The eve of Sant Joan is here, bringing the midsummer celebrations with it. The City Council is organising a special safety and cleaning operation so that people can enjoy the different festivities and bonfires around the neighbourhoods. In terms of safety and the prevention of infections by Covid-19, people are recommended to celebrate with their family, in small groups, and stay local.

City Police and Barcelona Fire Service bolstered

The City Police will be stepping up its presence in places where celebrations are being held, in busy areas, at the beaches and the city centre, as well as keeping an eye on authorised fireworks sales points.

The corps will be controlling the volume of people at different locations to avoid build-ups of revellers and ensure compliance with the measures for Covid-19. Breathalyser and drug-driving checks will also be operated all around the city. Officers at the city’s beaches will be checking the coastline, the volume of people and activity at beach bars, which will be able to open until 3.30 am. The beaches will start being cleared at 6 am so that visitors and bathers can enjoy them from early morning onwards.

The Fire Prevention, Extinction and Rescue Service is running a special operation to tackle possible incidents which may be caused by fires or fireworks, as well as to respond to people’s needs throughout the night of 23 July.

In the days leading up to the celebrations the city’s firefighters have been inspecting premises selling fireworks and the 125 temporary stalls authorised to sell them, ensuring they comply with safety measures. Regulations on the conditions for street bonfires have also been updated.

• Large bonfires: no limits on the amount of wood to burn
• Small bonfires: limit of 250 kg of wood to burn
• Bonfires in burners: limit of 25 kg of wood to burn

An advance report from the Barcelona Fire Service is needed for a large bonfire. Five fires of this type will be able to go ahead this year, three in the district of L’Eixample and two in Sant Martí.

Cleaning at Barcelona’s beaches

To minimise the effects of the celebrations at Barcelona’s ten beaches, municipal cleaning services will be running a special operation at the beaches, starting at 6 am on 24 June with a total of 429 workers and 122 vehicles. These extra resources come in addition to the ordinary cleaning services along the coast, made up of 325 workers and 77 vehicles. On the eve of Sant Joan, 2,685 cardboard bins will be installed: 2,130 yellow bins for packaging, 555 bins for rubbish, 106 extra containers, 19 tubs for waste, 11 for packaging and 8 for the rest. This operation will mean the beaches should be ready for the first visitors and bathers around 10 am in the morning.

Barcelona City Council has started an awareness campaign for the midsummer celebrations on the eve of Sant Joan, encouraging people to be mindful of the state of the beaches and the importance of preserving this natural space.

Public transport to run all night

The metro system will be running all night, offering uninterrupted service from 5 am on Wednesday 23 June right through to midnight on 24 June.

As for buses, these will not stop at the bus-stops in Passeig de Joan de Borbó after 10.30 pm, while bonfires will also mean disruptions from 3 pm to 10 pm on the services V25, 62, V27 and V31.