It's almost Carnival or "Carnestoltes" in Barcelona, a time when the city fills up with costumes, parties and parades in all the districts and neighbourhoods. According to Christian tradition, this festival symbolises the beginning of Lent, the period of abstinence and fasting prior to Easter. The days of Carnival are a time of debauchery and festivities in streets and cities all over the country, including Barcelona.
Carnival varies its date each year depending on Easter Week and this year 2023 it will be held from 16 to 22 February, starting on Maundy Thursday and ending on Ash Wednesday. People usually dress up to go to see the parades or go dancing in the clubs and bars. Below, we tell you how Carnival is celebrated in Barcelona and the main events of this festival. Keep reading and don’t miss out!
Maundy Thursday marks the start of the Carnival festivities and is marked by the arrival of the King of Carnival, or Rei Carnestoltes in Catalan.
This outlandishly dressed mocking figure presides over all the city's Carnival festivities with a cheeky attitude that invites fun and mischief, accompanied by seven ambassadors symbolising seven historic districts of Barcelona. During the Arrival, the King delivers a satirical speech in which he invites the citizens to join his party.
Saturday afternoon is usually when the different Carnival rúas (parades) are held in the city's neighbourhoods. There are dozens of parades and processions organised by the residents' associations of each neighbourhood, with costumes as the main protagonists.
It is customary for the rúas to be accompanied by popular meals and snacks, cultural displays, entertainment for children and costume competitions.
This is the day when the King of Carnival is judged for his bad behaviour and condemned to death. The character usually reads a will before being cremated in public, symbolising the end of Carnival and the beginning of abstinence during Lent.
The last day of Carnival is the saddest, when the King is dead, and the period of Lent begins. Citizens from all around town get together to make mortuary rúas in a satirical atmosphere that end with the Burial of the Sardine, thus bidding farewell to Carnival until next year.
If you need ideas to dress up this Carnival, there are some emblematic costume shops in Barcelona that are worth a visit. One of the oldest is Menkes, a reference shop in the city since 1950 and the place where you'll find any costume you're looking for. Atucom and Carnavalife are also worth a visit.
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