Barcelona will be the European Capital of Christmas 2026

BarcelonaBarcelona will be the European Capital of Christmas in 2026. While the mayors of Badalona and Vigo, Xavier Garcia Albiol and Abel Caballero, have long been engaged in a competition to see who has the tallest Christmas tree or whose city has the most and best lights, Jaume Collboni opted a few weeks ago for a different kind of competition: recognition. And this Tuesday, the City Council announced that Barcelona has been chosen as the European Capital of Christmas 2026.

The recognition—which is symbolic and does not involve any financial compensation—is awarded by the European Capital of Christmas organization, a non-profit entity sponsored by the European Union. Meeting in Waterford, Ireland, the jury highlighted that Barcelona's Christmas landscape "is enriched by centuries of history, art, and traditions where deeply rooted local traditions converge with a profoundly multicultural identity." The award highlights the city's Christmas displays "that fill the streets with warmth and joy, the liturgical traditions, the Christmas fairs and markets, as well as the majestic decorations and culinary traditions." It also values the celebrations achieved through low consumption and sustainable decorations and actions.

The call for applications for the European Capital of Christmas 2026 award was open to all cities in the 27 EU member states and in Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Barcelona has been designated in the category of cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, while Wels (Austria) has been chosen in the category of cities with fewer than 100,000 inhabitants, and Kirkop (Malta) will be the European Christmas Village 2026 in the category of cities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

And what does this distinction entail? From now on, the chosen cities must develop a program of activities and events centered around their status as European Capital of Christmas, with citizen involvement. In this regard, Barcelona has announced plans to expand the number of streets and locations featuring its signature Christmas lights. On November 22nd, the Catalan capital held a grand celebration to switch on the city's Christmas lights, which drew 46,000 people to Passeig de Gràcia.