What's On Barcelona: 9th - 11th October

Bon dia!

I spend quite a lot of time putting this email together every week. You probably read it in about 2 minutes, but it does take a surprisingly long time!

So, I’ve got some help.

This is Alex. She’s a relationship therapist who’s lived in Barcelona for 10 years, and she’ll be helping me put the newsletter together from now on.

You won’t notice any difference. I’m still doing it. There’s just two of us behind it now.

Anyway, here’s what’s on this weekend!

- Mark and Alex

⛅️ Weather

Fri 🌥️ 21°/14° Sat 🌥️ 22°/15° ☁️ Sun 22°/16°

1. Port Flea – 100+ Vintage & Second-Hand Stalls

What’s On: Port Flea is back at Port Olímpic this Sunday, with more than 100 stalls selling vintage clothes, second-hand finds, accessories and local designs.

There’ll also be food trucks, live music and workshops throughout the day.

Basically, go for a wander and come home with something you definitely didn’t need.

📅 When: Sunday, 11am–8pm
📍 Where: Moll de Mestral, Port Olímpic

For more info see here →

2. SAGA Barcelona Game Fest – 500+ Games & Retro Arcades

What’s On: Barcelona is getting a massive video game festival this weekend, with more than 500 gaming stations spread across 14,000 m² at Fira Montjuïc.

There’ll be everything from new releases and indie games to esports, VR, tournaments and more than 150 retro arcade machines. Nintendo will also have an official area where you can try some of its latest games, plus there’s a cosplay competition, shows and plenty of family-friendly stuff.

Basically, if you like video games, you could quite easily lose an entire day here.

📅 When: Friday to Sunday, from 10am
📍 Where: Fira de Montjuïc

For more info see here →

Learn Catalan While Playing Video Games 🎮 [AD]

Fancy practising your Catalan while hunting ghosts, driving Barcelona’s metro or becoming a ninja?

Turns out, there are more than 300 video games available in Catalan.

There’s a whole catalogue where you can find games available in Catalan, across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and mobile.

A few you’ll find on there:

👻 Phasmophobia — go ghost hunting with your friends
🚛 Euro Truck Simulator 2 — drive trucks across Europe
🥷 NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound — old-school ninja action
🚇 MetroSim: Metro Barcelona — take control of Barcelona’s metro

You can even filter the catalogue by platform and genre to find something you’ll actually want to play.

So if your Catalan lessons aren’t quite doing it for you, maybe your PlayStation will.

👉 Browse video games available in Catalan

Content by the Ministry Language Policy

3. Festa del Roser – La Rambla in Bloom

What’s On: La Rambla is celebrating its annual Festa del Roser, with floral displays taking over buildings and spaces along the famous street.

There’ll also be traditional crafts, food, street performances and activities for kids, all happening alongside the Festa Major d’Hostafrancs.

📅 When: Until Sunday
📍 Where: La Rambla & surrounding areas

For more info see here →

Plan Ahead: Primavera Sound 2027

What’s On: Primavera Sound has announced its 2027 line-up, with Doechii, Phoebe Bridgers, Fontaines D.C., Massive Attack, The Chemical Brothers, Robyn, Bad Gyal and loads more heading to Barcelona.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at 11am, starting from €350, with Barcelona metropolitan area residents getting 10% off.

📅 When: 2nd until 6th June 2027
📍 Where: Parc del Fòrum

For more info see here →  

Also Happening This Weekend

🎉 Neighbourhood Festivals
Sarrià Festival ends Monday
Esquerra de l'Eixample Festival ends Sunday
Torre Llobeta and Vilapicina Festival ends Monday
Les Corts Festival ends Monday
Hostafrancs Festival ends Sunday
Rambla Festival ends Sunday
Congress Festival ends Sunday

🎶 Music, Parties & Nightlife
Barcelona Shag Festival (Various Locations) – 4 day swing dancing festival with Collegiate Shag classes, competitions, live music & late-night parties. (Thu–Sun).

