From 20 December to 5 January, Port Olímpic will put on a wide range of family, cultural and culinary activities for visitors to enjoy the holidays with family and friends
The new activities on offer include the mapping Barcelona, vela i paper, a selection of top-quality street shows and the Handmade Christmas Kids craft workshops, designed to entertain all the family
The Gastronomic Balcony will also get spruced up for Christmas this year, with a variety of set menus that make it the ideal destination for all kinds of get-togethers this holiday season
This Christmas, Port Olímpic will consolidate its reputation as the city’s hub for family, cultural and culinary activities so that you can enjoy the holidays with all your family and friends. From 20 December to 5 January, the newly refurbished Port Olímpic will transform into a magical setting full of light to offer visitors a unique experience by the sea.
A 12-metre-tall Christmas tree on Moll de Mestral will welcome visitors to a space where they can connect with the sea, culture and cuisine in a unique, recently updated setting.
An à la carte Christmas at Port Olímpic
With the slogan ‘An à la carte Christmas at Port Olímpic’, the Gastronomic Balcony is setting out its stall as the ideal option for family get-togethers, company dinners and all sorts of celebrations.
Located in a special spot on Moll de Gregal, overlooking the sea and with unbeatable views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean, the seven restaurants on the Gastronomic Balcony – Kresala, Superlocal, Casa Carmen, Nuara, El Cangrejo Loco, El Tribut and Eldelmar – are offering special, unrivalled new menus for all tastes over the holidays.
Every day, a Christmas story in the form of a mapping
Among Port Olímpic’s offering of family activities this Christmas is the première of Barcelona, vela i paper, a video mapping show that tells a magical story. Created by the illustrator Andrea Segura López, the tale is about a mischievous cat that travels around iconic spaces in Barcelona – including Port Olímpic, Park Güell, the Montjuïc mountain and Parc d’atraccions Tibidabo – looking for Christmas decorations.
The 15-minute-long mapping will be projected on the façade of the Sala Gregal, located between the Gastronomic Balcony and the Sea Wall. It will be played daily every 30 minutes, between 5:30pm and 8 pm.
Games and workshops for all ages
Also during the holidays, Port Olímpic will offer a plethora of games, workshops and activities for young and old. At Moll de Mestral, visitors will find wooden games, face-painting, craft workshops and a storytelling corner. These free activities will be available from 20 December to 5 January, from 11 am to 8 pm. There will also be sweets and snacks, as well as attractions like trampolines and inflatables (for a fee, in this case).
On top of that, a new event this year is Handmade Christmas Kids at Espai Mestral, consisting of four festive craft workshops for the whole family. The workshops, aimed at families with children aged between 5 and 12, will be on every weekend during the school Christmas holidays: 20, 21, 27 and 28 December, and 3 and 4 January. Visitors can make Christmas garlands, cards and figures like stockings, elves and reindeer, among others. Each workshop costs 10 euros and booking in advance is recommended using the following link.
Also on the weekends, Moll de Mestral will host a Christmas market featuring handicraft products. On offer there will be decorative items, fashion pieces, natural cosmetics and toys.
A first-class selection of street performances
Street performances will be another of the highlights of the Christmas schedule at Port Olímpic. There will be roaming, musical and circus shows, all outside and all free.
On Saturday 20 December, Moll de Mestral will host Zeppelin, a roaming performance by La Baldufa that will whisk the audience away to a world of dreams and imagination. The show, aimed at all audiences, will start at 12.30 pm and last an hour.
Then on Sunday 28 December, it will be the turn of Carrilló, by La Tal. Its protagonist is an enormous clock, which will fill the Moll de Mestral stage with stories of knights, clowns, love and other kinds of passion. It will be performed three times between 12:30 pm and 2 pm.
Then, those who want to warm up for New Year’s Eve can dance to the rhythm of Balambabú, the new entertainment show by Pentina el Gat, on Wednesday 31 December between 12.30 pm and 2 pm. There will be rock, ska, rumba, salsa and many other music styles, as well as challenges and other kinds of fun. All of this will take place on the Moll de Mestral stage, with 100% live music.
The last show at Moll de Mestral will be Il Criceto, by Traüt Espectacles: a roaming show with plenty of humour, circus performance and live music, as well as a huge wheel at the heart of things. The one-hour show will take place on Saturday 3 January at 12.30 pm.
These performances will be held alongside the permanent schedule of cultural and family activities at Port Olímpic, including the KBr Live concert series (with a new jazz concert scheduled specially for 21 December at 12.30 pm) and the Helen Levitt photography exhibition, on until 5 January at Moll de Gregal.
A royal page and the Three Kings’ arrival on a sailing boat
Like last year, there will be an area for little ones to write their letter to the Three Kings at Moll de Mestral, as well as a royal page on hand to answer their questions and collect their letters.
Then, on the afternoon of 5 January, Port Olímpic will be filled with magic thanks to the arrival of Their Majesties on board the boat Rías de Ferrol, who will then take part in the parade around the district of Sant Martí. They are expected to arrive at around 3.45 pm.
The magic of Christmas comes to BSM spaces
The Christmas programme at Port Olímpic is part of municipal company BSM’s new series of activities for the festive season in different iconic spots around Barcelona. In addition to Port Olímpic, Parc d'atraccions Tibidabo and Zoo de Barcelona have already launched their new festive activities and put up decorations, and for the first time, Park Güell has lit up the Sala Hipòstila and put up Christmas decorations to encourage local residents to come to the park to enjoy the magic of Christmas in the city.
