The Best Parties in Barcelona

So you’ve read all about the best party districts and places to go out on our Barcelona nightlife article, and you’ve checked out our drink section for some top bar and club reviews… but there’s still one vital piece of the knowledge jigsaw missing. When to turn up!

As the Barcelona Life team are something of nightlife connoisseurs ourselves, we know that ‘when’ can be even more important than ‘where’, and that’s why we’ve compiled a short list of suggestions of hot parties to check out on each separate night of the week. We hope this party calendar helps you keep on top of all the drinking and dancing action in the city, and as always we welcome – and encourage – your comments below. Salud amigos!

Barcelona Weekly Party Calendar

Whatever the night of the week it is, there’s always something going on in this town, from club nights and pub crawls, to a booze cruise on the high seas courtesy of the legendary Barcelona boat party!

Check below for some guaranteed great nights out, with things hotting up during the week to boiling point at the weekends, when you don’t even have to wait until after dark to start partying. Yes, day parties are a thing here in BCN!

Monday Night

Monday can be a tricky night for fiesta lovers, as locals head back to work or uni, but if you know where to look you can still find plenty of action. During summer there’s enough party-loving tourists in town to keep Port Olimpic’s bevy of clubs full to bursting, so you can always head down to the marina, while there’s always something going on in Plaza Real, even in winter.

If you’re travelling solo, or in a small group, a good way to meet people is on a pub crawl (click the link, as there’s a few good ones to choose from!).

Another fun option is to drop by Belushi’s Bar for their weekly Beer Pong tournament.

Mondays = fun days!

Tuesday Night

Every day is the weekend for young backpackers and travellers, and bar-heavy districts like Gotico and Born should have a nice buzz about them even on a Tuesday. Check our Bars section for some recommendations of cool places.

A great way to break the ice and meet new people is this Cocktail Masterclass with Tapas. For €50 you get four cocktails (which you learn how to make yourself!), with tapas. It’s become very popular in recent years, thanks to its 5-star reviews on Get Your Guide, where you can also book the activity. Currently running at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm each night.

Shake it up at a hip cocktail class

Wednesday Night

Wednesdays is a popular night to go out for both local and Erasmus students, so studenty venues like Ovella Negra, CocoVail and even Razzmatazz tend to good bets if you are young enough to mingle with the Uni crowd!

However, it can be hard to break into other people’s cliques, so travellers looking to meet like-minded people might be better off signing up for a pub crawl where everyone is in the same boat. There are a few good ones to choose from, and most of them drop you off in a late night venue, after a whirlwind tour of some iconic Old Town bars.

Mingle with other travellers on a pub crawl…

Thursday Night

Thursdays are the start of the weekends in Barcelona and you should note a marked increase in the number of locals propping up bars around the city. Head to our “drinking” section for some great recommendations.

One fantastic way to get the pre-weekend spirit going is at this Rooftop Wine Party, smartly dubbed Wine Not? Guests try out a total of 7 sensational local wines (Catalonia has 12 wine regions!) in good company, with epic views over the city rooftops. The evening typically ends with plenty of party spirit and sexy-silly dance moves. Runs every Thurs to Sunday, and you can book via Stoke Travel.

Getting sloshed on a rooftop… welcome to Thursdays in BCN!

During summer, Thursday is also the first day of the week that the Original Barcelona Booze Cruise launches onto the Mediterranean for a sunset sail….. with DJs, an Ibiza-style crowd and a dangerous amount of beer and sangria on board! Book your tickets early as they fly fast!

The Original Barcelona boat party runs Thurs to Sat during summer…

Friday Night

The weekend starts in earnest, and every drinking den in the Catalan capital will be heaving. Almost every bar in town will be open until 2 or 3am and serving drinks. After that it’s time to move your feet, and on Friday night every nightclub in the city will boast a packed dancefloor from 2am to sunrise.

It’s impossible to list them all here, but the likes of Opium, Pacha, Razzmatazz and La Terrazza will be bringing out the big guns when it comes to international DJs, whilst you might find live music at more sophisticated venues like Slow Barcelona, which also features DJs spinning more eclectic sounds.

The VIP Nightlife tour runs every Fri and Sat during summer

For a guaranteed great night out check out this VIP night tour, which runs every Friday and Saturday from April ’til October and finishes in the upmarket Opium Club on the beach at the Port Olimpic.

Saturday Day

No need to wait til nightfall to get your groove on, especially now the weekend is in full swing. Partying in the sunshine is what it’s all about in Barcelona, particularly in summer when two great options present themselves.

Setting sail at 2pm every Sat, from June to September, is the Paella & Swim Party Boat… which is the best of the boat parties in my opinion, as it is the only one to combine, food, booze and swim stop all in one event, together with live DJs and a party atmosphere.

Although there are a couple of other options, like the Original Boat Party and Chilled Out BBQ Party that also set sail on Saturdays, during the day…

Tucking into a paella buffet on a boat, with beats!

