Whether you’re about to go on vacation or you’re already back, in August Barcelona does not sleep. The plans in the city (and around) are more alive than ever. And from Barcelona Secreta we have made a careful selection, so that your only concern is to decide whether you feel like a quiet plan or a party plan, a beach or a mountain plan, a gastronomic or a musical one… Or quite a few! So now you know, browse through this list and discover the most refreshing activities of the summer.
Table Of Contents
- Festa Major de Gràcia, Barcelona's most emblematic festival
- Candlelight Open Air, the summer concerts between candles
- The perfect cultural getaway with White Summer
- Sorolla: a new dimension, the master of light in immersive format.
- Fiesta Mayor de Sants, the other big summer festival
- Brunch Electronik Festival, 3 days of non-stop partying
- Bubble Planet, a bubbly experience
- Open-Air Rooftop Cinema, the most luxurious cinema in the fresh air
- Dalí Challenge, the museum 4.0
- The Postal Service + Death Cab for Cutie: a concert for 2000s nostalgics
- America's Cup Experience, the prelude to the competition of the year.
- CosmoNits of CosmoCaixa
- Interior Berlanga, the most complete exhibition on the great filmmaker.
- The most unique houses in Barcelona
- A unique sensory experience with Symphony
- The swimming pools of Barcelona
- A stroll through the Labyrinth Park of Horta
- Blues, rock, pop or rumba in Poble Espanyol
- Short film sessions at Mecal Air
- Magic hour at Pedralbes Monastery.
- The best water parks
- Mini getaway: the beaches of the Costa Brava
- The best restaurants on the Costa Brava
- Banksy Museum, more than 130 works of Street Art
- August piano in a jewel of modernism
- Born de Nit night tours and itineraries
- Mar d'Estiu Festival
- The best views of the city from one of its viewpoints.
- The magical nights of Casa Batlló
- Barçaland Summer, the culer's paradise
Festa Major de Gràcia, Barcelona’s most emblematic festival
The festivities of Gràcia are, without a doubt, one of the great cultural events of the city. We could say that after La Mercè it is the most important in terms of festive theme. The program of concerts and activities for all ages is almost always interesting. So is the ritual of decorating the streets around a specific theme: a country, an animal, a holiday …. Neighbors get together to prepare the decorations, build large floating structures and, in short, collaborate in a friendly way to bring to light a common project always made with great care.
🗓️ From August 15 to 21
📍 Gràcia Neighborhood
Candlelight Open Air, the summer concerts between candles
Candlelight Open Air is the summer spin-off of the mythical Candlelight concerts. A great way to (re)discover bands and artists in a unique format and on two stages that are authentic architectural wonders of Barcelona.
These are the Candlelight Open Air in August:
- Candlelight Open Air: Hans Zimmer Tribute (August 3).
- Candlelight Open Air: Coldplay vs Imagine Dragons (August 10)
- Candlelight Open Air: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (August 17)
- Candlelight Open Air: Tribute to Ludovico (August 24)
- Candlelight Open Air: Tribute to Coldplay (August 31)
🗓️ Every Saturday in August
📍 Gardens of the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau and patio of the Colegio Maristas La Inmaculada.
💸 From 17€.The perfect cultural getaway with White Summer
Crafts, theater, performance, games for the little ones and live music. These are all art forms that White Summer explores from August 4 to 15 on the Costa Brava, specifically in Palamós. Carlos Ares, Vicco, Ladilla Rusa and Julieta are some of the artists who head the bill, along with many others who will accompany one of the most beautiful sunsets of the Catalan coast.
In addition, the most diversefoodtrucks will be on the site every day with options available for all palates: vegan, gluten-free and many international cuisine alternatives will have their space where attendees can recharge their batteries after touring the local craft market installed as a pop-up.
🗓️ From August 4 to 15.
📍 Palamós, Girona.
💸 Day tickets 10 € .
Sorolla: a new dimension, the master of light in immersive format.
The Centre d’Art Amatller hosts an exhibition dedicated to Joaquín Sorolla, a very complete exhibition where we can know in detail the life and work of the Valencian genius. Scenarios, reproductions of his works, virtual reality, immersive activities, 3D projections and, for the first time in Barcelona, some original paintings owned by private collectors.
