Skip to content
Barcelona Explorers

Barcelona Explorers

Best guide to discover Barcelona

Primary Menu
  • WHAT TO DO
  • ATTRACTIONS
  • GASTRONOMY
  • DAY TRIPS
  • CULTURE
  • Home
  • ATTRACTIONS
  • The Significance of Carnaval in Barcelona
  • ATTRACTIONS

The Significance of Carnaval in Barcelona

Kendall 14 March, 2019 2 minutes read

If you read our last post on Carnaval in Spain, you probably want more info on the celebration. In this post, we’ll be talking about the activities that go on here in Barcelona.

FAT THURSDAY

Barcelona Carnival begins on Fat Thursday (Dijous Gracias). On this day, the feast begins and people are allowed to eat whatever they want. The Barcelona markets celebrate Fat Thursday with many food eating competitions.

In fact, the market celebrations kick off with a famous omelette eating competition! In this competition, the people must choose which vendor’s omelette is the tastiest. At the end of this competition, one lucky vendor gets a prize.

Omelettes aren’t the only thing being eaten on Fat Thursday. Throughout the city, you will find other food celebrations with chocolates and traditional Catalan sausages. Additionally, you’ll find that sardines are a popular food during Carnaval.

DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE DIFFERENT CELEBRATIONS 

Each neighborhood in Barcelona organizes its own parade and festival. Keep an eye out for posters that talk about the different activities and events taking place in each neighborhood. These activities include costume competitions, food tasting, and cooking competitions.

CELEBRATION AT SCHOOLS  

Carnaval isn’t just for the adults! Kids are a big part of the celebration in Barcelona. In schools, classes are given a costume theme for every day of the week. You will see children marching around different neighborhoods, wearing handmade costumes all week long.

Carnival in Barcelona
Costume fun!

Carnival in Barcelona

SARDINE BURIAL

The sardine burial marks the end of Carnaval in Barcelona. Apparently, sardines represent male genitals……I know, weird. This is because during Lent, your’e suppose to refrain from sex and all things sinful. The burial imitates the suppression of sins that occurred during the celebration.

We hope that this post gave you a little insight on our Carnaval. If you do end up participating, tag us in some of your pictures on Instagram @barcelonaexplorers360!

Post navigation

Previous: Carnaval
Next: The Picasso Museum

Related posts

street art barcelona
  • ATTRACTIONS

Barcelona Street Art: A Route Through Murals and Museums

Sandra 23 July, 2026
Discover Catalonia’s Human Towers
  • ATTRACTIONS

Discover Catalonia’s Human Towers

Sandra 17 July, 2026
Joan miró
  • ATTRACTIONS
  • WHAT TO DO

Discover Joan Miró’s Universe in Barcelona

Sandra 27 May, 2026

Categories

  • ATTRACTIONS (107)
  • CULTURE (8)
  • DAY TRIPS (18)
  • GASTRONOMY (17)
  • TRAVEL TIPS (27)
  • WHAT TO DO (39)

ATTRACTIONS

Categories
  • Attractions (90)
  • Culture (6)
  • Day Trips (13)
  • Gastronomy (13)
  • Travel Tips (24)
  • What to Do (16)

You may have missed

street art barcelona
  • ATTRACTIONS

Barcelona Street Art: A Route Through Murals and Museums

Sandra 23 July, 2026
Iconic Cafés in Barcelona
  • GASTRONOMY

Iconic Cafés in Barcelona by Neighborhood

Sandra 21 July, 2026
Discover Catalonia’s Human Towers
  • ATTRACTIONS

Discover Catalonia’s Human Towers

Sandra 17 July, 2026
Thing to do in Bracelona
  • WHAT TO DO

Things to Do in Barcelona in July 2026

Sandra 14 July, 2026

HOP-ON HOP-OFF

CAMP NOU EXPERIENCE

AIRPORT SHUTTLE BUS

  • Cookie Policy (EU)
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us!
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
  • Manage options
  • Manage services
  • Manage {vendor_count} vendors
  • Read more about these purposes
View preferences
  • {title}
  • {title}
  • {title}