Christmas is here, and the holiday train (or sleigh) doesn’t stop until January. All over the city there are shows and events that seek to celebrate these dates, and few as the Festival de Nadal de Barcelona 2024, the Christmas party with which the City Council turns the city into a Christmas walk.
With the slogan “Now comes Christmas, now comes Barcelona”, the City Council has presented a program spread over 10 districts that includes 25 shows with more than 334 functions.
However, as in other years, as in other years, much of the focus of the party will be placed on the Festival de Nadal in Plaza Catalunya and Plaza Universidad where between 16 and 29 December will be held an extensive program of family activities, music, street arts and shows.
And so you do not miss anything of this party , we tell you everything you need to know and we leave you some of the highlights of the Christmas program in Barcelona.
Table Of Contents
- When is the Plaça Catalunya and Universitat Christmas Festival?
- Schedule of the Festival de Nadal
- The main novelties of this year
- Matins en família (From 11 am to 1 pm).
- Circus and dance evenings
- Music to kick off the night
- Nights of spectacle with "Natal".
- The festival returns to the districts
- Responsible Consumption Fair at Plaça Catalunya
When is the Plaça Catalunya and Universitat Christmas Festival?
The festival will last 11 days, from December 20 to 30.
It is free of charge.
Schedule of the Festival de Nadal
Access to the shows is free for all audiences, but the schedules of the shows are divided into 4 blocks: Matina en Família, Tardes de Circ, Música per arrencar la nit and Nits d’Espectacle.
- Matins en família: From 11h. to 14h.
- Circus and dance afternoons: from 5pm to 7pm.
- Music to start the night: from 19h. to 20h.
- Nits d’Espectacle: From 20h. to 20h.
The main novelties of this year
- 25 shows with 334 performances in morning, afternoon and evening schedules.
- 13 premieres in Barcelona.
- Participation of 17 theater, dance and circus companies, along with 8 musical groups, four of them international.
- A scenography that evokes the house and the home.
- The space will be designed by Carles Piera, who will fill the square with symbolic windows representing home and openness to the world. This unique scenography will be the perfect setting for innovative and moving proposals that will invite the public to explore different artistic perspectives.
Matins en família (From 11 am to 1 pm).
- 11h. In the morning, families can enjoy the show Estacions de Nadal, composed of four independent pieces that tell stories about Christmas emotions. The Catalan companies Escarlata, Companyia Ortiga, Xavier Bobés and Les Pinyes, specialists in visual and object theater, will be in charge of these intimate creations.
- 13h. The morning program will conclude each day with a concert by Ambauka, perfect to make young and old dance.
Circus and dance evenings
- 17h: After lunch the festival will give way to circus and street dance shows, with daily performances by international artists such as Luuk Brantjes and renowned companies such as Adhok and La Migration.
- There will also be Catalan companies with names like Bucraá Circus, Circ Pistolet, Elelei and Big Bouncers, who will present participatory and fresh proposals.
Music to kick off the night
- 19h: In the evening, the music program will begin with a diverse repertoire ranging from groove and electronica to jazz, folk and traditional lullabies.
- Featured artists include Alidé Sans, Udolç (Alba Careta and Henrio), Sergi Carbonell and Carlos Sarduy & The Groove Messengers.
Nights of spectacle with “Natal”.
- 20h: Each night the festival will close with the show Natal, a production of the Institute of Culture of the Barcelona City Council by Animal Religion. Under the direction of Quim Girón, this show combines contemporary circus, music and an impressive staging.
- The cast includes 6 circus artists, a lyrical singer, a group of young musicians and disciplines such as contortionism, acrodance, hair suspension, straps and the Gran Volant trapeze.
The festival returns to the districts
On December 14 and 21, the spirit of the festival will expand to Nou Barris, Sant Andreu and Sants-Montjuïc with the traveling show of Sound de Secà, which mixes percussion, dance, theater and voice in a claim of public space as a place of coexistence.
You can check the complete program by days
Responsible Consumption Fair at Plaça Catalunya
Plaça Catalunya will host its own Christmas fair with the Responsible Consumption Fair, where you can find handicrafts, clothes, toys and small gifts, ideal for a sustainable and responsible holiday season.
The fair will be closed on Christmas and St. Stephen’s Day, while on December 19 and 20 it will open at 4:00 pm, and on December 24 it will close at 6:00 pm.
The fair will be open from December 19 to 29, 2024 from 11:00 to 20:30 hours.