Top Things To Do In Barcelona In February (and other info)
A COMPLETE BARCELONA FEBRUARY GUIDE
Every month is a good time to visit Barcelona. And that applies to February, too! It’s all a matter or preferences and priorities. If you are looking for beach and sunshine… well, wait until the Summer. But if a bit of cold weather doesn’t scare you and you think that clouds only make your pictures more scenic, then you’ll love to come to Barcelona in February!
The crowds are gone, hotels are cheaper, it’s easier to hit tables in fancy restaurants and secure tickets to sites last minute. Unless you hit the MWC – keep reading to understand what I mean.
And it’s a month packed with events: from traditional Barcelona ones, to Chinese New Year, from music festivals to street food and wine. Not to talk about winter treats to taste and snow and sales season!
This post will cover all this an more, plus some helpful tips about what type of weather to expect and what to pack. This is not another post with the old list of tourist sites and itinerary ideas (if that’s what yo are looking for, we have some great posts about that, too). Ready to take the most our of your February in Barcelona?
February traditions and festivals
1
Chinese New Year
WHEN? It depends on the year, but it's often sometime in early February even if some years (2023, 2025, 2028 and 2031 for instance) it falls in late January. You can check the exact dates here.
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.anynouxines.barcelona/
WHAT? There’s 22.487 Chinese immigrants established in Barcelona, a 6.26% of the population, so it’s not strange that you can feel their most important celebration in the streets. The traditional Chinese calendar is based not just in the Sun (like the Occidental calendar), but also on the Moon – what explains that the New Year date changes every year.
The festivities last for 15 days, although the pandemic has limited the number of public events such as parades and performances in Barcelona, and a lot of activities have been transformed into online events.
2
Saint Eulalia Festival
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.barcelona.cat/
WHAT? Saint Eulalia is the secondary Patron Saint of Barcelona (the main one is our Lady of Mercy). She was a little Christian girl tortured and killed by the Romans when she refused to worship their gods. She’s buried in the Cathedral of Barcelona, and her day is February 12th.
During that day and the days around it, you can see traditional parades, Catalan folklore dancing and fire runs. We have an entire post about the Festival of Saint Eulalia in Barcelona.
3
Valentines Day
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? No official events taking place.
WHAT? Saint Valentine isn’t the patron saint of lovers in Catalonia… Saint George is. What means Valentines Day is an imported tradition and you won’t see people giving valentines cards. But of course the local shops see it as an opportunity to make some extra business!
This is why the days around Valentines Day you’ll see many shop windows decorated with hearts and romantic scenes. If you want to create your own Valentines Day in Barcelona, here are some ideas for romantic restaurants and romantic hotels.
4
Carnaval (Carnestoltes)
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.barcelona.cat/
WHAT? Carnival (called Carnaval in Spanish and Carnestoltes in Catalan) starts on Fat Thursday with the arrival of the King Carnestoltes into town. That’s the start of mask parades or “ruas” and other celebrations.
After a week of parties, Carnival ends the day before Ash Wednesday with the Burial of the Sardine. If you want to learn more about the Barcelona Carnival traditions, don’t miss this other post about it.
Other events taking place in Barcelona in February
5
Barcelona Guitar Festival
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.guitarbcn.com/
WHAT? An eclectic music festival where guitars have the spotlight but all music styles are welcome. It features the best artists of the Catalan, Spanish and international scene.
6
Llum BCN Festival
WHEN? First weekend of February, starting on Friday evening.
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM?
https://www.barcelona.cat/
WHAT? A festival of light arts celebrated in the Poblenou district in the evening. Light decoration, design, art, interactive spaces, audiovisuals, performances and shows.
7
Palo Market Fest
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.palomarketfest.com/
WHAT? A urban festival that combines street food, live music, conceptual art and design shops, in a unique setting.
8
World Mobile Congress (WMC)
WHERE TO FIND THE PROGRAM? https://www.mwcbarcelona.com//
WHAT? The largest world show about connectivity technologies: mobile devices, gaming and all-digital projects.
