The Best Things to Do This Halloween in Barcelona

Halloween night calls for unique plans, and this is one of them. The historic Estació de França is transformed on October 31 to host the HLWN Fest, a party lasting over 7 hours featuring Catalan rumba, DJs, karaoke, tarot readings, and a costume contest.

Paradox Museum is a place where nothing is what it seems. The concept of “paradox” comes to life room by room, interactive experience by interactive experience. This unique museum proves that everything depends on the perspective from which you view and observe things. Plus, during the fall season, it hosts a “Castaween Mission,” an activity that invites kids—and those young at heart—to discover the six characters hidden throughout the museum. If you find them, you’ll receive a prize from the gift shop.

The sweetest fusion of La Castanyada and Halloween comes to the Museu de la Xocolata. Over two weekends, the museum offers three family workshops with a terrifyingly creative twist: Xoco Trencadís, Artistes de la Xocolata Castaween, Castaween Lollipops, and Castaween Cookie Decorating. Each session combines play, learning, and plenty of imagination with cocoa and monsters. Plus, admission to the museum is included with the workshop.

Psycho is one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema, and it also features one of those soundtracks (a masterpiece by Bernard Herrmann) that everyone recognizes, even if they haven’t seen Hitchcock’s magnum opus. The Vallès Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Julian Bigg, will pay tribute to all of this by performing the music live while we watch the film on the big screen.

This fall, the Candlelight concerts feature a themed edition, “Halloween Classics,” where, over two sessions, we’ll be able to enjoy a selection of spooky-themed songs: from pop classics like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to soundtracks from film classics such as *The Exorcist*, *Psycho*, and *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, as well as classical music like Camille Saint-Saëns’s *Danse Macabre*. A perfect soundtrack to set the mood for this festive season.

Beyond the pumpkins, All Saints’ Day invites us to remember those who are no longer with us, and Barcelona’s cemeteries are gearing up with a program full of culture and remembrance. From October 25 to November 2, the cemeteries will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with additional public transportation, flower stands, and special activities.

Ghosts aren’t the only ones taking over Parc del Fòrum when night falls. Jackies returns as an outdoor festival featuring a lineup of house music, which—along with the sea breeze and thousands of masked faces—will celebrate the spookiest night of the year. Plus, your ticket grants you free access to all the other stages at the BALLA Festival. And if all that dancing leaves you “worn out,” there’s always a fleet of food trucks on hand to help you recharge.

This famous market turns into a haunted house for two days, and this year’s theme is the circus. Get ready to be scared on an adventure set against the market’s history, featuring characters each one creepier than the last.

After exploring the city’s hidden abandoned spots, we’re bringing you a slightly more urban option. El Bosc de les Fades is a hidden bar next to the Wax Museum (a visit we also recommend for Halloween) and is decorated with all the fantasy and charm that the spooky holiday deserves. To celebrate, they always organize events and promotions so you can have a fantastic (and scary) time at Barcelona’s most magical bar.

Barcelona is a city-set, as evidenced by all the productions filmed here. What you might not know is that, beyond Jaume Balagueró’s world-famous *REC*, a good handful of horror movies have been shot in Barcelona, turning its streets and buildings into spine-chilling settings.

Here are some of the best horror movies filmed in the city so you can put together a horror movie tour for Halloween (or any time of year).

Poble Espanyol succumbs to the spell of the witch Arsenia and transforms its streets into a haunted setting filled with creatures, challenges, and mysteries. Families can embark on a scavenger hunt full of riddles to uncover the legends of the site while encountering more than 30 characters emerging from the shadows.

The adventure culminates in two haunted tunnels tailored to all levels of bravery: a gentler route from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the little ones and an option with moderate scares starting at 5 p.m.

Barcelona’s most iconic park celebrates its spookiest season with shows, zombies, and themed attractions. Through November 8, Tibidabo hosts *L’últim ball*, a zombie show at Plaça dels Somnis, featuring a unique musical number that pays homage to a famous song by the King of Pop. We don’t need to name the song or the artist, do we?

For just three nights, Poble Espanyol becomes a scene of terror with LA ZONA, its most unsettling immersive experience: over 4,000 m² of darkness that can only be traversed by those brave enough to walk through an old, abandoned door, hounded by more than 30 terrifying characters whose sole goal is to survive… alive. In addition to the special tour (separate ticket required), once the experience is over, the brave souls can enjoy the usual Poble Espanyol offerings: music, food, a bar, and games to unwind after the adrenaline rush.

📅 Dates: October 17, 24, and 31

In Barcelona, it might not seem like it, but there are still secrets to be found. Some of them are downright terrifying. The Trinitat Vella Tunnel of Fear is one of them. A horror tunnel that began 11 years ago as a neighborhood initiative (they do everything themselves) has grown in popularity and now welcomes more than a thousand visitors. This year it will take place on Halloween night, and admission is free (but you must reserve in advance—first come, first served!)

La Mussara is an empty town. Or a depopulated one. Or a ghost town. Empty because in the mid-20th century, a phylloxera plague left its residents jobless and forced them to abandon this town in the Baix Camp region of Tarragona.

Ghost—because since then, legends have multiplied about hikers who, while visiting the town, claim to have experienced paranormal events: from gateways to another dimension to satanic symbols… Whether true or not, you’ll have to go check it out for yourself, and there’s no better time than Halloween to take advantage of the opportunity and pay a visit. Location: La Mussara (Tarragona).

Indeed, as the meme says: “Reject modernity, embrace tradition.” Halloween is fine, but the true Catalan tradition—the one that’s been around forever—is the Castanyada, which may not be scary, but it’s definitely much tastier. Or is there anything more pleasant than the smell of roasted chestnuts wafting through the city streets?

To find them, check out the map showing all the stands selling roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes. There are about fifty of them across all districts throughout the city, so you’ll always have a chestnut stand nearby to say goodbye to Halloween and welcome the Castanyada.

The other pillar supporting the Catalan fall tradition. Of Arab origin, but more Catalan than pa amb tomàquet, the panellet is that sweet indulgence that, if it existed all year round, would condemn the Catalan people to diabetes.

Its history is interesting, like that of any tradition, and its consumption is staggering: in Barcelona, more than 200 metric tons of a treat are consumed, even though each piece usually weighs no more than 30 grams. Which tells us that, no matter how much Halloween is hyped, the panellet remains the true Catalan Halloween.

👉 Tour of the best pastry shops here.