Report by: Germana Autore Approximately 51 days after Xmas, 14 days before of the end of the shortest month of the year and a bit more than 4 months before of the Summer Solstice.. There is this day in the calendar known for many as the day of love: Valentine’s day! Originating as the… Read More


Every September 24th and during a whole week, Barcelona celebrates its “Festa Major” – Barcelona’s festival of festivals, a celebration which goes back more than two-hundred years. La Mercè captures the character of the city itself, and transforms Barcelona into a grand stage bursting with fantasy and imagination. Over 600 activities and shows go on… Read More


Festes de Gràcia in the street

When you visit Barcelona, undoubtedly that a good way to enrich your stay is to spend a morning, an afternoon or, even better, an evening walking around the picturesque neighbourhood of Gràcia. But if you are in the city between the 14th and the 21st of August, you have to come over and enjoy its… Read More


Smoke and sparkles fill the streets during a Correfoc

Dancing to fire makes you feel you are in an ancestral atmosphere. It is often a representation Good vs Evil, people dress as demons and dance to the sound of drums, which increases the ancestral feeling to it. These fire celebrations are often a mixture of Christian and pagan traditions. In fact, when Christianity arrived… Read More


Hi, I’m Sa Majestat el Rei Carnestoltes (His Majesty the King Carnival) and I am addicted to fun, madness and love breaking conventional social rules. I heard rumors about a woman who doesn’t agree with my lifestyle. She is La Vella Quaresma (the Old Lady Lent). She will be here in seven days, so let’s make… Read More


February 12th marks the feast day of Santa Eulàlia and the beginning of the city’s winter festival. But who is Santa Eulàlia, besides the co-patron saint of Barcelona? Her name means “the one who speaks well”. Born in 290 Eulàlia was a brave 13-year-old virgin, who preferred to suffer martyrdom at the hands of the Roman… Read More


Poster for 2013 Festes de la Merce

La Mercè is the Festa Major of Barcelona, when we celebrate the Saint’s Day of Our Lady of Mercy, La Mare de Déu de la Mercè. It has been an official city holiday since 1871, which first consisted of a Roman Catholic festivity commemorating St. Mercè on 24 September. The opening speech will be given… Read More