This weekend Barcelona splits between the hill and the sea. Montjuïc hosts Viu Montjuïc, with more than a hundred free activities on Saturday and Sunday, and Barceloneta closes its festa major with fire runs, the foc bestial and paella in the street.
Up above, Tibidabo turns 125 on Sunday. And since the 4th is the first Sunday of the month, several museums are free, the Picasso among them.
The weekend at a glance
Viu Montjuïc
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, freeBarceloneta festa major
Until Sunday 4Record Fair
2 to 4, at Estació del NordVetusta Morla
Friday 2, Palau Sant JordiHombres G
Saturday 3, Palau Sant JordiFree museums
Sunday 4, first Sunday of the month
Here is how the weekend lays out, day by day.
If you only have one day, Saturday on Montjuïc gives you the most without spending anything.
Viu Montjuïc, more than a hundred free activities
On Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, Montjuïc opens its venues with more than a hundred cultural and leisure activities. Almost all are free with no sign-up. The few that need booking say so on their page on the City Council website, and the deadline is Friday 2 at 12:00.
The ones I would circle in the programme:
- Montjuïc Dansat, Saturday 12:00 to 13:30. Dance by the Institut del Teatre conservatory on the side viewpoint of the MNAC, with the city behind.
- Concerts in the Jardins de Joan Brossa, with a food area. Rumbarri on Saturday and Peret Reyes with Yumitus del Pichón on Sunday, both days 15:00 to 17:00.
- Night-time poetry and music in the Jardins de Laribal, Saturday 20:30 to 22:00, with María Salgado and Eddi Circa. Organised by the Fundació Miró.
- The Teatre Lliure’s 50th birthday party, Saturday from 21:00 to 2:00 in Plaça Margarida Xirgu, with the Motherfuckers and guest artists.
- La Colla de l’Arròs, Sunday 11:00 to 17:00 in the Jardins de Laribal, with a communal rice lunch at 14:15. The rice is the only thing on this list that needs registration.
- A four-band concert outside the MNAC, Sunday 17:00 to 22:00.
To get up there, the Montjuïc cable car is half price on return tickets with the code VIUMONTJUIC, only when buying on holabarcelona.com from 1 to 4 October.
One warning: on Saturday there are road closures on Avinguda de l’Estadi and Carrer del Foc for the Palau Sant Jordi concert. Do not drive up that evening. And if you stay for sunset, Montjuïc has some of the best viewpoints in the city.
The last weekend of the Barceloneta festa major
The neighbourhood festival started on 25 September and ends on Sunday 4. The best is saved for last, and all of it is in the street and free.
Friday 2 is the night of the Correfoc del Canó. The drumming starts at 19:15 on Carrer de Pizarro and the fire run sets off at 20:00 from Passeig Marítim at Andrea Dòria, ending in Plaça de la Barceloneta. Afterwards, at 22:30, Alma de Boquerón play on Carrer de l’Atlàntida.
Saturday 3 opens at 9:00 with the blunderbuss salute, followed by the Canó parade at 10:00, sardanas at 12:00 and a foam party at 13:00. In the evening, from 19:00 to 23:00, comes the Foc Bestial: a torch parade from Carrer de la Conreria, a fire run along Passeig de Joan de Borbó, the reading of satirical verses and a final bonfire in Plaça de la Barceloneta.
Sunday 4 is paella day on Carrer dels Pescadors, 14:00 to 17:00, with a ticket. The festival closes in Plaça de la Barceloneta at 19:00, with a stand-up set and music until 22:00.
For the correfoc, wear cotton, long sleeves and something on your head. With children, watch from a balcony or from the end of the route.
Tibidabo turns 125
Spain’s oldest amusement park opened in 1901, and on Sunday 4 it celebrates with a party in the Àrea Panoràmica from 10:00: a giant cake, a parade and surprises.
The day starts down in the city. At 8:30 a community walk leaves the Jardinets de Gràcia for the funicular station on Plaça del Doctor Andreu, and from there the funicular is free.
The catch, before you set an alarm: you need to be registered, and right now the Tibidabo website says registration is closed. If it reopens they will announce it on Instagram at @parctibidabo. And free entry covers the party, not the rides, which run on normal hours with the usual ticket.
The Record Fair at Estació del Nord
The 41st Barcelona International Record Fair brings 160 to 170 stalls of vinyl, CDs, books and merchandise to Estació del Nord.
- Friday 2, 15:00 to 20:30.
- Saturday 3, 10:00 to 20:30.
- Sunday 4, 10:00 to 19:00.
A day ticket costs about €6, the three-day pass about €12, and under-12s get in free.
With kids, Saturday at the Drassanes
On Saturday 3, 10:30 to 14:00, the Museu Marítim holds the Festa infantil de les Drassanes Reials in its garden. It is free, for families, with galley workshops, giant building games, stone arches and postcard printing. There are 800 places, so go early.
It is also the last weekend of Balloon Story, the exhibition of more than 600,000 balloons at Espacio Inmersa in Poblenou. It closes on Sunday 4, with the last session at 16:30. Tickets, from €13.90, are sold on Fever.
If you want more ideas for little ones, they are all in Barcelona with kids.
For the evening, concerts and Oktoberfest
The Palau Sant Jordi has two nights in a row:
| Artist | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Vetusta Morla | Friday 2 | 21:00 |
| Hombres G | Saturday 3 | 21:00 |
For daytime electronic music, Soundit opens its season on Saturday 3 from 16:00 to 22:00 at the Monumental with Carl Craig, Moodymann and Mike Banks. It is over-18s only.
