Barcelona does a lot of things very well, and one of them is festivals. Music festivals in Barcelona include Primavera Sound in May, and Sonar in June. Live music in Barcelona is celebrated all year round, with special events that include various jazz and blues festivals, guitar festivals, flamenco festivals, Latin music festivals, as well as festivals that cover many other styles and genres.

Look out for theatre, music and dance festivals throughout the year, and various film festivals. These include everything from open air cinema screenings in the summer in Montjuïc, to internationally recognised alternative, short film, animation, and Catalan film festivals.