The Corpus is one of the most traditional festivals of the city, and although it has an origin (and a name) that transpire religiosity, the truth is that by now it has become one of the most important samples of popular culture in Barcelona, a real living museum that, for a few days, takes us with its activities to the Barcelona of the past.
This year from June 19 to 22, during which you can see magical traditions such as l’ou com balla, other precious as floral carpets, exhibitions and, of course, ballades de gegants and processions through the center of the city.
We tell you all the details so you do not miss anything.
What is the Corpus of Barcelona?
The Corpus of Barcelona is a traditional and religious festival that is celebrated every year around the day of Corpus Christi, a feast of the Catholic liturgical calendar that takes place 60 days after Easter Sunday.
Although its origin is strictly religious -commemorating the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist-, in Barcelona this celebration has evolved over the centuries and has become one of the most emblematic festivities of Barcelona’s festive calendar, with deep-rooted cultural, civic and popular elements.
When is it?
From June 19 to 22 in different parts of Barcelona.
When to see the Ou com balla?
This year, l’ou com balla will be held in several venues from June 19 to 22. We leave you the complete list of spaces, dates and times where to see the ou com balla in Barcelona.
Ciutat Vella
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona City Hall | Pl. de Sant Jaume, 1 | 19-22/06 | From 10-20 h (19/06); 10-14 h and 16-19 h (20-21/06); 11-14 h (22/06) |
| Ateneu Barcelonès | C. de la Canuda, 6 | 19/06 | 11-20 h |
| Centre Cívic Can Deu | Pl. de la Concòrdia, 13 | 19/06 | 9-21 h |
| Arxiu de la Corona d’Aragó – Palau del Lloctinent | C. dels Comtes, 2 | 19-22/06 | 10-19 h |
| Arxiu Històric – Casa de l’Ardiaca | C. de Santa Llúcia, 1 | 19-22/06 | 10-20 h (19/06), 10-19:30 h (20-22/06) |
| Basilica of the Puríssima Concepció | C. Roger de Llúria, 70 | 19-22/06 | 8-13 h and 17-21 h |
| Capitania General | Pg. de Colom, 14 | 19-22/06 | 16-20 h (19-20/06), 10-14 h y 16-20 h (21-22/06) |
| Centre Cívic El Sortidor | Pl. del Sortidor, 12 | 19-22/06 | 8:30-22 h (19-20/06); 10-14 h and 16-21 h (21/06); 10-14 h (22/06) |
| The Cathedral | Pla de la Seu, s/n | 19-22/06 | 9:30-19 h (19/06); 10-19 h (20-22/06) |
| Frederic Marès Museum | Pl. de Sant Iu, 5 | 19-22/06 | 10-19 h (19-21/06); 11-20 h (22/06) |
| Maritime Museum of Barcelona | Av. de les Drassanes, s/n | 19-22/06 | 10-20 h |
| Oratory of Sant Felip Neri | C. del Sol, 8 | 19-22/06 | 11-13 h and 17-20 h |
| Sant Àngel Custodi Parish Church | C. de Vilardell, 50 | 19-22/06 | 9-21 h |
| Parish of Santa Maria del Taulat | C. de Pujades / Marià Aguiló | 19-22/06 | 10-13 h |
| Sant Camil Workshop | C. de Sales i Ferré, 60 | 19-22/06 | 10-17 h |
Gràcia
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Centre de Gràcia | C. de Ros de Olano, 9 | 19-22/06 | 10:30-13:30 h and 16:30-21 h |
| Espai Albert Musons | C. de l’Alzina, 9 | 19-22/06 | 10-14 h and 16:30-20:30 h |
| Carrer de la Llibertat | C. de la Llibertat | 22/06 | 10-18 h |
| Castellers de Barcelona | C. de Bilbao, 212 | 21/06 | from 11 a.m. |
Other neighborhoods
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jardins de Rubió i Lluch ( El Raval) | C. de l’Hospital, 56 | 19-22/06 | 8-21 h ( 19/06 ornamentation) |
| Reial Monestir de Pedralbes | Baixada del Monestir, 9 | 19-22/06 | 10-17 h (19-20/06); 10-19 h (21/06); 10-20 h (22/06) |
| Sagrera Tower | C. Berenguer Palou, 64-66 | 11-13/06 | 9:30-14 h and 16-21 h |
| Conciliar Seminary of Barcelona | C. Diputació, 231 | 18-20/06 | 15-20 h (18/06); 9-20 h (19-20/06) |
| Escolàpies Llúria | C. d’Aragó, 302 | 18-20/06 | 9:30-18 h |
| Parc de Sant Martí (Sant Martí) | Pl. d’Ignasi Juliol, s/n | 21/06 | 10-19 h |
| Basilica del Pi | Pl. del Pi | 22/06 | 10-20 h |
Floral carpets: when and where to see them
In addition to l’ou com balla, the other central tradition of Corpus are the floral carpets or catifes, which will decorate the streets with various motifs, including the logo of the 600th anniversary of the gegants in the catifa of the City Hall. Other institutions, such as the Casa dels Entremesos and the Museu Etnològic, will also participate with special designs.
