When do the 2026 lights go on?

The city has not announced the 2026 date yet. In 2025 the switch-on was Saturday, November 22 at 6pm, and the lights stayed on until January 6, from 5:30pm to 1am (until 2am on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves).

Is the switch-on show worth it with little kids?

It is free and short, with aerial dancers hanging from a 20-meter crane, a choir and some pyrotechnics, and big screens along the street. But Passeig de Gràcia fills up early and small kids see little over the crowd. With toddlers, a normal weeknight walk a few days later is much calmer.

What is a good short route with kids?

From Plaça de Catalunya, walk down Via Laietana under the flower arches and turn right to Plaça de Sant Jaume for the projection, about 20 minutes on foot. Casa Batlló is a 10-minute walk up Passeig de Gràcia from Plaça de Catalunya, so it pairs well with the Aragó and Gran Via lights.

Will the designs be the same in 2026?

No. The big designer pieces change every year and are chosen through a competition. The pins show where the 2025 designs were; the 2026 route usually comes out in November, and this page gets updated when it does.

Christmas Lights Walk in Barcelona

Featured inChristmas with Kids in Barcelona 2026

Christmas Lights Walk in Barcelona photo 2

Christmas Lights Walk in Barcelona photo 3

OutdoorsBarcelonaEixampleCiutat VellaSant Martí

Where

Various locations

Ages

All ages (best for 2–12)

Duration

1-2h

Setting

Outdoors

Plan for

An hour or two after dark

Spots

9 stops, from Plaça de Catalunya to Glòries

Lights on (2025)

5:30pm to 1am, until 2am Fri, Sat and holiday eves

What you need to know

Start at Plaça de Sant Jaume for the video projection on City Hall and the Generalitat, which loops every evening (2025: 6:30pm to 10pm)
Casa Batlló's facade show is free and lasts about 3 minutes, every half hour in the evening (2025: 6:30pm to 9:30pm)
Switch-on night brings a free 20-minute show with aerial dancers and a choir on Passeig de Gràcia (2025: Sat Nov 22, 6pm), but it gets very crowded

About

Every year in late November, Barcelona switches on its Christmas lights with a free show on Passeig de Gràcia, and the streets stay lit every evening until Reis, the Three Kings' day. The big designs change every year, picked through a design competition, so the walk looks different each winter. Kids tend to love the moving pieces most: the video projection that turns City Hall and the Generalitat into a giant Christmas card on Plaça de Sant Jaume, the short light and music show on Gaudí's Casa Batlló, and, in 2025, a giant inflatable tortell, the Kings' ring cake, inside the Design Museum.

Free

Dates to be announced

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