And Oktoberfest carries on at Fira Barcelona Gran Via until 11 October. This weekend it opens Friday 17:00 to 1:00, Saturday 12:00 to 1:00 and Sunday 12:00 to 23:00. Entry is free, except Friday and Saturday from 17:00, when it costs €5.
Sunday 4 is the first Sunday of the month, with free museums
On the first Sunday of every month, most Barcelona museums are free. This is the list for this Sunday, checked on each museum’s own website against the winter timetable, which started at the end of September. Times are opening hours; ticket desks usually close 30 to 45 minutes earlier.
In the centre
| Museum | Free on Sunday 4 |
|---|---|
| Museu Picasso, booking needed | 10:00 to 19:00 |
| MUHBA Plaça del Rei | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Museu Frederic Marès | 11:00 to 20:00 |
| Museu de Cultures del Món, Montcada | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| MACBA | 10:00 to 15:00 |
| Museu d’Història de Catalunya | 10:00 to 14:30 |
| Foto Colectania | 11:00 to 15:00 |
On Montjuïc
| Museum | Free on Sunday 4 |
|---|---|
| MNAC, booking needed | 10:00 to 15:00 |
| Castell de Montjuïc | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Mies van der Rohe Pavilion | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Museu Etnològic | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya | 10:00 to 14:30 |
| Jardí Botànic | 10:00 to 19:00 |
Around the rest of the city
| Museum | Free on Sunday 4 |
|---|---|
| Museu del Disseny, Glòries | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Museu de la Música, L’Auditori | 10:00 to 19:00 |
| Museu Blau, Fòrum | 10:00 to 20:00 |
| Monestir de Pedralbes | 10:00 to 17:00 |
Afternoon only. The Museu Marítim and the CCCB are not part of the first Sunday: they are free every Sunday from 15:00, and the CCCB needs a timed booking.
Worth knowing before you go:
- The Picasso is the one that sells out. Booking for this Sunday opened on Wednesday at 10:00, so check today whether any slots are left.
- The MNAC also needs booking, and closes at 15:00 on Sundays. For Viu Montjuïc it has guided visits at 10:30, 11:00 and 11:30.
- The Museu del Disseny is free for the permanent exhibitions, not the temporary ones. The entrance is now on Carrer d’Irena Sendler, 1.
- Montjuïc will be busy with Viu Montjuïc. For quieter museums, try the Marès, Pedralbes or the Museu de la Música.
- The Fundació Miró is not free on Sunday. Its Viu Montjuïc open day is Saturday 3.
For the rest of the year, with each museum’s free slots, see Barcelona’s free museums. And if you would rather skip the queues, the art galleries are always free.
The whole weekend at a glance
| Plan | When | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viu Montjuïc | Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 | Parc de Montjuïc | Free |
| Correfoc del Canó | Friday 2, 20:00 | Barceloneta | Free |
| Foc Bestial | Saturday 3, 19:00 | Barceloneta | Free |
| Festa major paella | Sunday 4, 14:00 | Carrer dels Pescadors | Ticket |
| Tibidabo 125th | Sunday 4, 10:00 | Tibidabo | Free with registration |
| Record Fair | 2 to 4 | Estació del Nord | About €6 |
| Drassanes kids’ party | Saturday 3, 10:30 | Museu Marítim | Free |
| Balloon Story | Until Sunday 4 | Poblenou | From €13.90 |
| Vetusta Morla | Friday 2, 21:00 | Palau Sant Jordi | Ticket |
| Hombres G | Saturday 3, 21:00 | Palau Sant Jordi | Ticket |
| Oktoberfest | 2 to 4 | Fira Gran Via | Free, €5 in the evening |
| Free museums | Sunday 4 | Picasso, MNAC and 15 more | Free |
And if you want to see what comes next, the whole month is in Barcelona in October, with the long weekend and the Open House.
Questions about any of these plans? Message me on Instagram @barcelonainspira and I will help you put the weekend together.
Frequently asked questions
What to do in Barcelona this weekend, 2 to 4 October
The big plan is Viu Montjuïc on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4, with more than a hundred free activities across the hill. At the same time Barceloneta closes its festa major with a correfoc on Friday, the foc bestial on Saturday and paella on Sunday. On Sunday Tibidabo celebrates its 125th anniversary and, since it is the first Sunday of the month, museums such as the Picasso, the MNAC and the Museu del Disseny are free.
What is Viu Montjuïc
It is a weekend when Montjuïc opens its venues with more than a hundred cultural and leisure activities, almost all free and with no sign-up. In 2026 it runs on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October, with dance outside the MNAC, concerts in the Jardins de Joan Brossa, night-time poetry in the Jardins de Laribal and the Teatre Lliure’s 50th birthday party.
Which museums are free on Sunday 4 October in Barcelona
As it is the first Sunday of the month, the Museu Picasso, MNAC, MUHBA, MACBA, Museu Frederic Marès, Museu del Disseny, Castell de Montjuïc, Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, Museu Blau and Monestir de Pedralbes, among others, are free. The Picasso and the MNAC need advance booking. The Museu Marítim and the CCCB are only free from 15:00.
Do you need to sign up for Tibidabo’s 125th anniversary party
Yes. Both the walk from the Jardinets de Gràcia and the party in the Àrea Panoràmica require registration, and as of 1 October the park’s website says registration is closed. If it reopens they will announce it on Instagram at @parctibidabo. Free access covers the party and the funicular, not the rides.
