After London and Paris, Barcelona is one of the most popular destinations for a New Year’s holiday. This multifaceted city, at the same time dynamically modern and proudly loving its traditions, is a perfect New Year’s Eve location for different types of travellers.
Parties in the squares with thousands of people, dazzling fireworks displays, clubs open until morning, culinary delicacies capable of satisfying even the most demanding gourmet, romantic glimpses, campanadas and grapes: Barcelona offers a thousand opportunities for an unforgettable fin de año.
Compared to northern European cities that are more traditionally associated with New Year’s Eve, Barcelona has the advantage of a mild climate thanks to which you can enjoy your time outdoors more, whether it is hours of partying in the square or a quick trip from the restaurant to the club.
Another advantage is the prices: Barcelona cannot be called a cheap city, but it is definitely cheaper than cities in the north.
In reality, you don’t need to say much to convince someone to spend New Year’s Eve in Barcelona because the name of this unique city is enough to make your eyes sparkle… but if you still have any doubts, the information below will certainly help you overcome them and in no time you will find yourself searching online for flights and hotels!
In a city that offers a thousand things to do 365 days a year, it is 100% guaranteed not to get bored on the evening of 31 December. Here are some ideas for spending an unforgettable New Year’s Eve in Barcelona.
The square party is something relatively recent for Barcelona, a city where New Year’s Eve was traditionally celebrated with the family. For the last ten years or so, in the wake of the tourist success of the mega parties in the squares of the major European capitals, Barcelona has also been organising open-air celebrations that attract crowds of tens of thousands of people.
The two nerve centres of New Year’s Eve celebrations in the squares of Barcelona are Plaça Catalunya and Plaça d’Espanya. Both are packed with people waiting for midnight to open bottles and wish each other well in an infectious atmosphere of collective celebration.
If you love fireworks, bet on Plaça d’Espanya. Even before the midnight fireworks show you can enjoy an exciting (and free!) show: that of the magic fountain of Montjuic, which delights tourists every day with lights and visual effects, but on this occasion offers an even grander spectacle.
In recent years, a third place is emerging as an alternative venue to the two main squares for outdoor celebrations: it is the Agbar Tower in the Sant Martí district. The façade of the futuristic tower is illuminated with lights and video projections: covered with 4500 coloured LED lights, the tower boasts endless expressive possibilities. A truly unique spectacle awaits you!
Spaniards – and Catalans in particular – love food. Just like in Italian culture, eating is an important element of socialising and sharing and the gastronomic tradition is rich and varied.
If for you New Year’s Eve is synonymous with dinner, Barcelona is the perfect destination for you. The number and variety of restaurants is truly vast, with quality options to suit all budgets: from starred restaurants offering delicacies from internationally renowned chefs to family-run taverns where you can enjoy regional specialities cooked in the traditional way.
To help you choose between many proposals, here are 4 recommended restaurants for New Year’s Eve dinner in Barcelona.
For a luxurious New Year’s Eve dinner, one of the best restaurants in Barcelona is undoubtedly the restaurant at the El Palace Hotel, a five-star hotel with over a hundred years of history. Located in the city centre, a stone’s throw from Paseo de Gracia, it is tastefully decorated in a classic style and guarantees a fairy-tale atmosphere. The New Year’s Eve menu includes fine cuisine and exclusive cocktails.
The refined restaurant-wine bar Monvínic is the temple of good wine in Barcelona. The quality of the cuisine is no less: the menu includes original creations and reinventions of traditional cuisine prepared with the freshest ingredients sourced from local suppliers.
For those who love modernist Barcelona, Els Quatre Gats is a place not to be missed. Open since 1897, it was an important meeting place for artists and intellectuals, even frequented by the brilliant painter Pablo Picasso. Today it is a café-restaurant with a bohemian atmosphere open daily until midnight, serving local and international specialities and regularly organising concerts and cultural events. For New Year’s Eve it offers a special value-for-money menu.
Bodega Joan is a famous restaurant in Barcelona with over 75 years of history, serving traditional Catalan dishes reinvented with touches of modern culinary creativity. The ambience is warm and welcoming, elegant yet intimate.