The catifes florals are works of ephemeral art that are traditionally made with flower petals, whole flowers and herbs, although for several years now they have been experimenting with more materials, such as seeds, sawdust or coffee brown. They can represent very diverse motifs, but the most frequent are usually linked to the religiosity of Corpus Christi, in spring, local themes or simply represent geometric motifs.
Ciutat Vella
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona City Hall | Pl. de Sant Jaume, 1 | 19-22/06 | 10-20 h (19/06), 10-14 h and 16-19 h (20-21/06), 11-14 h (22/06) |
| Basilica del Pi | Pl. del Pi | 22/06 | 10-20 h |
| Rubió i Lluch Gardens | C. de l’Hospital, 56 | 19-22/06 | 8-21 h (on 19/06 ornamentations will be made) |
| La Casa dels Entremesos | Pl. de les Beates, 2 | 19-22/06 | 10-20 h (19/06), 10-13 h and 16-19 h (20-21/06), 11-14 h (22/06) |
| The Cathedral | Pla de la Seu, s/n | 19-22/06 | 9:30-19 h (19/06), 10-19:30 h (20-21/06), 10-13:15 h (22/06) |
| Ethnological and World Cultures Museum | C. Montcada, 12-14 | 19-22/06 | 10-19 h |
Gràcia
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Llibertat Street | C. de la Llibertat | 22/06 | 10-18 h |
| Plaça de la Virreina – Sant Joan Baptista de Gràcia Parish Church | Pl. de la Virreina | 22/06 | 8:30-19 h |
| Tradicionàrius | Sant Antoni’s route | 22/06 | 9-18:30 h |
Sant Martí
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre Cívic Sant Martí | C. de la Selva de Mar, 215 | 21/06 | 10-19 h |
| Sant Martí Park | Pl. d’Ignasi Juliol, s/n | 21/06 | 10-19 h |
| Rambla de Guipúscoa | C. del Treball amb c. de l’Agricultura | 21/06 | 10-19 h |
| Santa Maria del Taulat Parish Church | C. de Pujades amb Marià Aguiló | 19-22/06 | Catifes florals: 10-13 h (22/06), or as usual in opening hours |
Sants-Montjuïc
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sant Àngel Custodi Parish Church | C. de Vilardell, 50 | 19-22/06 | 9-21 h (ou com balla), 9-19:45 h (catifa, 22/06) |
| Parish of Santa Madrona | C. Tapioles, 10 | 15-22/06 | 19-20:30 h (monday to friday), 11:30-13 h (sunday), closed saturday |
| Centre Cívic El Sortidor | Pl. del Sortidor, 12 | 19-22/06 | 8:30-22 h (19-20/06), 10-14 h and 16-21 h (21/06), 10-14 h (22/06) |
Sant Andreu
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can Galta Cremat | C. d’Arquímedes, 30 | 7-18/06 | Tuesday to Saturday, 16-22 h |
| Plaça d’Orfila | Pl. d’Orfila | 14/06 | 9:30-19 h |
| Sagrera Tower | C. de Berenguer Palou, 64-66 | 11-13/06 | 9:30-14 h and 16-21 h |
Les Corts / Sants / Hostafrancs
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sant Joan Maria Vianney Parish Church | C. de Joan Güell, 60 | 22/06 | 8:30-13:15 h (catifa located in Jardins de Can Mantega) |
| Sant Josep Oriol Priestly Residence | C. del Remei | 22/06 | 8-22 h |
Eixample
| Space | Address | Dates | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conciliar Seminary of Barcelona | C. de la Diputació, 231 | 18-20/06 | 15-20 h (18/06), 9-20 h (19-20/06) |
Sant Martí – Besòs
| Space | Address | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sant Ambrós Parish Church | C. del Concili de Trento, 297 | 22/06 | Schedule to be specified |
Corpus Vigil and procession
The Corpus Vigil, on June 21 at 18:30h, will feature the Gegants de la Ciutat, del Pi and Santa Maria del Mar, accompanied by a traditional ballada de sardanes. There will be events in Plaça Sant Jaume, Plaça del Pi and Plaça de Santa Maria del Mar.
The Corpus Christi procession will be on Sunday June 22 at 18:50h. in Plaça Sant Jaume, and will be one of the highlights of the festival, taking place on June 2, keeping alive a tradition that dates back to 1320.
During Corpus Christi, the Associació Cultural Joan Amades will offer activities with traditional sweets and music in heritage buildings. It will also be possible to participate in the “Ruta dels Gremis”, a guided tour on the history of the guilds in Barcelona.
The procession is held on the Sunday following the Corpus Christi festivities, this year on June 22.
Free exhibitions, carpet making and other activities.
For Corpus there are