The other great daytime option are the Pool Parties, which take place every Sat and Sun throughout the warmer months, kicking off from 5:30pm and going on into the night. It’s great fun to splash around in the pool, and then bust some moves at one of Barcelona’s most glamorous venues. Tickets cost €55, with four drinks included, and it’s best to secure your tickets a little in advance.

Make a splash at the city’s best pool party!

Saturday Night

Ditto Friday night. Everywhere around Plaza Real and the Port Olimpic will be heaving. Best to get to clubs a little before the locals to be in with a better chance of getting in, as the queues get nasty around 1am generally, depending on the venue.

That’s another reason why I’d recommend the VIP Nightlife Tour, because it makes getting into Opium (arguably the best nightspot!) a breeze, and also includes several awesome venues for warming up, like Belushi’s Bar and Garage 442.

Cava and dance moves on the VIP Nightlife Tour

VIP Tables. If you don’t fancy signing up for the VIP Party Tour, but want to be sure of getting into your preferred club on a busy Saturday night, we can also help you reserve a VIP table at Opium, Pacha, CDLC, Shoko, Sutton or Bling Bling. Just send an email to info@barcelona-life.com with your dates, group size and preferred venue and we’ll get back to you with a quote. Typically, each VIP table fits 4-5 people and requires a minimum spend of €300-350.

Chilling out in the VIP zone…

Sunday Days

The music never stops in Barcelona, so don’t plan a lie in, just because it’s a Sunday! Indeed, the Sunday Brunch at Sea party starts at 11:30am, so get your @ss down to the Port Olimpic and get on board the boat for egg and bacon rolls with delicious mimosas on the Mediterranean sea.

If that’s too early for you, the Chilled Out BBQ Boat also departs every Sunday, spring to autumn, at 2:30pm and 6pm… and if it’s sizzling hot out you can cool off with a dive into the ocean and splash around with some floaties.

Sunday boat parties include Brunch at Sea, Chilled Out BBQ Boat and Sunset Cruise….

Talking about splashing around, Sundays offer glam-seeking hedonists a second chance to sign up for a Summer Pool Party, which is great for posing and revelling in that quintessential Barcelona vibe.

Chill by the pool, then boogie to the beats…

Sunday Night

While Sunday nights are more chilled than Friday and Saturday nights, the clubs on the Port Olimpic still draw a large crowd of tourists and international hedonists – if you still have some dancing energy in your legs! – while Sunday is often a good day to wind down with a pint in one of the city’s Irish pubs (especially if the football is one!), or call by one of Barna’s best coctelerias for a well-mixed Margarita.

Electronic music lovers meanwhile will enjoy the vibe at the weekly open-air festival Brunch Electronik which takes place at various parks around the city during summer, and in Poble Espanyol during winter. It actually starts during the day, but I wouldn’t recommend going until the sun starts to cool off… otherwise you will melt!

Get drunk on history, with some fellow travellers!

If you’re new in town then one curved ball option could be to sign up for a Drunken History Tour, where you combine tasting local drinks (cava, vermouth, sangria, cerveza!) at four authentic Barna bars with a walking history tour of the historic centre. The reviews are superb!

Getting On The Guestlist

Several of the more popular club nights operate a strict door policy – if your name ain’t down you ain’t coming in!

As we mentioned, a good option on Friday and Saturday nights is to sign up for the Barcelona Party Nights tour, which includes free VIP entry to Opium and takes the hassle out of having a great night, as well as introducing you to some like-minded hedonists!

The vast majority of the city’s bar crawls also drop you off in a late night venue, taking a headache out of your hands.

If you do want to go it alone, just maybe research the specific club you’re interested in, or get there earlier rather than later and dress up nicely.

VIP Tables. Or for more independence you can make a VIP table reservation at Opium, Pacha, CDLC, Shoko, Sutton or Bling Bling. Each club has a slightly different policy, but typical costs are from €300 to €350 per table for five people, with bottle service included in the price.

Just email us on info@barcelona-life.com with your dates, group size and preferred venue and we’ll get back to you with a quote.

Electronic Music: Party Promoters

Underground clubbers and/or electronic music lovers have plenty of options in Barcelona, and clubs like The Loft at Sala Razzmatazz (ie. the top floor of this five room club), Sala Apolo, Moog, and City Hall have beeps and blips aplenty. Some of the best parties however are thrown by passionate independent promoters keen to expose Barcelona to the most exciting trends in house, techno and electronica.

Other Great Events

Epic booze ups on a nightly basis are not the only things going on in the Catalan capital, so if you’re broadminded about your nocturnal entertainment you might want to keep an eye on our monthly event listings, whilst our list of top festivals and our guide to the city’s live music bars should also be of interest.

And if you fancy something a little more cultural how about checking out a flamenco concert? We’ve got the lowdown and can help you get affordable tickets.

Some authentic Spanish nightlife at a flamenco show…

Finally we list the 21 best things to do in Barcelona after dark right here.