don’t miss all the floats, followers and emblematic characters of the most magical night of the year: Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar, the royal pages and, when it’s time for children to go to sleep, toys for the good kids and coal for the not so good, among other surprises.
And there’s plenty!
The Santa Llúcia Christmas fair will be open from 30 November to 23 December with stalls and activities for children and adults, including a giant log figure.
From 2 to 4 January there will also be royal messengers on board the Santa Eulàlia packet boat to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get their letters on time to the Kings of Orient.
In addition to these core activities, there will be many more in all of the districts of the city. One of the main distinguishing features of this year's Christmas campaign is the impulse given to the neighbourhoods, with large-scale activities taking place in all the districts of the city.
Additional information on Christmas in Barcelona is available on the City Council website.