If you are delaying the visit to this exhibition do not think twice: these are his last weeks in Barcelona to give way to other cities of the peninsula.
🗓️ All month
📍 Centre d’Art Amatller. Pg. de Gràcia 41
💸 F rom 9,50€.
Fiesta Mayor de Sants, the other big summer festival
The great rival of the mythical Festa Major de Gràcia, which takes over at the end of August. A week full of fun for all ages in one of the best connected neighborhoods of Barcelona.
There will be good concerts, the emblematic Castellers de Sants festival, the floral offering to Sant Bartomeu, the Correfoc and hundreds of activities for all tastes.
🗓️ From August 24 to September 1
📍 Sants neighborhood
Brunch Electronik Festival, 3 days of non-stop partying
Brunch Electronik is brunch in name only, as the party lasts until almost dawn… 3 days of DJ sessions, live bands and a variety offood trucks for all tastes, an experience for those who enjoy festivals like Sonar but want much more.
This year’s lineup includes big names such as Fatboy Slim, Junior Boys, John Talabot, Nightmares on Wax, Röyksopp, The Blaze and Soulwax, among others, who will perform at the Parc del Fòrum and Jardins Brossa… And brunch will continue every day at the Nitsa Club with an after party just for the most awake.
🗓️ August 9 to 11
📍 Various spaces
💸 Day tickets from 49€ / Season tickets from 102,90€.
Bubble Planet, a bubbly experience
Bubbles are for summer. Bubble Planet is an immersive experience with 11 themed rooms, virtual reality, a simulator and spaces where optical illusions will challenge your mind. In short, an hour and a half to have a great time regardless of age.
🗓️ All month long
📍 Espacio Inmersa (c/ Llull, 119, 08005 Barcelona – Access 1)
Open-Air Rooftop Cinema, the most luxurious cinema in the fresh air
The cinema a la fresca is a classic every summer. Once the municipal cycles such as the one at the Sala Montjuïc are over, we still have a luxurious opportunity to indulge our cinephilia outdoors: the sessions that El Palace holds on its rooftop.
This year’s selection includes feel good movies such as Grease or Notting Hill and undisputed classics such as Gilda or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. All of them will be shown with the Barcelona skyline in the background and on a comfortable lounger.
🗓️ All month long
📍 Hotel El Palace. Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 668
Dalí Challenge, the museum 4.0
Dalí Challenge is a new experience dedicated to Salvador Dalí, a 4.0 museum where we can interactively get to know and even enter his works. Ideal for all ages, it shows reproductions of 85 works of the master, has a recreation of his workshop in Portlligat and different interactive activities: augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D paintings.
All month long
Reail Cercle Artístic. Portal de l’Àngel
The Postal Service + Death Cab for Cutie: a concert for 2000s nostalgics
An unrepeatable concert, the celebration of the 20th anniversary of two great albums of the indie rock scene: Give Up and Transatlanticism, by the bands The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie, respectively. Both bands will join in this party for those who yearn for the beginning of the century and will be accompanied by equally mythical openers: The Kills, a band that has also been on stage for two decades.
🗓️ August 27th
📍Poble Espanyol. Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 13.
America’s Cup Experience, the prelude to the competition of the year.
In October the America’s Cup starts in Barcelona and, as a preview, we can visit its immersive exhibition to understand the importance of this sporting event, the oldest in the world still active.
In addition to a chronological tour of the event and space dedicated to each of the teams, America’s Cup Experience features a colorful documentary that gives new life to the mythical IMAX Port Vell as well as a racing simulator experience, through virtual reality.
Every day in August
Moll d’Espanya
💸 F rom 12€.
CosmoNits of CosmoCaixa
A different way to enjoy science: several days where young and old can discover outer space while attending workshops, concerts, lectures and other activities with a common scientific denominator.
Depending on the time, the activities are designed for families or adults, so there is no excuse to visit the Science Museum.
Various dates
Science Museum CosmoCaixa. c/ Isaac Newton, 26
💸 From 8€.
