Join The Fun And Festivities Of Barcelona’s Carnival!

Barcelona’s annual Carnival is set to be as incredible as ever this year, so if you’re planning a visit, now’s the time to consider it! The festival can be traced back as far as the fourteenth century, but the popular celebrations have come a long way since then. In its current form, the Carnestoltes is a week-long celebration dominated by food and featuring lively parades, fancy dress and even a masked ball. 

You really wouldn’t want to miss out on these seven days of authentic cuisine and all-out partying!

Which Dates?

The exact dates of the Carnival change slightly from year to year because the festival indirectly follows the lunar calendar. 

What doesn’t change is that the Carnival always directly proceeds Lent: it’s marks one last all-out splurge of fun and food before Ash Wednesday arrives and brings with it forty days of fasting and deprivation. This means the Carnival will usually fall somewhere between the start of February and the first week of March. 

Fat Thursday 

The first day of Barcelona’s festivities is called Dijous Gras, or ‘Fat Thursday’. Communal meals and snacks take place throughout the day’s schedule, which will inevitably be completely full of truly fantastic food to fill you up! 

The menu’s most traditional item is the Butifarra d’Ou or ‘Egg Sausage’. Although you can stumble across this specialty in local stores all year round, it’s Fat Thursday’s signature dish and is primarily eaten on this day. All manner of iconic sweets and pastries will be on offer for dessert, too.

The Arrival of the King 

The opening event is also the moment when the festival’s main character, the Carnival King—Rei Carnestoltes—makes his first appearance for the eager crowds. Across the whole of Catalonia, the Rei Carnestoltes represents the spirit of joy and the idea of living life to the fullest during the Carnival period. His ‘Arrival’ (L’Arribo) is a significant moment for kicking off the festivities and spreading his party spirit to the population of the region. 

Parades and Parties

Partygoers in fanciful costumes take to the city’s streets to flood Barcelona with colourful parades throughout Saturday afternoon. Each procession will also usually feature one of the Rei’s seven ambassadors, who spend their time making sure the atmosphere is as buzzing as it could possibly be. 

As if all this entertainment weren’t already enough, masked balls and fancy dress parties are high on everyone’s agenda. By disguising yourself with a mask or costume, the idea is that people can stop being themselves and therefore really let themselves go. These parties will be hosted by clubs and other venues all over the city, and you can easily join in by picking yourself up a mask and costume from any one of Barcelona’s specialised shops.

The Death of the King and the Burial

After stirring up wild transgression and lavish behaviour in the city throughout the whole week, the Rei Carnestoltes is dramatically judged and sentenced to be burned to death on the festival’s penultimate day. Then, on the last day—Ash Wednesday—sardines are buried in a symbolic ceremony to usher in the beginning of the fasting period. This burial is called L’Enterro. 

As you can see, the Carnival holds a lot in store! It’s guaranteed to be an incredible week of fun, food and festivities that you won’t want to miss out on. 

How to Get There

In Barcelona, airport transfers really are the best way to ensure that you get the most out of your trip. By booking before you leave home, you’ll be given door-to-door service and be able to settle in to your accommodation much faster than if you had to figure out the local public transport system immediately upon arrival. It’s less hassle and will leave you with more time for partaking in the festivities!

A Barcelona airport transfer would surely be a good idea for the way back, too—after all that partying, the last thing you’re going to want to do is navigate a complicated public transport route or splash out on any expensive local taxis.

Author Plate Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct, the number one provider of shared and private airport transfers in various countries across the globe. If you’re looking for an affordable Barcelona Airport transfer, Lukas and his colleagues can make sure that you get to and from the airport swiftly and safely.