Passeig de Gràcia will host a grand switching on ceremony, organised by Brava Arts under the direction of Pep Anton Gómez. In addition to aerial dancing, there’s a light installation and music, a ceremony and a forty-strong choir with voices from all the city’s districts to sing the Christmas carol Un cor que batega.

Christmas lights in the city

The city has a total of 126 kilometres of festive lights this year, connecting neighbourhoods, commerce and heritage. The five signature designs stand out, promoted jointly with the ADI-FAD, Industrial Design Association.

• Plaça de Catalunya: ARTEC
• Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes: A. P.  O.
• Aragó: SMLXL + MA-MA
• Via Laietana: Esther Pujol and Marta Cerdà
• Passeig de Sant Joan: Brosmind

Different themed routes are being proposed based around the designs and can be found on the Christmas website.

Plaça Sant Jaume will be the scene for a light intervention in conjunction with the Government of Catalonia, with projections on the façades of both buildings.

From 22 November to 5 January, the show ‘Simfonia d’estels’ will be projected by the Xavi Bobé Estudio, uniting architecture, the sky and tradition in a subtle choreography brimming with sensitivity, with no sounds or words.

The show will be on from Mondays to Thursday, from 6.30 pm to 10 pm, and Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays, from 6.30 pm to 11 pm.

There’s also a large Christmas tree in Plaça Sant Jaume, 15 metres tall, installed by Mercabarna and decorated by the floral designer Michaela Schmidt.

Barcelona Christmas Festival

Plaça de Catalunya fills with an intense programme of street arts from 20 to 30 December, with twenty theatre companies. The programme will include family activities in the mornings, circus and dance in the afternoons, music in the evenings and spectacular sessions at night, with music and theatre from the Cors de Teatre.

Nativity scene

The association of nativity scene builders will be installing a traditional nativity scene in the reception yard of the City Hall from 13 December, representing Catalan mountain landscapes. The Reial Monestir de Pedralbes will also have its traditional scene with dioramas.

Sons de Ciutat

Music again unites culture and commerce with a new edition of Sons de Ciutat, with 45 concerts in squares, markets and shopping hubs all around the city from 12 December to 4 January. The initiative is a showcase for local musical talent with different styles ranging from jazz to opera, folk and pop.

The Christmas concert by the Orfeó Català is changing dates and will be on 29 December in Pla de la Seu, in front of the cathedral.

Fairs

The Christmas programme is completed with fairs that form part of the city’s tradition. The 11^th Responsible Consumption and Social and Solidarity Economy Fair is on in Plaça de Catalunya from 19 to 30 December, with sixty companies and organisations taking part. The dates for the traditional fairs are:

• Fira de Sant Llúcia, 28 November to 23 December
• Fira de Nadal de la Sagrada Família, 22 November to 23 December
• Fira de Reis, 18 December to 6 January

New Year’s Eve

Av. Reina Maria Cristina provides the scene to see out 2025, with a show directed by Marc Parrot with Group F, featuring music, drones, audiovisual technology and fireworks. Naturally, there’s a special display from the Magic Fountain in Montjuïc too.

Parade

The city’s Christmas programme concludes with the traditional Three Kings Parade to welcome Their Majesties on 5 January, at 6 pm. The route ends up at the Magic Fountain, with new scenic aspects in store this year.

Campaign

Choirs are at the centre of the municipal campaign this Christmas, directed by Soon in Tokyo. The Christmas carol Un cor que batega was created by Esteban Navarro i Irieix and also appears in the ad, with a forty-strong choir made up of voices of people from all of the city’s districts. The music goes from individual to collective to reach the whole city, demonstrating the Christmas spirit.