Music and Films Festivals in Barcelona

Barcelona has always stood out on a national and international level due its varied cultural offerings. The sheer number of events held in the city each year is truly staggering. Big halls like the Fira Barcelona or the Parc del Forum hold all kinds of congresses, expos, and international festivals, pulling into the city thousands of people. Among the most interesting and attractive events you will find a wide variety of renowned music and film festivals.

Music Festivals in Barcelona  

The Catalonian capital is a worldwide authority in the musical scene thanks to organizing a wide variety of music festivals and concerts. Electronic music, jazz, indie, and rock permeate the city’s streets each time one of those is being held. Without a question, the most important festivals are:

 – Sónar: Electronic and experimental music festival that takes place in mid-June at the Gran Vía Hall in the Fira Barcelona. Sónar offers 3 intense days of great music plus expos, conferences, and multimedia art shows.

– Primavera Sound: Festival celebrated towards the end of May at the Parc del Fórum. It counts with a large number of artists from all musical genres, but is clearly marked by rock, indie, and techno rythms.

– BAM: Barcelona Acción Musical (“Barcelona Musical Action”) in an indie music festival promoting the best indie artists from all genres. Techno through folk; passing by pop, rock, and indie music. It is held every year in mid-September in different places around the city, like Plaza Real, the Parc del Fórum, or the old factory Estrella Damm.

– Festival Internacional de Jazz: This famous jazz festival is one of the most widely recognized and respected in the entire world. It is celebrated during the months of October and November, and offers free concerts, master classes, and conferences to fulfill an amazing program throughout the city.

– Cruilla de cultures: This music festival becomes, during two days each year, an incredible melting pot of cultures and music bands from every corner in the world. It is held in July at the Parc del Fòrum.

– 25 Guitar festival Bcn: This mythic festival has 25 years of history. It organizes concerts by a large number of local and international artists of every genre, aiming for a Young and urban audience. It is held throughout the entire city from late-February to mid-May.

– De Cajón!: The Flamenco Festival of Barcelona begins towards the end of December and lasts for almost three months. It offers shows and performances by big flamenco stars at different spots across the city.

Film Festivals in Barcelona

Barcelona is not done by hosting the best music festivals, its cinemas and theaters also organize multiple film festivals to enjoy the best documentaries, creative shorts, animated series, and horror cinema. Among the various festivals, the following stand out:

– L’Alternativa: Independent film festival of Barcelona held every year in mid-November. It offers feature-length and short films, premieres, and obscure movies in a creative space.

– D’A Festival Internacional de Cine de Autor de Barcelona: This festival is held in late-April and presents the best international modern films, usually premiering more than 50 feature-length films.

– DOCS Barcelona: The International Documentary Festival (Festival Internacional de Documentales) is held each year towards the end of May. It projects national and international documentaries, promotes new talents, and has interactive screenings with the public.

– MECAL: The International Shorts and Animation Film Festival of Barcelona (Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes y Animación de Barcelona) is held during May. And it will let you enjoy short films, video clips, animated films, creative advertisements, and national and international documentaries.

– Sitges Festival: The International Fantasy Film Festival of Cataluña (Festival Internacional de Cine Fantástico de Cataluña) in Sitges, is the first festival in the world dedicated to this genre, and one of the most famous and respected ones. It is held each year during early October in the town of Sitges, 20 minutes away from Barcelona. This festival has screenings for all kinds of fantasy movies, especially horror films.