Barcelona

Catalonia's Day: Eight Palaces and Museums Open Free

Catalonia's Day: Eight Palaces and Museums Open Free photo 1Catalonia's Day: Eight Palaces and Museums Open Free photo 2Catalonia's Day: Eight Palaces and Museums Open Free photo 3
FestivalBarcelona
Where
Various venues
Ages
All ages
Duration
All day
Setting
Outdoors
Plan for
Drop-in, stay as long as kids last
Scope
Citywide event; main activities in city center
Transport
Metro recommended; expect traffic and transit changes

What you need to know

  • Eight buildings open free, including the Palau de la Generalitat, the Parlament and Gaudí's Palau Güell
  • The Parlament needs no booking; the Generalitat and Palau Güell do, so check places first
  • Mornings are the calm window; the march fills the center from 5pm, so plan to be out of it by then

About

The Diada is Catalonia's national day, a public holiday marked every September 11, and this year is the 50th since it was first celebrated officially. The part that suits families is the open-doors tradition: eight buildings that normally charge, restrict entry or stay closed altogether let anyone walk in for free, among them the Palau de la Generalitat where the president works, the Parlament in Parc de la Ciutadella, Gaudí's Palau Güell, and four museums. The other signature is the ofrena floral, a morning-long procession in which schools, clubs and neighborhood groups lay flower mosaics at the Rafael Casanova monument until the pavement disappears under them.

Schedule

Thu, Sep 10
  • 9pmTorch marches (marxes de torxes) from four starting points converge on the Fossar de les Moreres
Fri, Sep 11
  • from 9amFloral offering (ofrena floral) at the Rafael Casanova monument on Ronda de Sant Pere; institutions, colles and schools file past with flowers all morning
  • 9am to 2pmOpen doors at Palau Robert (Passeig de Gràcia 107), exhibitions only, no registration
  • 10am to 2pmOpen doors at the MNAC on Montjuïc, prior booking gets priority entry
  • 10am to 2:30pmOpen doors at the Museu d'Història de Catalunya (Palau de Mar) and the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya (Montjuïc), no registration
Free
Dates & times
Fri 11 Sept
All day
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Where it is

Various venues

Resources

Common questions

What else is on this weekend

See all events →

More family picks, Friday to Sunday.