The City of Barcelona seems to have turned the page in the annual controversy over the nativity scene in Plaça de Sant Jaume. The nativity scene is no longer the protagonist of Christmas activities, although there will be a nativity scene inside the town hall building, three times larger than last year’s (70 square metres, the average size of apartments in Barcelona). But there’s something new: the city is premiering a Christmas carol to pay homage to the choirs. He is called A beating heart (A beating heart) and mixes Christmas songs recognizable in the canon and pop elements in a song that starts with a soloist and increases in intensity and voices until it reaches forty. During the celebrations there will be 126 kilometers of illuminated streets and more than 350 street performances.
Mayor Jaume Collboni wanted to clarify this Wednesday, during the presentation of the Christmas program, that it will be spectacular and that the lights will extend up to 38 ornamental fountains, but “without the intention of competing with other cities”. Accompanying him in the Saló de Cent were the head of Festivals and Traditions of the Cultural Institute of Barcelona (ICUB), Anna Lleó, and the artistic director of lights, Jordi Duran. With the Christmas carol, said the mayor, the city wants to pay “homage to the choral groups”, which it has literally defined as very important spaces in the social fabric.
The lights will be turned on with a central event on Passeig de Gràcia, on November 22nd at 6pm. There the Christmas song, which is already playing on social networks and will be performed by, will be premiered on stage singers between eight and 98 years. Passeig de Gràcia will also debut a 12-metre tree this year. The event will have five screens to connect with the switching on of the lights in the other arteries of the city.
Plaza de Catalunya will host the traditional “Barcelona Nadal Festival” from 20 to 30 December with 357 street art performances, under the artistic direction of Sergi Ots and curated by Jordi Duran at the helm of the night show. Nearly 20 companies, six international and nine musical groups will be present, which, according to the council, “consolidates the festival as an essential event in the Christmas calendar”.
In Sant Jaume, where the Municipality and the Generalitat buildings have shared the decoration for years, a joint “light intervention” will take place from 22 November to 5 January which “reinterprets Christmas iconography” with digital arts. And there will be the tree that gives the city its central market, Mercabarna, every year.
By expanding the illuminated streets to 16 kilometers more than last year, the aim is to “decentralise” the charm of Christmas in Barcelona, as well as highlighting local neighborhoods and businesses. Routes will also be created through the emblematic businesses and activities of the neighborhoods. And there will be no shortage of traditional fairs in the cathedral (Santa Llúcia), in the Sagrada Familia or the responsible consumption and social economy fair in Plaza de Catalunya.
The end of the year will be celebrated in Maria Cristina this year directed by the Barcelona musician Marc Parrot and with music, drones, audiovisuals and pyrotechnics to greet 2026.
