Catalan election, several trails, and Eurovision Song Contest: what's on this weekend in Barcelona and Catalonia

From concerts to cultural festivals, events and nightlife, there are countless things to do in Barcelona and around Catalonia this weekend.

Here's a selection of some of the best plans and what's on this weekend.

Catalan election | May 12 | Parliamentary vote | Catalonia

Over 5 million Catalans will vote on Sunday to elect the next parliament and, therefore, the next Catalan president in a vote that will leave many doors open. Polls suggest the Socialists will win big, but will fall short of a majority and will need other parties to rule. However, the pro-independence parties, depending on which poll, do not add up enough seats to join forces and continue ruling the territory. On Sunday, Catalan News will bring you all the information from turnout, to the first results and the exit polls. Stay tuned!

Petit Mercat de Mercats | May 10 - 11 | Food fair | Mercat de Sant Antoni market

The market includes talks, showcase cooking with renowned chefs, children’s entertainment, live music and tapas made with market produce. This is a reduced version of the Market of Markets, the main goal being to promote quality local food and highlight the culinary diversity in our part of the world. For two days you can enjoy gastronomy and children’s workshops, hearty cooked breakfasts, live music, children’s activities and barbecue areas for tasting market produce onsite.

Sant Ponç fair in Raval | May 11 | Traditional fair | Carrer de l'Hospital and Plaça de Sant Agustí square, Barcelona

The fair will have 50 stalls along C/ Hospital, offering products such as honey, candied fruit, jams and herbal medicines. The fair also features various activities based around honey. There’s a stall in Plaça Sant Augustí throughout the day, organised by the Barcelona Beekepers’ Association, displaying the main varieties of honey from here and bee-keeping materials. There’s also a workshop for young children about extracting honey, to be held at 12 noon and at 5 pm.

BCN en las Alturas | May 10 - 12 | Fair | Bellesguard

BCN en las Alturas is a "unique" event where attendees get to enjoy architect Antoni Gaudí's magical architecture while tasting some innovation in gastronomy and buying some clothes. It will all be accompanied with several musical performances during the weekend.

Miquel Guarro dessert | Until June 2 | Pop-up | Barcelona Mandarin Oriental hotel

Pastry baker Miquel Guarro presents his innovative cakes collection in an exclusive pop-up at Barcelona's Mandarin Oriental hotel until June 2. Guarro will offer his sweet creativity in what is his first solo-project after working on emblematic restaurants such as Dos Cielos or Hofmann.

Midnight Trail Barcelona | May 10 | Trail | Tibidabo amusement park

A 15 km night-time mountain race through the Collserola Natural Park. It starts and finishes at the Tibidabo amusement park. 80% of the route is along wide track, 15% on asphalt and 5% on walking trails. The technical level is easy. This is a unique opportunity to discover the Collserola park at night and to enjoy in a highly original way the fantastic views you get of the city from Tibidabo.

Ameba Park Fest | May 11 | Electronic music festival | Parc de l'Estació del Nord area

A ten-hour outdoor event with free admission and a 100% local programme from 12 noon to 10 pm. This is an occasion for electronic music, gastronomy and children’s workshop for families to enjoy together, as well as a workshop on making electronic music with synthesizers, a graffiti workshop to discover urban art and some face-painting.

35th Gràcia - Montserrat Walk | May 11 - 12 | Endurance walk | Plaça de la Vila, Gràcia

A new distance of 26 km, the first Gràcia-El Papiol walk, will be launched this year. The Gràcia – Montserrat Walk is a 63 km long endurance hike in the mountains that links Vila de Gràcia and Montserrat. The goal is to complete the route in a maximum of 19 hours. Departure from Plaça de la Vila: Saturday 11 May, at 3 pm. Arrival at Plaça del Monestir in Montserrat: Sunday 12 May, at 10 am. Itinerary: Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia, Can Cuiàs, Can Capmany, El Papiol, Ca n'Oliveró, Ullastrell, Coll d'Olesa, Aeri de Montserrat and Montserrat.