More things to do in Barcelona in February
9
Blooming starts
Plus fruit trees also start blooming. The Ordal, a section of the Penedes wine and cava region, becomes pink with peach tree flowers. Aitona near Lleida and Sant Climent de Llobregat are famous for their cherry trees, and Arbeca for its almond trees.
The blooming time doesn’t last much more than a couple of weeks, and the exact date varies depending on the climate. But it’s worth checking if it’s happening during your stay. You’ll need to rent a car or hire us for a private tour to get there, though.
10
February is still the sales season!
You can still find interesting deals at the stores, and they are starting to receive their Spring collections as well.
11
Let's go skiing
There are many ski resorts near Barcelona, located 1.5 to 2 hours away from Barcelona where you can plan a one-day ski outing. But if you have the time, it can also be fun to reserve a weekend to stay in Andorra or the Vall d’Aran (Spain)
12
Or relax in a thermal bath
I leave you here my selection of Barcelona spas and a list of all the Barcelona hotels with a spa, to inspire you!
13
Best day trip ideas for February
Other than that, February is a great time to be indoors, and the Salvador Dali Museum is a great choice for that. Plus there won’t be the Summer crowds! Another indoor option is visiting a winery. The vineyards are still sleeping, and it’s a quiet time in the cellars, but it’s always a good time for some wine tasting!
Alternatively, consider heading South: the seaside village of Sitges has a unique micro-climate with 300 sunny days a year. And it makes for a lovely morning out of town.
And Tarragona is another location further South that tends to be warmer than Barcelona (even if not enough to go to the beach in February). It features cool Roman ruins declared UNESCO World Heritage, and it feels like Italy without the crowds.
14
February delicacies and treats
February is also the season of two veggies that locals worship. One is artichokes, and all tapas bars serve them fried. The artichoke chips of Quim de la Boqueria and Cerveseria Catalana are some of the best you’ll find.
The other winter vegetable you must try are calçots. They are long green onions that we grill, peel off and dip in a nutty sauce called romesco. Locals organize BBQ parties to eat them with friends and family, but you can find some fun calçot restaurants in Barcelona too.
Also, if you are in Barcelona on Fat Thursday (yes, it’s a Thursday, not a Tuesday in Spain), make sure to eat egg sausage, egg sausage omelet and crackling cake (“coca de llardons“). For the sausages, head to Butifarreria de Santa Maria in El Born. For the omelets, check out El Quim de la Boqueria. And you’ll find the cakes in any bakery and cake shop.
And if you need more ideas, here is a list of the best traditional foods of Spain.
February Barcelona Weather
- Average temperature during day time: 15ºC / 59F
- Average temperature at night time: 8ºC / 49F
- Average number of rain: 4 days
- Average wind: 3,75m/s / 8.4 miles per hour
- Clouds: 47% of the time.
- Sea water temperature: 13ºC / 55F (so sorry, not the best time to go to the beach!).
- Is there any chance of snow? Barcelona city doesn’t usually get much snow. If it does, it’s a few snow flakes that melt as soon as they reach the ground. But there’s been a few snowfalls in February: the last ones were 2004, 2012, 2013 and 2018. So if it’s happened, it can happen again.
What to wear in February in Barcelona
Barcelona in February is cold, so dress to be prepared. Layers are useful, because when you go indoors there’s usually central heating. So you’ll need a cotton long-sleeved shirt underneath and a warmer piece (wool sweater or flannel shirt) on top.
Then to be outside down coats are the norm, hooded or not. Men don’t usually cover their heads, although a wool beanie is OK on really cold days, in the early morning or late at night.
Women might choose to wear a wool bonnet, but not many do unless it’s really cold. But young children do wear beanies outside. And for your feet, consider ankle boots with fleece lining, or at least thermal socks. You’ll be outside a lot, so you warm to keep your feet warm.
Scarfs, neck warmers and infinity scarfs are also a useful accessory, as well as wool globes (no need for snow globes). I favor touch screen globes, so I don’t have to take them off to take pictures or use my phone.
Will you visit Barcelona (Spain) in February?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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