Interior Berlanga, the most complete exhibition on the great filmmaker.
After its passage through his hometown, Valencia, arrives in Barcelona an exhibition entirely dedicated to one of the greats of our cinema: Luis García Berlanga. A journey through his cinematographic work and his obsessions, which includes unpublished material: part of his personal archive, which has been digitized so that we can enter the mind of the brilliant filmmaker.
The exhibition, depending on the day, has guided tours and even a special activity that includes the tasting of a menu inspired by some of his most celebrated films, such as El Verdugo or Plácido.
All month long
CaixaForum. Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8
💸 6€
The most unique houses in Barcelona
Beyond Gaudí, Barcelona has architectural gems that are worth discovering. Thanks to the summer nights of Cases Singulars we can access them while enjoying live music, a drink and a stroll through the gardens.
Enjoy the modernism of the Amatller House Museum, feel like Sherlock Holmes in the Arús Library, observe the most original collections of the Rocamora House and surround yourself with the history of the Palau Savassona of the Ateneu Barcelonès.
Several days
Various spaces
💸 From 19,50€.
A unique sensory experience with Symphony
Symphony is the ideal plan for those somewhat reluctant to classical music. This immersive experience combines the compositions of Beethoven, Mahler and Bernstein with a projection through virtual reality glasses that introduces us into the prestigious Mahler Chamber Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, who interprets the themes. Thanks to the magic of the technique, more than just listening to the music, we will be able to live it, being a member of the orchestra.
Every day in August
CaixaForum. Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 6-8
💸 8€
The swimming pools of Barcelona
One of the best options to cope with the scorching heat is to cool off by taking a dip. And, as sometimes going to the beach is not an option, either because it is too far from home, you do not like the sand or you prefer to go to less crowded and quieter places, we propose an alternative: go to one of the 14 municipal swimming pools that the city has.
Several locations
A stroll through the Labyrinth Park of Horta
The parks are a great climatic refuge when the heat is hot, but if they also include a labyrinth they become a divertimento that makes us forget the high temperatures. The Horta Labyrinth extends its opening hours in the summer months (until 8 pm), so we have all day to visit it and let ourselves be seduced by its vegetation and its works of art and architecture. More than a park, a garden museum.
All month long
Passeig dels Castanyers, 1
💸 From 1,42€.
Blues, rock, pop or rumba in Poble Espanyol
Throughout the month of August, the picturesque Poble Espanyol offers different theme parties where music, a good mojito or a cool red wine and gastronomy come together to spend a most appetizing evening, either in the evening or dinner format.
This year, the program is as follows: on Wednesdays, we have an appointment with the best national blues in the Blues on the Rocks cycle; on Thursdays, we can enjoy tribute bands of historical bands (Metallica, Queen, AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers…) and a good barbecue in the cycle Mahou Rock & Grill; if we are more pop, on Fridays we will enjoy the best with the tardeo remember of The 90’s Queens’ Nights; and on Sundays, if we are into rumba, the appointment is with the tardeo of Fritanga!
Different days (according to activity)
Poble Espanyol. Av. de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, 13
💸 From 12€.
Short film sessions at Mecal Air
The short film festival Mecal has one more year a summer version, in which every Friday in August we can watch short films outdoors while we have dinner when night falls. These sessions are thematic, each night is dedicated to a genre or motif, so there will be short films for all tastes.
Every Friday of the summer, until September 13.
Can Framis Museum. C/ Roc Boronat, 116
💸 Free!
Magic hour at Pedralbes Monastery.
An ideal plan for architecture lovers: on Tuesday and Friday evenings , from 18:00 h. and until closing at 00:00 h. visitors can visit the cloister of the Pedralbes Monastery for free.
No reservations are required, but the adjoining rooms will not be open to the public, so if you want to see the exhibitions and adjoining rooms you can get your ticket at the monastery’s ticket office for another day of the week.
Tuesdays and Fridays in August
Baixada del Monestir, 9
💸 Free!