Rec.0 | Until May 11 | Market | Rec neighborhood, Igualada

The Rec.0 fashion festival in central Catalonia's Igualada started its 26th edition this Wednesday with approximately 100 fashion brands spread across the Rec district. 

The slogan of this edition is 'The perfect excuse', claiming to be a "unique opportunity" to "buy clothes directly from the designers themselves and exchange opinions with the people in charge of the brands," director of the festival's communication, Clara López, told the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

According to the 2023 data from the Catalan Fashion Cluster, e-commerce accounts for 21.9% of the total sale of fashion products.

DocsBarcelona | May 2-12 | Documentary Film Festival | Various cinemas throughout the city

DocsBarcelona reaches its 27th edition with the most vibrant, authentic and committed proposals of the last year. The colonial gaze, memory and dignity; artificial intelligence, and the different forms and expressions of love are some of the thematic axes of this edition, which will also bring to Barcelona great masters of documentary, such as filmmakers Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret. 

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | May 11 | Music event | Casa SEAT

Enjoy the broadcast of the contest with the dancer and drag queen Clover Bish. It will be a night full of emotions with Clover Bish and her shows and games that will surely make you get up and dance and have an unforgettable time. During the event there will be a special menu of food and drink available at the restaurant.

Circ d'Ara Mateix | April 27 – May 11 | Contemporary circus | Montjuïc, Barcelona 

The Circ d'Ara Mateix is offering a cycle from April 27 until May 11. They combine desire and pleasure with the diversity of contemporary art. Local artists with international influences offer unique new circus languages and perspectives that engage in a dialogue with the audience. 

Festival Enfocats | April 25 – May 16 | Environmental festival | Cetre Cívic Pati Llimona, Barcelona 

The 14th Festival Enfocats focuses on the environmental crisis. There will be exhibitions, talks, workshops, screenings and activities in the Pati Llimona community center, in the gothic quarters of Barcelona.  

The program runs until May 16, but the exhibitions will stay open until June 15.

Suu, Stay Homas and Els Amics de les Arts concerts | Until May 26 | Local festivities | Badalona

The Festes de Maig are the biggest event of the year in Badalona, just north of Barcelona, during the month of May different events and activities are scheduled, where the "Cremada del Dimoni" is the most anticipated moment for all citizens where a falla planted in the beach after a pyromusical festival. There will also be concerts by Catalan artists such as Suu, Stay Homas, and Els Amics de les Arts. 

On Saturday at 10 pm, there will be a drone and fireworks display show visible from the Pescadors beach in Badalona.

Bubble Planet | April 19 – August 31 | Immersive experience | Espai Immersa, La Plata quarter, Barcelona 

Bubble is an immersive experience where visitors will be surrounded by bubbles. The experience includes virtual reality technology, 11 themed rooms, fantastical landscapes and a hot air balloon flight simulator.  

With oversized bubbles, balloons, soap and more, visitors will have the opportunity to see the worlds in a different way in this bubbly universe. 

Suzanne Valadon. A modern epic | April 19-September 1 | Exhibition | MNAC, Barcelona 

Catalonia's National Art Museum (MNAC) is presenting French painter Suzanna Valadon's work and story for the first time in Spain. Starting on April 19 until September 1 visitors can see the exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou-Metz and the Musée d'Arts de Nantes. The exhibition features a total of 109 works by Valadon and painters close to her, around 30 of which are exclusive to the Barcelona show. 

Cirque du Soleil's Alegria | Circus show | March 20 – May 19 | Hospitalet de Llobregat 

Cirque du Soleil, the world's largest producer of contemporary circus, has returned to Barcelona with its acclaimed show 'Alegria', following its previous successes in the city over a decade ago. After a makeover to attract new audiences while maintaining the essence of the original production, the two hours long show 'Alegria will premiere in Barcelona on March 21 and run for 80 performances until May 19. 'Alegria' premiered globally 30 years ago and has captivated more than 14 million viewers during its original 19-year tour.

