Barcelona limits music festivals in Parc del Fòrum to 30 days a year

Barcelona will limit music festivals in Parc del Fòrum, the city's most iconic festival venue, to a total of 30 days per year starting in 2026, the city council announced on Monday. 

Of the 30 permitted nights, only 15 will be allowed to run past 11 pm, while the other 15 must end by that time.

Music festivals held on Fridays will now end at 1 am to allow for a quicker evacuation process before the metro closes at 2am and to minimize disruption to the surrounding neighborhood.

From 2026, the city council will also try to spread out the concerts, especially during the peak summer season, and avoid having the festivals on two consecutive weekends.

These are the main new restrictions in the city council's plan for 2026 to 2028, announced on Monday by Xavier Marcé, culture councillor, and David Escudé, Sant Martí councillor.

The new policy will also require festival licenses to be awarded through an open public bidding process, which the council believes will allow a "broader range of promoters" to apply to host events at the venue.

All applicants will be required to pay taxes to cover the additional cost of public services such as police and cleaning crews, as well as comply with mandatory measures that address acoustic impact, gender, safety, and sustainability.

However, Primavera Sound and Cruïlla, the two largest festivals hosted at Parc del Fòrum, will continue to operate under their current regulations until their existing contracts expire.

Once their contracts end in 2017, both festivals may need to participate in the public bidding process, although the city council has yet to decide on the specific requirements they will need to follow.

Of the 15 nights per year allowed to go beyond 11 pm, three are already taken by Primavera Sound and three by Cruïlla, leaving only 9 nights to be put out to public tender, which will be launched at the beginning of 2025.