Barcelona will host its largest Sant Jordi festival yet on 23 April, with 425 book and flower stalls spread across all ten districts, according to La Vanguardia. The celebration marks a significant shift in the city's geography, as ongoing construction on the Rambla forces booksellers and florists to relocate to a new cultural axis running from Portal de l'Àngel through Plaza Nova and Plaza de la Catedral to Via Laietana.

The festival will expand across 3.7 kilometres of stalls, with 364 dedicated to books (up from 348 last year) and 61 to flowers (up from 52 in 2025). An additional 130 stalls will operate in front of bookshops and florists throughout the city. The primary concentration will be in the superilla literària, which returns for its fifth consecutive year along Paseo de Gràcia between Avenida Diagonal and Gran Via, as well as the Rambla de Catalunya and adjacent streets including Diputació, Consell de Cent, Mallorca, Provença, Rosselló, Còrsega and Diagonal.

Record stalls and district distribution

Ciutat Vella will host 110 stalls, whilst the Eixample will have 243, including those in Plaza Catalunya, Plaza Universitat and Paseo de Sant Joan. Additional zones will appear in Gràcia (35 stalls), Les Corts (14), Sant Martí, Sants, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris and Sant Andreu. Traffic will be suspended throughout the day on key commercial streets, creating pedestrian-only zones.

Èric del Arco, president of the Catalan Booksellers Guild, suggested the new location could become permanent. The construction on the Rambla is expected to conclude before the National Day of Catalonia in 2027.

Author signings and cultural programme

The festival kicks off on the evening of 22 April with a reading address by British author Ali Smith at the Town Hall's Saló de Cent, followed by conversation with her Catalan translator, Dolors Udina, at 18.00. Smith will also speak with critic Eva Piquer on 24 April at Jaume Fuster library.

The Diàlegs de Sant Jordi cycle brings celebrated writers to city libraries throughout the week. Nobel Prize winner Han Kang (Korea) will appear on 21 April, alongside other international and Catalan authors. A total of 257 author signing tables will operate across the city, concentrated in the superilla literària.

Music, art and exhibitions

The Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm will host nine continuous hours of concerts featuring 20 performances. Major acts include Buhos (celebrating their twentieth anniversary), La Pegatina, 31 Fam, Els Amics de les Arts, Maria Jaume, El Pony Pisador and Macaco. Urban artist TV Boy, who designed the festival's promotional posters, will create a live mural at the junction of Ronda Sant Pere and Paseo de Gràcia from 12.00 to 15.00.

Cultural institutions including the Palau de la Música (hosting La Traviata on 22 April), Casa Àsia, the Photographic Social Vision Foundation and the Antic Teatre will programme special events. The XVII Festival of Artist Books and Limited Editions will take place in Plaza Sant Just.

Open buildings and visitor information

Key civic and cultural buildings will open to the public on 23 April. These include Barcelona's Town Hall (with a children's shadow theatre performance about the Sant Jordi legend), the Palau de la Generalitat, the Diputació de Barcelona, the Sagrada Família (free for those named Jordi or Jordina and one companion), the Casa de les Punxes, the Palau Güell and the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion.

Museums offering access include the Museum of the History of Catalonia, the Museum of Archaeology of Catalonia and Can Framis. The Catalan National Library, the Institute of Catalan Studies and the Ateneu Barcelonès will also welcome visitors. The Glòries Tower Viewpoint will offer 2 for 1 tickets for people named Jordi or Jordina from 18 to 26 April.

The Casa Batlló will not hold open doors but will again drape Gaudí's architecture with roses, creating a distinctive landmark for the festival.