Santa Eulàlia, the festival of tradition and light
The winter festival comes to Barcelona from 11 to 14 February, steeped in tradition and offering a new edition of the Llum BCN urban lighting festival.
Between 11 and 14 February, Barcelona celebrates the great winter festival in honour of its co-patron saint, Santa Eulàlia.
The star of the Santa Eulàlia Festival is popular culture rooted in tradition: here you'll find the giantess Laia, Barcelona's human castle groups, the Falcons, traditional dance troupes, giants and giantesses, the human castle festival, fire demons and the Eagle, just some of the many expressions of Barcelona's popular culture. This year, the festive entourage and the Capgrossos de Mataró human castle group will be the guests at the celebrations.
During the winter festival, after the sun has set, it's the turn of the Llum BCN, the benchmark lighting festival which this year celebrates its 5th edition. Between Friday 12 and Sunday 14, light will be the star of over twenty lighting installations that will transform emblematic buildings, courtyards and squares in Ciutat Vella, Barcelona's Old Town.
Plaça del Rei, Plaça de Sant Just, Pati d’en Llimona and the exterior porch of the Saló del Tinell will be have a brand new appearance thanks to Llum BCN. A total of 14 palace courtyards and buildings will be transformed thanks to the work of design, lighting, architecture and interior design students and schools, and 10 squares in the Old Town will be filled with installations by creators and design professionals. For the second consecutive year, La Pedrera will also be part of Llum BCN with Moviments Granados, a show that brings together lighting, architecture and music on the façade of the building and which can be seen on 12 February from the corner of Passeig de Gràcia with Provença.
The opening show of the Santa Eulàlia Festival will take place on Thursday 11 February at 10 pm, at Plaça de Sant Jaume. In Dancing with Light, everyone will enjoy a music show with light pendulums and lasers that will signal the start of the City's Eagle Protocols, a street procession that sets off from Plaça de Sant Jaume and ends at the Santa Maria del Mar basilica with the traditional Dance of the Eagle. Dancing with Light will be repeated every 30 minutes after dusk on 12, 13 and 14 February.
Also, between 11 and 14 February, the city's museums will also be joining in the celebrations with open-door days offering a great number of exhibitions, workshops, talks and other activities for young and old alike.
This link provides all the detailed information, times and programme for Santa Eulàlia and Llum BCN.