Barcelona never disappoints the expectations of those seeking wild nightlife fun, and this also applies to New Year’s Eve. On the evening of 31 December, all the city’s discos are open, from internationally known megaclubs to small neighbourhood venues; in addition, numerous theme parties or exclusive invitation-only parties are organised.
You really are spoilt for choice and deciding where to go dancing on New Year’s Eve in Barcelona can be difficult. Go straight to the best: we have selected for you the 4 best clubs in Barcelona where you can celebrate New Year’s Eve.
A true legend in Barcelona, the megadisco Razzmatazz is one of the most famous and popular, loved by locals and tourists alike. Spread over several floors, it is a labyrinthine environment with a post-industrial atmosphere and numerous rooms where music of various genres (mainly electronic and indie rock) is played. If this is your first time in Barcelona, Razzmatazz is a must.
According to the locals, onlyApolo can hold a candle to Razzmatazz and it is less known to tourists. Don’t be misled by its theatre-like structure: the Sala Apolo, or simply Apolo as it is more often called, started out as a club and is famous for its rock concerts and theme nights.
If underground atmospheres are not your thing, mark this name down: Opium is one of Barcelona’s top venues for glamorous clubbing. Elegant dress code, trendy house and EDM music, well-kept décor and a chic terrace overlooking the city: this is the perfect club for fun in style.
For something more original, choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve at Poble Espanyol, the reconstruction of a Spanish village created for the 1929 Universal Exhibition.
Although it is not a real club, it is a perfect place for a night of fun and on New Year’s Eve it organises a special party with music of different genres. It is divided into two areas: the Plaza Mayor, which can accommodate up to 5000 people, and the VIP area (with premium admission), which holds 1500 people.
When the discos close, the fun continues in private parties or after parties held in underground venues or abandoned warehouses. Finding information about these parties is difficult because they are not advertised on traditional channels, they work more by word of mouth.
If you are convinced clubbers and want to extend your New Year’s Eve until the afternoon of 1 January, ask around when you arrive in Barcelona.
A typically Spanish New Year’s Eve tradition is also very much alive in Barcelona: the 12 grapes. This tradition has it that at the approach of midnight, 12 bell chimes are rung to announce the end of the year and the beginning of the new one. At each toll, the Spaniards eat a grape – strictly white – as an auspicious sign for the new year.
The 12 Grapes is an unmissable ritual for every Spaniard and is celebrated both in the square and at home, where the TV is turned on to experience the same festive atmosphere of the outdoor celebrations in the privacy of the family.
Barcelona is a popular destination for Italians throughout the year and New Year’s Eve is no exception. Start organising your New Year’s Eve in Barcelona as early as possible so you don’t risk your favourite hotel, restaurant or club being fully booked.
It is not difficult, you can do it yourself and save the commission of tourist agencies and tour operators. First book your flight, then find your hotel and restaurant for dinner. You can choose to book the hotel first and then the dinner, or if you want a particular restaurant look for the hotel nearby.
Animal parties should also start early: almost all popular clubs put New Year’s Eve party tickets on sale weeks in advance. Prices often vary depending on the date of purchase, with large increases close to 31 December.
Don’t overlook activities to do before and after the 31 December party. Buying tickets for museums, monuments and other tourist attractions allows you to skip the queues at the entrance and save a couple of euros on each ticket. The same applies to many organised tours.
Barcelona is a big city, with the advantages and problems of all big cities, which are exacerbated during the New Year’s Eve period by the massive presence of visitors. Here are a few things you should know to enjoy your New Year’s Eve in Barcelona in the best possible way, without stress or trouble:
Winter in Barcelona is generally milder than in Italy, but this does not mean you can walk around in spring-like clothing.
Average winter temperatures in Barcelona are around 14° during the day and 5° at night. Rainfall is scarce, but it is always best to pack a waterproof jacket and shoes to enjoy the evening even if it rains – unlikely but not impossible!
For more information on the Barcelona weather and a forecast for the coming days, please visit the Barcelona Weather page.
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