Record Season for Catalan Theatre

Catalan theatres welcomed more than 4.08 million spectators during the 2025–2026 season, generating over €115 million in revenue and achieving a 67% average occupancy rate, according to data compiled by the Department of Culture and released on Monday 7 September 2026. This marks the first time a comprehensive nationwide dataset has been produced, combining figures from both public and private venues across Catalonia, including stable municipal programming from 82% of municipalities within the Public Network of Performing Arts and Music Facilities (SPEEM), as well as private theatres outside Barcelona. Barcelona accounted for a significant portion of the total, drawing 3.17 million attendees, 40,000 more than the previous season, and marking the third consecutive year exceeding three million visitors. Revenue in the capital rose 9.5% to exceed €103 million.

Growth Across Venues and Audiences

Smaller theatres, those with up to 200 seats, saw particularly strong growth. They attracted 421,865 spectators, an increase of 13%, and raised ticket revenue by 20% to €6.7 million, with an occupancy rate of 65.6%, reported the Association of Theatre Companies of Catalonia (Adetca). Data also shows a rise in younger audiences, a trend considered crucial for sustaining long-term theatre attendance. A total of 16,988 performances were held across 2,829 productions in Catalonia. In Barcelona, 1,289 shows were staged over 13,196 performances. Of these, 58% were Catalan productions and 49% were authored by Catalan creators.

In terms of language, 41% of performances in Barcelona were in Catalan, 32% in Spanish and 27% in other languages. Audience figures showed that 49% of tickets were for Catalan-language performances and 35% for Spanish-language ones. Among larger venues, the most-attended shows included El Mago Pop at Teatre Victòria, The Phantom of the Opera at Teatre Tívoli, and Hamlet – Albert Pla i Peyu at Teatre Coliseum. In smaller venues, top draws included Corta el cable rojo at Teatre Muntaner and Permagel, Ovelles, and Desaparellats at Espai Texas. Notably, four Catalan-language musicals ranked among the ten most popular shows: L’amor venia amb taxi, Ànima, El petit príncep, and Germans de sang.

Government Plans New Cultural Observatory

Culture Minister Sònia Hernández welcomed the new data collection as a milestone for policy-making. She confirmed the Generalitat is advancing plans to launch the Observatory of Cultural Data in the first half of 2027, a tool outlined in the upcoming Cultural Rights Bill. The observatory aims to provide open, accessible data on cultural habits.

The three million mark is consolidated, a good moment for theatre, the best moment in Catalan theatre history.

Isabel Vidal, president of Adetca, said the figures reflect audience confidence in the quality of programming. While celebrating the sector’s health, she urged continued collaboration with public authorities to combat job insecurity and reiterated her call for the government to allocate 2% of its budget to culture.

Honour for Daniel Martínez de Obregón

Daniel Martínez de Obregón, president of the Focus Group, received the Honorary Mention at the 25th edition of the Catalunya Aixeca el Teló gala, held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. The award recognises his 33 years of contribution to consolidating the Catalan theatre sector.

Primary sources: govern.cat, cultura.gencat.cat, agenda.cultura.gencat.cat, icec.gencat.cat, publicsculturals.blog.gencat.cat. Reported by lavanguardia.com, naciodigital.cat, Redacción COPE Barcelona, rtve.es, elperiodico.com, CatalunyaPress.cat, en.ara.cat, adetca.cat, elpais.com, gestiocultural.org, viaempresa.cat.