Some say that the carnival dates back thousands of years, to the Saturnalian festivities of the Roman Empire. Whatever the origin, if anything has characterized this party, the king ceases to be king and the commoner can be whoever he wants. That is why the power has always tried to eliminate it, as it was in the case of Franco’s regime in Spain, or the most paradigmatic case, the prohibition of the famous Carnival of Venice when the city was invaded by Napoleon.
If anything distinguishes the Barcelona Carnival is the enormous participation that accompanies it. We Barcelonians love to get involved with this party and the amount of activities, traditions, rúas or parades that are organized is incredible.
If you do not want to miss anything of this week, fun and extravagant, here we tell you everything you need to know to keep abreast of all the activities that are scheduled.
When is Carnival 2025 in Barcelona?
If you are one of those who are already wondering what day is Carnival this 2024, we tell you the most important dates. As you know, the dates vary every year, as they depend on the lunar calendar. Carnval starts seven weeks after the first full moon of winter, so this year it will start slightly later than last year.
As every year, the celebration will kick off on Maundy Thursday -the last Thursday before the beginning of Lent- which this year will be from February 27 to March 5, the famous Ash Wednesday and the day when the sardine is buried.
Dijous Gras and Arribo de Carnaval: dates and route
For a few days Barcelona will become monarchic, because the government of the city will pass into the hands of the Kings of Carnival – King Carnestoltes and Queen Belluga – kings of the madmen and the tarambanas, of fun and disobedience. To welcome the Carnival, this year the parade will be in Sants, the neighborhood that will welcome the party in Barcelona.
This year the Carnival has an unprecedented mission: a festive conquest on a cosmic scale. A traveling street show, with great visual components, designed for all audiences, where irreverence, humor and debauchery will be the protagonists of this stratospheric journey that wants to be a critique of “the airs of repression that shake the planet threaten the party, culture and freedom of expression”.
On Thursday, February 27 (Dijous Gras), the Arrival of Barcelona will start from 17.15 h with a tabalada in the Plaza de Bonet i Muixí de Sants, and the arrival of King Carnestoltes Elon Muska Collonera at 17.45 h, in the auditorium of the Cotxeres de Sants. Then, at 6.20 p.m. the Belluga Queen will appear and at 6.30 p.m. the traveling show will start.
La Taronjada, the orange fight that inaugurates the Carnival
As every year, the Arrival of Carnival will close with the Taronjada, the fight of oranges (well, of confetti and orange balloons) that emulates the battle of oranges of 1333 banned by the Consell de Cent, will also be held.
This year it will be at 19h. at the Seu del Dsitricte de Sants, just after the appearance of Queen Belluga.
Timetable of the Arrival and the Taronjada
17.45 h, inside the auditorium of the Cotxeres de Sants, will begin the act of the Arribo with the show of the company Robert Gobern, who will present his king Carnestoltes, Elon Muska Collonera.
18:20 h, Queen Belluga will arrive at the Cotxeres de Sants.
18:30 h, will begin the traveling show of the Arrival with Queen Belluga and her float through the streets of Sants. Route: Carrer de la Creu Coberta, Passeig de Sant Antoni, Plaça de Joan Peiró, Passeig de Sant Antoni, Carrer de la Creu Coberta and end at the Sants-Montjuïc District Headquarters.
19:00 h, the event will close with the traditional Taronjada, in front of the District Headquarters of Sants-Montjuïc.
Everything you need to know about the neighborhood Carnival parades: times, dates and route.
As every year, this Carnival 2025 will be held the neighborhood Carnival rúas, where neighborhood associations, schools and popular culture groups from many neighborhoods of the city will organize their own parades, Carnestoltes arrivals or burials of the Sardine. Because, where better than in our own neighborhoods to set up this racket?
We tell you the dates, times and routes of all the neighborhood Carnivals in Barcelona.
Ash Wednesday: Farewell to Carnival with the Burial of the Sardine
Ash Wednesday is, perhaps, the saddest day of this festivity. According to Christian tradition, Lent begins, a time full of sacrifices where there is no more room for madness and carnival debauchery.
The city will say goodbye to the Kings of Carnival and the traditional Burial of the Sardine will take place. During this day associations and entities of the districts will organize events such as popular meals, burning of the sardine and neighborhood parties to say goodbye to this colorful and frenetic week, putting the finishing touch to the celebration one more year.
If you do not want to miss anything of this crazy party, you can check the detailed program on the website of the City Council.
A masked ball in Poble Espanyol
The plans to celebrate Carnival in Barcelona do not stop appearing, and among them we find the proposal of Poble Espanyol, which for this Carnival brings its third edition of the Mascarada party. This is their particular updated version of the classic masked balls like the one in Venice. Details are yet to be confirmed but, as every year, it will be spectacular.7
The Merengue War of Vilanova i la Geltrú.
The coastal towns have always been more festive and perhaps that is why Vilanova celebrates one of the most historically important carnivals of Catalonia, which includes what is perhaps the most fun party of all, the Meringue War. We explain it all in this article.
Sitges Carnival: everything you need to know about the best Carnival in Catalonia.
The Sitges Carnival is, without a doubt, the queen of Carnival in Catalonia. Faced with the centrality of the Barcelona Carnival, the Sitges Carnival claims to be one of the most festive and fun in the country. Perhaps because of its marine spirit, perhaps because of the city’s love of fun… There is no clear reason, but what is certain is that the costume party in the town of the Garraf is one of the most entertaining.
One of the graces of this coastal carnival is that its festivities are extended, and where in most cities the big days (and nights) are celebrated on the weekend, in Sitges the big celebration comes just two days before Ash Wednesday, as if the Sitgetans were looking to squeeze the last hours before the end of the disbauxa.
In this article we’ve explained everything you need to know about the Sitges Carnival: its schedules, its main activities and its most important rúas, so that you don’t miss out on any of the fun.
Butifarra d’ou, coca de llardons, cod… Gastronomy and typical dishes to eat during Carnival in Catalonia.
One of the strong points of Carnival in Barcelona is its peculiar gastronomic tradition. Are you familiar with the saying Per dijous gras, butifarra menjaràs? This refers to Dijous Gras or Dijous Llarder, a day when some of our culture’s favorite dishes are celebrated with friends and family: tortilla, coca de llardons and butifarra d’ou.
The origin of this day dates back to when the Christian tradition dictated abstinence from certain foods during Lent, such as meat or eggs. Thus, Dijous Gras became the day where to eat them without restrictions and appeared, among others, the butifarra d’ou, that famous yellowish sausage.
But as we said, it is not the only one: coca de llardons (made, literally, with pork rashers), tortilla (where eggs symbolize the same abundance as the butifarra), buñuelos ( another Lent classic) or cod (typical, this time, of Easter, where it was considered a cheap food that replaced meat in time of abstinence) are some of the other dishes that are worth to be eaten.