A popular community centre in Barcelona’s Poblenou neighbourhood has cancelled its traditional Carnival procession. This decision follows the city’s strict new Barcelona anti-drinking decree, which targets organised street drinking.
The L’Octubre del Poblenou centre announced the suspension of its annual “cerca-entitats”. This festive route visits various cultural associations. Organisers cite the rigid application of the Barcelona anti-drinking decree. The regulation, championed by Mayor Jaume Collboni’s government, was primarily introduced to curb unruly tourist pub crawls in the city centre, particularly in Ciutat Vella.
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However, local organisations argue that the blanket ban is now stifling authentic neighbourhood culture.
Collateral Damage of the ‘Pub Crawl’ Ban
According to municipal sources, the decree strictly “prohibits alcohol routes throughout the city”. While council officials stated that a licence had been granted for the event until 11:00 pm, organisers at L’Octubre tell a different story. They claim the district administration contacted them both officially and unofficially to deny permission and warn of potential fines.
“They tell us it is a political decision and there is nothing to be done,” explained Bernat, a spokesperson for the entity. The organisers had formally requested permission to run the event until midnight, but the request was rejected by the Sant Martí district.
In an email dated 20 January, district officials justified the refusal by citing the mayoral decree approved in October 2025. The correspondence noted that the event violated the prohibition on “promoting, organising, or executing… organised routes for alcoholic consumption in public space”. Furthermore, officials argued that the presence of itinerant live music after 11:00 pm would breach environmental noise ordinances.
A Blow to Local Culture
The cancellation has sparked frustration among residents. They view the measure as a heavy-handed approach to a community tradition. The “cerca-entitats” has been running since 2013, involving historic local groups such as Flor de Maig and Diables del Poblenou. Unlike commercial pub crawls aimed at tourists, this event occurs only twice a year. It functions as a fundraiser to cover maintenance and activity costs for the participating non-profits.
“We have gone from an initial decree to prohibit the binge-drinking route business for tourists in Ciutat Vella, to prohibiting festive entity-hopping events… labelling them as alcoholic,” the centre stated in a press release. They highlighted the irony of the city promoting tourism while simultaneously penalising the cultural entities that suffer the side effects of mass tourism regulations.
Organisers noted they had previously discussed the possibility of an exemption for cultural entities during popular festivities. However, this flexibility appears to have vanished. Consequently, the group has reconfigured the event into a static party within their own premises, eliminating the traditional route.
Uncertainty for Future Festivals
The immediate concern now shifts to the neighbourhood’s major festival in September. The “cerca-entitats” is a highlight of the Poblenou Festa Major. Members fear this precedent puts the autumn event at risk.
“What fault is it of ours that Barcelona has allowed binge-drinking tourism to grow?” the organisers asked. They vowed to fight to preserve their local traditions against what they see as indiscriminate bureaucratic overreach.
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