Beer celebrations back in Barcelona this month

Beer lovers in Barcelona are in luck because two of the city's biggest beer events are back this October: Oktoberfest returns this Wednesday, while the Barcelona Beer Festival kicks off on October 14.

Oktoberfest Barcelona

It’s Oktoberfest time of the year again, complete with German beers, Bavarian costumes and traditional songs. 

The festival starts on Wednesday, October 5 and continues until October 16 at the Fira Montjuïc convention center. 

To start on the right tone, Wednesday night includes an opening ceremony and a Bavarian costume contest. The ceremony begins with the opening of the barrel, a ritual that will officially kick off the ninth edition. To participate in the costume contest, just show up in your best Lederhosen or Dirndl and take the stage.

The rest of the festival days are filled with live music and DJs, traditional gastronomy and the German Paulaner beer, of course. 

There is limited capacity so tables must be reserved online. 

Barcelona Beer Festival

If lederhosen and German music aren’t your style, there’s also the Barcelona Beer Festival later this month. La Farga de L’Hospitalet becomes the beer center of the city for three days starting on October 14.

The festival is one of southern Europe’s biggest meeting points for craft beer amateurs and professionals. In addition to beer tasting, the weekend will be packed with different kinds of activities such as show-cooking, gastronomical pairings and meetings with brewery masters.

Some highlights are a craft beer tour around the city with Gerard Mir from Ex Nihilo Brewing, a presentation about the science of sour ale brewing and an online tasting for the long distance beer enthusiasts. 

All activities are listed on the Barcelona Beer Festival website, where tickets can also be purchased for €9.75 a day or €14.45 for the whole weekend.