How To Spend Halloween In Barcelona

Traditionally a celebration of the dead coinciding with All Saint’s Day on November 1st, in many countries today Halloween has become a celebration of all things ghastly and terrifying. Here in Barcelona, there’s a perfect balance between traditional and modern, as festivities such as the castanyada run alongside lively themed parties in clubs and bars around the city.

The Traditional Celebration

It’s a well-known fact that Halloween with its trick-or-treating, spooky costumes, and ghastly parties is a mostly American export which has become increasingly popular in Europe over the past few years. Here in Barcelona, this modern celebration of Halloween combines with more traditional celebrations of All Saint’s Day, including the very local celebration of the castanyada – a festivity including roast chestnuts and small marzipan cakes. The best way to make the most of halloween in Barcelona is to dabble in both the old and the new, as many young people are accustomed to doing nowadays.

All Saint’s Day

The Parties

One of the most popular ways to celebrate Halloween in Barcelona, especially with the younger crowd, is to head to where the best themed parties are taking place. In recent years, locals have really acquired the taste for fancy dress, and the costumes have become ever creepier and scarier. While trick-or-treating does take place in some parts of town, it’s very much reserved for children and is not as common as in the USA or UK. Instead those looking to partake in the Halloween party spirit tend to gather in clubs or house parties. In the city center, the area around MACBA – especially the bars on Carrer Joaquim Costa – are a great place to head if you want to be able to wander around from bar to bar. If, however, what you’re looking for is for a mega-party, check out the program at one of the major nightclubs such as Razzmatazz or Apolo, or head to the strip of bars and clubs by the Port Olympic – there you’ll find Pacha and the Ice Bar.

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