Summer in Barcelona is one nonstop fiesta, with more concerts, performances, festivals, and fireworks than almost anywhere else in Europe.
Which is why we’ve compiled a list of our favourites to give you a look at the best this partygoing paradise has to offer.
Get to the Greek: Grec Festival de Barcelona
There’s no missing this one: more than 20 world-famous acts perform music, theatre, circus and dance from late July to early August in one of the city’s most extravagant settings.
In Barcelona’s 1929 replica of a Greek amphitheatre, you can catch performances of some of the world’s biggest stars and most famous acts that are sure to astonish and give you an inspiring taste of Barcelona and European culture. And don’t worry, every year, more and more are being performed in English.
Indie Green: Primavera Sound
Late May/early June is the time to catch some of the world’s biggest names in modern and independent music at the Primavera Sound festival.
Since its inauguration in 2001, Primavera Sound has become one of the world’s most renowned modern music festivals, drawing names like the Pixies and Lou Reed, as well as the White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, and Bloc Party. Set in the green expanse of the Parc del Forum, you are sure to have gorgeous weather and a riotous time.
Pyromania: Feast of Sant Joan
The summer solstice isn’t the only reason that the night of the 23rd of June is the shortest night of the year. Dazzling fireworks, bonfires galore, and more pyrotechnical shows than you can imagine fill the night with light every year for the Feast of Sant Joan.
While the feast itself isn’t until the next day, the Night of Fire is a cultural experience of a lifetime, where almost everyone hits the beach to eat, drink, dance and party from dusk till dawn.
Mad music: Festival Internacional Benicàssim (FIB)
Four days in July, this festival gets the heart a’pumpin’ and the toes a’tappin’ with some of the top musical acts in the world. A perfect mix of sea, sun, and superb sounds, this festival has become world-famous as one of Spain’s most exciting concert festivals.
The whole town, about two hours from Barcelona, comes alive for the week of this festival, buzzing with energy, while the stunning beaches make for an ideal place to relax between acts.
2013 is sure to be a great year, featuring performances by the Killers, the Arctic Monkeys and Queens of the Sone Age along with dozens of others.
Food fight: La Tomatina Festival
Want something a little crazy? There’s nothing like La Tomatina festival, in Bunol, just outside of Valencia.
A little ways from Barcelona, it is worth the trip to take part in this one-of-a-kind festival. What is it? La Tomatina is essentially an enormous food fight, with over 150,000 tomatoes as ammunition.
Goggles and swim-trunks are essential—things are sure to get messy when the fruit starts to fly. While it can be hugely crowded, the atmosphere is exuberant and ridiculous and so much fun it is not to be missed.
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