New Year’s Eve in Barcelona: Free Show, Grapes and Night Metro
How the city's countdown below Montjuïc works, which Metro stations to use, what you cannot bring, how to eat the twelve grapes on time and what opens on New Year's Day.
Barcelona’s official New Year’s Eve celebration (Cap d’Any) is a free show of fireworks, drones, music and the Magic Fountain on Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, below Montjuïc. In 2025 it ran from 23:50 into the first minutes of the new year, and the Metro ran all night. As of November 2026, the Ajuntament had not announced its 2026 plans.
What happens at the city’s New Year’s Eve show?
The Ajuntament (city council) stages the show on the avenue between Plaça d’Espanya and the Magic Fountain (Font Màgica). It starts about ten minutes before midnight, carries the countdown and the chimes, and ends ten to fifteen minutes into January 1. Entry is free and there are no tickets or reservations.
The 2025 edition, which welcomed 2026, was produced by the French company Groupe F with original music by Barcelona musician Marc Parrot. According to the Ajuntament, it used 500 drones and 1,400 kg of fireworks, and was split into four parts inspired by air, water, earth and fire. The Magic Fountain ran again on New Year’s Eve after several years switched off because of drought, and the city counted about 115,000 people on the avenue.
There was a reserved area for people with reduced mobility where Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina meets Carrer de Rius i Taulet, with limited places and ID required. The program for each year’s show appears in the last days of December on the Ajuntament’s Christmas website.
On the morning of December 31, the Home dels Nassos parade, led by a folk figure said to have as many noses as the year has days, ends in Plaça de Sant Jaume; our overview of Christmas in Barcelona covers it with the other traditions of the season.
How do you get in, and what can’t you bring?
These were the rules for the 2025 show, set out in the Ajuntament’s New Year’s Eve plan. Expect similar arrangements in 2026.
- Entry is through security filters on the central roadway between the two Venetian Towers at Plaça d’Espanya, where private security staff with police support check bags and use hand-held metal detectors.
- No public access from Avinguda de Rius i Taulet or Avinguda de Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia, which are kept clear for emergencies and for leaving after the show.
- Banned items: glass bottles, cans, electric scooters and any object considered dangerous.
- Traffic: about a dozen bus lines around Plaça d’Espanya were diverted from 19:00 or 20:00, and nearby streets close to cars in the evening.
The places closest to the fountain fill up first, so arrive early. Latecomers watch from further down the avenue toward Plaça d’Espanya, where the drones and fireworks above the avenue are still in view.
Does the Metro run all night on December 31?
Yes. TMB’s standard timetable includes all-night Metro service on December 31. For New Year’s Eve 2025, all eight lines and 165 stations ran without a break from 5:00 on December 31 until midnight on January 1, with trains every 4 minutes or less on L1 and L3 between 21:00 and 2:00. In 2026, December 31 falls on a Thursday and January 1, 2027 on a Friday; TMB publishes the exact timetable in December.
| Service | New Year’s Eve 2025 |
|---|---|
| Metro (TMB) | Non-stop from 5:00 on Dec. 31 to midnight on Jan. 1; extra trains on L1 and L3 |
| Tram | All night on Dec. 31 |
| FGC (Vallès lines S1 and S2) | Service through the night |
| Buses near Plaça d’Espanya | Diverted from 19:00 or 20:00 |
| Rodalies | Own timetable; check before you travel |
Espanya (L1, L3) is the closest station and the most crowded. Hostafrancs (L1), Tarragona (L3), Rocafort (L1) and Poble Sec (L3) are within walking distance and are the stations the Ajuntament itself recommends. Before and after the show, staff control the flow of passengers at the stations nearest the avenue, so expect short waits to get in. Our guide to Metro hours and night buses covers the NitBus network and normal weekend hours.
How do the twelve grapes work?
Across Spain, people eat one grape on each of the twelve chimes at midnight (les dotze campanades in Catalan, las doce uvas in Spanish), one for each month of the coming year. Most households follow the clock of Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on television, and TV3 broadcasts its own countdown in Catalan.
- Have twelve grapes ready before 23:59. Supermarkets sell packs of twelve peeled, seedless grapes in late December for this.
- Wait through the first chimes, the quarts (quarters), which come before the twelve strokes. Starting on these is the classic mistake.
- Eat one grape per stroke, about three seconds apart, then toast the new year, usually with cava.
Some people also wear red underwear on the night for luck. If you go to the Montjuïc show, carry the grapes in a plastic tub: glass and cans are not allowed in the access area, so leave the cava bottle at home.
How do you stay safe in the crowds?
The Guàrdia Urbana and the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan police) run a citywide operation on the night, with extra patrols in central squares where crowds gather without an organized event, such as Plaça de Catalunya. Pickpockets work the dense crowds and the packed Metro platforms afterward. Keep phones and wallets in front pockets or a closed bag; our guide to pickpockets in Barcelona lists the usual tricks.
- Agree on a meeting point in case you get separated, as phone networks can be slow around midnight.
- The Ajuntament marks safe routes from nightlife areas to public transport stops to help prevent sexual and gender-based violence.
- In an emergency, call 112.
What is open on January 1?
January 1 is a public holiday, and in 2027 it falls on a Friday. Public offices, banks and most shops close. Metro and buses run, but on a holiday timetable after the all-night service. Some bakeries, small food shops and restaurants open, and a duty pharmacy is always open nearby.
- The Sagrada Família opens from 9:00 to 14:00 on January 1, according to its official schedule as of November 2026.
- La Roca Village outlet is closed on January 1, and so is its shuttle coach.
- Many museums close or shorten their hours, so check each one before going.
Bottom line
Travel to the show by Metro to Hostafrancs, Tarragona or Poble Sec rather than Espanya, and walk back to one of them afterward instead of joining the queue at Plaça d’Espanya. Book any January 1 sightseeing, such as the Sagrada Família, in advance, because the morning-only opening concentrates visitors into fewer time slots.
FAQ
Do you need a ticket for the Montjuïc New Year’s Eve show?
No. In 2025 it was free with no tickets or reservations; you only pass a security check at the entrance.
What time does the show start?
In 2025 it started at 23:50 and ended shortly after midnight. Check the Ajuntament’s program for the 2026 times.
Can I bring cava to the show?
Not in a glass bottle. Glass bottles and cans were banned in the access area in 2025.
Is the Sagrada Família open on New Year’s Day?
Yes, from 9:00 to 14:00 on January 1, according to its official schedule as of November 2026. Book a time slot in advance.