Suburbia. Building the American Dream | Exhibition | March 20 – September 8 | CCCB (Barcelona) 

The museum CCCB in Barcelona presents the exhibition "Suburbia. Building the American Dream". It explores the cultural history of the American Dream by inviting visitors into the imaginary of the idyllic family home and analyses the model's controversies, such as the social, ethnic and gender segregation. Another part of the exhibition shows how the idea of the American Dream impacted Catalonia. The exhibition will run until September 8. 

Tim Burton's Labyrinth | Immersive exhibition | March 8 - June 16 | Barcelona

A new immersive exhibition into the mind of legendary American filmmaker Tim Burton has just landed in Barcelona. Famous for films such as Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton's creative universe will be on display at the Palau de Victòria Eugènia in Montjuïc from March 8. The immersive experience consists of an hour-long labyrinth-like route that allows visitors to choose their own path through themed rooms filled with lights, music, projections, sculptures and meticulous details that bring Burton's cinematic gems to life. 

From the Border | Exhibition | March 13 - June 24 | Barcelona

As the world watches wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and with other less-reported but equally deadly conflicts in places like Myanmar and Sudan, borders have become more relevant than ever. A new exhibition, 'From the Border', which opens today at Barcelona's CaixaForum, explores the complexities of borders. The show features eight contemporary artworks that aim to demonstrate that we live in a world with more borders than ever: some physical, others invisible through politics, technology, or social discourse.

BarnaSants 2024 | Music Festival | January 26 - May 19 | Across Catalonia

Barnasants 2024, Barcelona's international singer-songwriter festival, will take place from January 26 to May 19. Since its creation in 1996, the festival has become the most important event of the genre. Featuring established icons and emerging talents alike, Barnasants invites you to experience the essence of singer-songwriter magic in various locations throughout Catalonia.

The Lost Mirror - Jews and "Conversos" in the Middle Ages | Exhibition | February 23 – May 26 | MNAC (Barcelona) 

A look at the relationship between Christians, Jews, and converts in the Middle Ages. The construction of identity, the definition of otherness, intolerance, and the power of images are the central themes. The exhibition portrays the view that Christians had of Jews and converts between 1285 and 1492 through almost seventy works of art.  

Revered and Feared: Feminine Power in Art and Beliefs | Exhibition | February 21 – June 16 | CaixaForum (Barcelona) 

Through sculptures, sacred objects, and works from all the world's continents, the exhibition takes museumgoers on a 5,000-year journey through different cultural expressions of female spiritual power around the world. The exhibition invites the visitor to reflect on the stereotypes of feminine power and femininity through more than 150 pieces, including the iconic figure of the ancient Egyptian deity Sekhmet, as well as works by Marina Abramović, Anna Mendieta, and Niki de Saint Phalle. 

Tàpies Year | Until December 2024 | Exhibition | Antoni Tàpies Foundation, Barcelona 

The Antoni Tàpies Foundation kicked off its Tàpies Year on December 13, marking the centenary of the celebrated Catalan artist's birth. Two new exhibitions opened at the museum in Barcelona. 'Tàpies: The Zen Imprint,' curated by Núria Homs, looks at how the artist incorporated Zen Buddhism into his work, while 'A=A, B=B,' curated by Pep Vidal, is based on a book of lectures on science and philosophy, 'A New Vision of the World,' that provided inspiration for many of Tàpies' works.

'Dinosaurs of Patagonia' | October 26 - June 2, 2024 | Exhibition | CosmoCaixa Science museum

From the gigantic 38-meter-long Patagotitan mayorum to the diminutive Manidens condorensis weighing just 1kg, dinosaurs from Patagonia have descended on Barcelona's CosmoCaixa science museum. 

Running until June 2, 2024, 'Dinosaurs of Patagonia' is a journey back in time from the Mesozoic Era to modern-day Patagonia in South America.  The star of the show is the 38-meter-long reproduction of the Patagotitan mayorum, the largest dinosaur known. Visitors will be able to walk between the dinosaur's legs and imagine what it would have been like to witness this giant reptile up close, one that could weigh up to 77 tonnes, equal to 14 African elephants. 

The remains of this titanosaur were found just 11 years ago in the Argentine province of Chubut, one of the most significant paleontological discoveries made in Patagonia this century.