Montjuïc was once again the setting for Barcelona’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. With nearly 500 drones, the show took place in Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina and offered a tribute to life and the value of marine resources.

The show reflected the wishful spirit of the New Year, a feeling expressed in the form of hope, of looking to the future and yearning for a better life. Fireworks, light and music symbolised the city’s collective imagination and the resolutions of its inhabitants, drawing on iconic images such as Barcelona’s flower-shaped panot tiles, the Barcelona skyline, the Eixample grid and the hallmarks of Modernisme. There were also references to the major milestones that will take place in 2024, such as the Tàpies Year and the America’s Cup. The show was, in fact, a tribute to Barcelona and its relationship with the sea, in a year when both the Catalan capital and the sea will be at the forefront of the world stage.

The show was performed by Groupe F, directed by Christophe Berthonneau, a pyrotechnics expert who has been using pyrotechnics together with dance, street art and special effects in his shows since he joined the company.

Timetable of the celebrations

The New Year’s Eve celebrations began before midnight with music and lights along Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina. A giant ball of light, 75 metres in the air, was the centrepiece of the festivities. The music started at 9 pm to set the mood, and the ball was lit at 11 pm.

From 11 pm to around 12.15 am, visitors were treated to a spectacular display of music, fireworks and as many as 470 illuminated drones that filled the night sky above Montjuïc at a height of 250 metres.

At midnight, the drones drew a grape cluster in the sky, with the twelve grapes to be eaten on the twelve strokes of midnight. After the quarter chimes, twelve dry, high-impact pyrotechnic blasts marked the twelve New Year’s chimes. In the early hours of 2024, technology, light and fire brought life to the Desig Barcelona show, a city celebration featuring pyrotechnics, light and music.

This year, due to the drought, the Montjuïc fountains were not included in the festivities.