Barcelona’s Corpus Christi festival returns from 4 to 7 June 2026, bringing the city’s best-known traditions back into the streets, cloisters and public spaces. The programme includes the ou com balla, or dancing egg, and floral carpets across 45 locations in Barcelona.
For the first time, the Palau de la Virreina on La Rambla will host an ou com balla. Around 20 installations are planned in cloisters, patios and gardens, with an egg spinning on a jet of water in the centre of each display.
About 20 floral carpets will also appear in streets, squares and public buildings. They are made by local groups using petals, flowers and herbs, according to Catalonia’s Corpus Christi floral carpets. Giants, beasts and traditional dances later break them up as part of the ritual.
The 2026 edition spreads across all of Barcelona’s districts and adds parades, dances, open days, bell ringing, exhibitions and talks. It also includes new accessibility measures, such as a tactile replica of a floral carpet and sign language support on the Joan Amades route.
Corpus Christi is one of Barcelona’s oldest festivals, with more than 700 years of history. It is recognised as a National Heritage Festival, and the ou com balla has been documented in cathedral records since at least 1636. The floral carpet tradition is kept alive today by groups including the Federació d’Entitats Catifaires de Catalunya.
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