Carnival in Barcelona

Barcelona is ready for the party!

February can be known as a quiet winter month with, in some parts of the world, snow and cold weather. But at least one major event in this month puts a beam of everybody’s face: it’s the Carnival! This year it occurs from the 20th Februrary to the 26th February.

Information about the Carnival in Barcelona

This year forget about Rio de Janeiro, Venice, Nice or Cologne. Head over to Barcelona to celebrate and discover what festivities are offered at this joyful event!  The city has a long tradition of celebration that has been going on for 687 years (1333 is the first documented Carnival reference) and you’ll surely be enchanted by the folklore. So you should see how the city changes with afternoon snacks of “botifarra d’ou” (we’ll explain it a bit further on), masked dances, parades and sardine funerals. Here you’ll find all information about the Carnival in Barcelona.

The King and his Ambassadors

There is no Carnival without a king and in Barcelona King Carnestoltes is the proud representative of the festivities. He will be the master of the opening ceremony marking the beginning of his reign that starts on Fat Thursday (February 20th at 6.00 p.m.) dressed up in the most extravagant way and with a provocative attitude. During “l'arribo”, he will be followed by a gang of seven ambassadors of different neighbourhoods of Barcelona for this week of splurge.

Carnival Ambassadors: Caramanxell de Magòria (Sants, Montjuïc, La Marina. Indian Blue). Gran Patantúm de Solbaix (Les Corts and Pedres-Albe. Sky Blue). Calicut de Malabar i Trestorres (Sarrià, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles and Vallvidrera. Green). Bufallut de Grassot (Gràcia and Vallcarca. Yellow) Currutaca Bugadera i Santgenís (Horta, Vall d’Hebron and Guinardó. Orange). Maabiata de Tan-txan i Coats (Sant Andreu, La Sagrera and Més de Nou Barris. Red). Barreló Espirillingat de la Mel (Sant Martí. Purple). Photo by Carnaval de Barcelona 2012 on VisualHunt.com

The Parade of L'Arribo

Don’t forget to wear your most colourful mask and join everyone at la Rambla at 6.00 pm!

Big heads, grotesque emperors of the European Courts of Comediants, the Royal Carnival Orchestra, the Giants and the Ganxets musicians will take part of the party.

The parade will start in the Plaça Reial. It will go up la Rambla accompanied by a float covered with flowers. At the same time, the Seven Ambassadors of the Carnival will appear one by one from the facades of several emblematic buildings.

The parade will end up its route at the Palau de la Virreina. The building will become the palace on the Carnival’s Republic where confetti and fireworks will be burst.

How To Get There

Burial of the Sardine

On the last day of Carnival on Ash Wednesday (Wednesday 26th February this year) sardines and herrings are usually the main dish.

In Barcelona, as in the rest of Spain, there’s a particular event occuring on that day. You can attend a satiric funeral parade to bury King Carnestoltes as well as the sardine. This strange yet funny ceremony designates the end of this period of abundance before the start of Lent the next day.

The origins of this practice aren’t very clear and are subject to various interpretations. One of them is the action of burying sardines could be related to the abstinence of sexual intercourse during Lent. The fish could refer to male attributes meaning that these practices weren’t permitted in that moment.

This year, there will be nine ceremonies with different features (see programme below). In some cases, participants bring sardines made of paper hanging on sticks. You might also see people wearing mourning clothes or burning a sardine or King Carnestoltes.

In the neighbourhood of Les Corts, there will be a special Ash Wednesday to celebrate the end of Carnival. The fire group Diables de Les Corts will organise a sardine feast followed by fire show accompanied with music and juggling.

For full details of events going on during Barcelona's 2020 Carnival, click here to see the official programme.

Carnival delicacies

Carnival isn’t a complete party without a massive feast with succulent food before the period of Lent. Again, Barcelona has nothing to envy to rest of the Carnival places in the world. Just see by yourself by trying these specialties:

Botifarra d’ou or egg sausage – a traditional pork Catalan sausage prepared with eggs.

Coca de llardons – flat pastry made with sugar, eggs, pine nuts and pork crackling. It’s great to get ready for Lent!

Ranxo – usually prepared for Tuesday of the Carnival, it consists in a huge soup elaborated with food brought by the people.

Greixoneres dolces – typical cake from the Balearic Islands made with eggs, cinnamon, lemon and milk. This one will be popular among those with a sweet tooth.

Sardines – closely linked with Carnival, the’re usually eaten at the end of the Carnival to celebrate the end of a period of excess and start of Lent. There’s a satyrical funeral procession lead by King Carnestoltes called “Entierro de la Sardina”, which is traditionally celebrated around Spain.

Where to stay

It’s always very convenient to stay close to this kind of events. That’s why we offer various comfortable, elegant and centrally located holiday apartments for you to make the most of your experience in Barcelona. Find more information by clicking here.

Valencia Chic on ChicRoom Barcelona