Barcelona is hosting a packed weekend programme across the city, with food festivals, immersive exhibitions, film screenings and architecture events, according to Barcelona Secreta. For readers following Catalonia-wide culture coverage, the line-up ranges from major central venues to neighbourhood festivals.
One of the main attractions is an immersive exhibition built with nearly 600,000 biodegradable balloons, making its European debut in Barcelona. The installation creates scenes such as an underwater world, the moon landing, a jungle and landmarks including the Eiffel Tower. It also includes a ball pit and is designed for all ages.
Food visitors can head to the 12th edition of Tast a la Rambla, which has moved to Plaça de Catalunya because of ongoing works on La Rambla. The open-air festival brings together 30 Barcelona restaurants and six patisseries, with dishes priced at about €4 to €6 per tapa. It also includes a Showcooking Classroom with live demonstrations from chefs Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch of Disfrutar, plus Fran Agudo and Rafa Zafra. Live music and concerts are also part of the programme.
Barcelona is also marking its year as UNESCO World Capital of Architecture 2026, under the theme “Becoming”. One of the weekend’s architecture stops is a model of the “Pla de Barcelona” at the former headquarters of Editorial Gustavo Gili, which is being used as a central point for the programme. The city says the events are intended to encourage new thinking about urban living and to open some spaces that are usually closed to the public. More Catalonia news
Film fans have several options too. The Wallay! Festival, now in its ninth edition, brings African cinema to the Raval neighbourhood, with its opening at the Filmoteca de Catalunya’s Sala Chomón and a screening of Katanga: the dance of the scorpions by Dani Kouyaté. The 34th International Women’s Film Festival of Barcelona is also under way at the Filmoteca de Catalunya and other venues, opening with Crías by Xiana do Teixeiro and featuring documentaries, fiction and parallel activities. The MECAL Pro short film festival, now in its 28th edition, is taking place across Barcelona venues with fiction, animation, documentary and experimental competition sections.
Other weekend plans include Fira Literal at Fabra i Coats Creation Factory in Sant Andreu, the Doble Ración food collaboration at Casa Fiero, Barceloneta’s Spring Festivals, a social photography festival focused on neighbourhood memory, and Chez Matisse at the la Caixa Foundation and the Centre Pompidou. For readers looking for a broader city events round-up, see our news tag.