Hop on The Top Closing Party (Montjuïc) – Open-air Hip Hop party at La Terrrazza with Hip Hop, R&B, Funk & Soul, celebrating the end of the season (Fri, 7pm–midnight).

🛍️ Food, Drinks, Markets & Shopping
Barcelona Queer Market (Eixample) – LGBTQ+ street market with local artists, food, workshops, drag shows & DJs, followed by a street party until 2am (Sat, from 11am).

Oktoberfest Barcelona (Fira Gran Via) – Bavarian-style festival with German beer, food, live music & traditional Oktoberfest celebrations (Fri & Sat evenings).

Brasa y Fuego Festival (Trinitat Vella) – Free Argentinian food festival with asado, choripanes, empanadas, alfajores, live music & DJs (Sun, 12:30–7:30pm).

Westfield Days (La Maquinista) – Free gaming & beauty weekend with retro arcades, 1v1 gaming battles, Korean facial massages, nail art & more (Fri & Sat).

Gràcia Craft Market (Gràcia) – Local craft market at Plaça del Diamant, with handmade creations from independent Gràcia artisans (Fri–Sun).

Todo a 2€ (Nau Bostik) – Market where everything costs just €2, from clothes and accessories to second-hand finds (Sun, 10am–7pm). €2 entry.

Mercat de Colom Vintage Market (Port Vell) – Browse vintage jewellery, cameras, watches, antiques, military memorabilia and collectibles (Fri–Sun).

🎨 Culture & Experiences
European Heritage Days – Hundreds of free heritage activities, visits to Palau Moja, a Civil War air-raid shelter, historic churches, archives & Botanical Garden (Fri–Sun).

Byron Chess Open (Sant Antoni) – Five-round chess tournament inside Librería Byron, with just 32 places available & a cash prize for the winner (Sat, from 11am).

B-Murals Fest (Nau Bostik) – Free urban art festival with live mural painting, graffiti workshops, exhibitions, street art, talks & live music (Sat, 11am–10pm).

Swab Barcelona (Fira Montjuïc) – Contemporary art fair featuring 180+ emerging artists & 60+ exhibitors from 22 countries, plus talks, workshops & more (Fri–Sun).

Cirque du Soleil's KURIOS (L’Hospitalet) – Steampunk-inspired circus show with acrobatics, comedy, live music & elaborate sets (Until 18th Oct).

Jardí Geològic (Les Corts) – open-air museum exploring geology and Earth science, with rock displays and interactive exhibits (Free, open daily).

La Model Prison (Esquerra de l’Eixample) – Former prison turned public space, open for free visits where you can explore its cells and learn about its history.

🌞 Outdoors & Active
Les Mills Live Barcelona (Montjuïc) – 2 day fitness festival with mass, yoga, Pilates & other workouts, with some classes filmed for use in gyms around the world.

Drassanes Family Festival (El Raval) – Free family day at Maritime Museum with games & workshops where kids can build ships, make postcards & more (Sat, 10:30am–2pm).

Juguem a les Places (Various Locations) – Free outdoor play spaces for kids & families across almost 50 Barcelona squares, with toys, games & activities.

Barcelona Night Skate Routes – Free guided skate routes through Barcelona every Friday night, starting from Vila Olímpica & led by volunteer skaters (Fri, 10pm).

💼 Jobs of the Week

Software Engineer, Stripe Tax at Stripe
^{Build software and platforms helping businesses around the world manage tax compliance
See the role →}

Account Manager – UK Market at Top Doctors Group
<sup>Drive new business across the UK & Ireland for a Barcelona-based HealthTech company
See the role →

Find more jobs like this on BarcelonaJobs.com</sup>

That’s all for this week, have a great weekend!

— Mark and Alex

P.S. Here are three ways we can help you👇

1. Book a FREE introductory therapy session — for couples or individuals with Alex
 
2. Get 50% off your first online Catalan or Spanish language lesson with Preply

3. Get your business in front of 10,000+ readers by sponsoring this newsletter.