The best water parks
If you are one of those who have already googled “waterpark near me” or are already crazy typing waterpark or aquapark to find all the options, we make it easy for you. In our list you will find the best waterpark for you to enjoy this summer.
Several locations
Mini getaway: the beaches of the Costa Brava
We bring you the best beaches of the Costa Brava, not only because they are some of the most beautiful jewels of Catalonia, but because their waters are characterized by being clear, transparent and surrounded by the rocky landscapes and white sand that characterizes this area of Catalonia.
Several locations
The best restaurants on the Costa Brava
Previously, we made a route through our favorite farmhouses in the Empordà. Not too far from these havens of peace and harmony , today we want to tell you about restaurants located in this area that, for us, have become essential destinations. The Costa Brava is much more than just bathing on the beach, as this gastronomic selection shows, with options for all budgets.
Several locations
Banksy Museum, more than 130 works of Street Art
The Banksy Museum in Barcelona collects all those experiences of Banksy in the streets along reproductions of more than 130 works of the artist. It does so by creating a framework perfectly adapted to the street art environment. In it, the viewer walks through an urban scenography that will take him from city to city and from era to era to discover up close the emblematic and sometimes lesser-known works of this street artist.
🗓️ All month long
📍 c/Trafalgar 34
August piano in a jewel of modernism
This August we have five opportunities to enjoy piano recitals at the wonderful Palau de la Música with the August piano cycle. Five promising young pianists will demonstrate their talent performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Ravel, Granados, Bach or Chopin, among other famous composers of classical music.
🗓️ August 6th, 11th, 13th, 20th and 27th.
📍 Palau de la Música Catalana. C/ Palau de la Música, 4-6
💸 Individual tickets: 25€ / Season ticket for the whole cycle: 70€.
Born de Nit night tours and itineraries
Born de Nit is a different way to get to know this emblematic Barcelona neighborhood. Through itineraries and guided tours, you can discover different facets of the neighborhood: from the black chronicle to life in wartime, through slavery, the role of women throughout history or archeology. Undoubtedly, a very special and enriching way to live the hottest nights.
🗓️ All month long
📍 El Born neighborhood
4€ per activity
Mar d’Estiu Festival
Very close to Barcelona, in the Maresme towns of Santa Susanna and Pineda de Mar, Mar d’Estiu will be held, a festival that combines the music of national artists with a Village enclosure for small format performances, gastronomy and KM0 products.
In the 2024 edition we will be able to enjoy eclectic proposals such as Ojete Calor, Sergio Dalma, Sopa de Cabra, Malú or Rozalén, among many others.
🗓️ From August 3 to 18
📍 Espai La Llàntia (Santa Susanna)
💸 From 24€.
The best views of the city from one of its viewpoints.
Barcelona has several high points where you can enjoy a privileged view of our skyline. Colón or the Collserola Tower are two of these famous places, located on two opposite sides of the city, but in between there are other lesser-known viewpoints that offer you a different view of Barcelona.
📍 Several spaces
The magical nights of Casa Batlló
Casa Batlló is a modernist jewel of Antoni Gaudí that is worth a visit by itself, but in addition, in summer it fills its rooftop with good music when it gets dark. Jazz, Soul, R&B, Swing, Flamenco, Rumba, Rock? The offer of genres is varied and every night is different, but the enjoyment is always guaranteed. In addition to the performance, the ticket includes an hour’s visit to the building and a glass of champagne, so calling them ‘magical nights’ does not seem such an exaggeration.
🗓️ Every day in August
📍 Casa Batlló. Pg, de Gràcia, 43
💸 From 39€.
Barçaland Summer, the culer’s paradise
The league doesn’t return until August 19, so what can the most anxious soccer fans do? Well, for example, enjoy a family day out at Barçaland, an event located at the Spotify Camp Nou. Here, young and old alike will unleash their Barça-mania with the fan zone, children’s activities and an immersive visit to the Barça Museum. There is also the option of getting on the Barça Bus of their idols and even see in a privileged place the works of the new stadium and, if you feel like it, get the most tribune vein, doubting the date of completion of the works.
🗓️ Until August 18
📍 c/Trafalgar 34
💸 From 16€.