Barcelona woke up today to an uninvited guest: storm Nils. What was supposed to be a day of costumes, color, and tradition for the start of Carnival and the Santa Eulàlia festivities has turned into a morning of lowered blinds and extreme precautions. The wind, blowing with unusual force, has forced the City Council to raise the Municipal Action Plan to the emergency phase, which has meant the definitive cancellation of the events planned for Thursday.
The highlight of the day , L’Arribo del Rey Carnestoltes, which this year had its headquarters in the Sants neighborhood, has been suspended. Although the start was planned to take place indoors at the Cotxeres, the subsequent parade and the eagerly awaited Taronjada in the Parc de l’Espanya Industrial were unfeasible with the current gusts of wind. As they are located in a park, and given the preventive closure of all the city’s gardens to avoid accidents caused by falling branches, safety has taken precedence over the festivities.
There will also be no Laies procession. The traditional parade of giant figures through the Gothic Quarter, which this year coincided with the start of Carnival, will remain in storage. The joint tribute to the Taronjada, which was to bring both festivities together in the Plaça de Sant Jaume in the late afternoon, has also been dropped from the program due to the risk posed by temporary structures and street furniture in winds that are already reaching 100 km/h in some parts of the coast.
A city running at half speed as a precaution
The situation is no laughing matter. Storm Nils has put Catalonia on high alert, with experts already describing it as one of the most intense wind storms in the last two decades. Beyond the festivities, the city has seen the Bicing bike-sharing service suspended to prevent accidents and sections of major roads such as the Ronda Litoral closed due to fallen trees.
Even public transportation and healthcare have been disrupted: Renfe has had to close stationssuch as Premià de Mar due to the risk of debris falling from the canopies, and all non-urgent medical appointments have been canceled. While Civil Protection maintains the Ventcat plan in place and Barcelona residents’ cell phones continue to receive precautionary alerts, the recommendation is clear: avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from cornices, walls, and wooded areas. Carnival will have to wait until Nils decides to move on.
When will normality return to the streets?
Despite Thursday’s sudden halt, the City Council and CECOR are confident that the storm will subside enough to resume most activities starting tomorrow, Friday. The forecast indicates that the wind will lose strength during the early morning hours, allowing schools to reopen and the Santa Eulàlia festival calendar to return to its usual pace over the weekend.
However, residents are advised to follow official channels, as the reopening of public parks will depend on a prior technical inspection to ensure that there is no danger of falling branches after the storm has passed.