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This page provides an index for the major events taking place in Barcelona's calendar year. Click on the links to find more detailed information on each event.

Barcelona has a very busy social schedule these include public holidays, sports events, music events and trade shows. Whilst planning your trip to Barcelona it is worth checking whether it will coincide with any major events. You may find that you want to get tickets for something whilst you are here. Alternatively, you may decide that there are certain events that you would prefer to avoid. For example, if you are in Barcelona at the same time as the Sonar music festival, you will find that a lot of the hotels and apartments increase their prices due to the increased demand.

Saints days and public holidays in Barcelona

For a full listing of all of the Saint days in Barcelona, see our Bank Holiday Festivals and Celebrations page. The ones that you may find of particular note are:

29 March 2013 - 01 April 2013: Easter weekend (see our Barcelona Easter timetable page for full details on what to expect).

23 April: Sant Jordi fiesta - Catalunya's equivalent to Valentines Day (for full details, see our Sant Jordi festival.

23 June - 24 June: Sant Joan - the summer solstice (for full details, see our Sant Joan Festival).

August Gràcia Festival. The streets of Gràcia are transformed with themed decorations and the entire neighbourhood becomes one big outdoor party. Dates have not yet been released for 2013 but it is likely to be around the middle of August.

24 September: La Merce fiesta (for full details, see our Complete Guide to La Merce).

08 December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception (for full details, see our Guide to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception).

08 December - 06 January: Christmas period see our Christmas Traditions in Barcelona guide for local information on what takes place, plus links to detailed pages on the different events over the Christmas period).

Sports events in Barcelona

17 March 2013: Barcelona Marathon 2013 (for full details, see our Barcelona Marathon page).

Friday 10 May 2013 - Sunday 12 May 2013: Formula 1 Grand Prix

31 December: Barcelona 10k Race (for full details, check our Frequently Asked Questions).

Music events in Barcelona

Wednesday 22 May - Sunday 26 May: Primavera Sound Festival (for full details, see our Primavera Sound page).

13 June 2013 - 15 June 2013: Sonar Electronic Music Festival (for full details, see our Sonar Guide page).

24 September: La Merce festival (see above in Saint Days).

Event date not yet confirmed: Barcelona Jazz Festival (for full details see our Barcelona Jazz Festival page).

Trade shows in Barcelona

Throughout the year in Barcelona there are an abundance of trade shows taking place in the conference centres. For full details on the dates of the different conferences, see our Trade Show Overview page.

This page only provides details on the major events taking place in the Barcelona calendar year. For more detailed information on events that are taking place during your trip, have a look at the Official Barcelona Tourist Office Agenda page.

Barcelona is a city that is always a hive of activity. Do some research prior to you trip on what's on the city and you may be in for some pleasant surprises.