Citywide Drawing Festival Returns
The 17th edition of Barcelona Dibuixa will take place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026, transforming the city into a living canvas for drawing and creative experimentation. Organised as a network of 48 artists and 48 venues, the festival will host 46 activities that explore drawing as a tool for thought, movement and urban engagement. Residents and visitors will be invited to participate in events spanning muralism, illustration, comics, urban art and graphic narrative, with a focus on drawing’s dialogue with architecture, the body and social themes.
New Venues Expand Reach
Nine new venues have been added this year, broadening the festival’s presence in the districts of Gràcia, Sant Andreu and Sants-Montjuïc. These include the Ignasi Iglésias – Can Fabra Library, the Jaume Fuster Library, the Canòdrom, the Ateneu d’Innovació Digital i Democràtica, Espai Canals Junyer, El Sortidor Civic Center, La Fontana Youth Space, IED – Design School, and Fabra i Coats. The Museu d’Història de Barcelona also joins as a participating space. The festival continues to build a territorial network that encourages experimental practices and inclusive access to the arts.
The poster for Barcelona Dibuixa 2026, created by Camille Vannier, is an invitation to draw without fear, reclaiming spontaneous gesture and the value of error.
Artists and Themes Across the City
This year’s programme brings together artists from diverse generations and disciplines. Sixe Paredes will present work at the Museu d’Història de Catalunya, Rocío Quillahuaman at the Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món, and Eva Fàbregas at La Fabra Centre d’Art Contemporani. Other participants include Clara Nubiola at La Model, Maria Picassó Piquer at El Coll Civic Center and La Bruguera, Marc Torices at the Ignasi Iglésias – Can Fabra Library, Sabine Finkenauer at the Can Framis Museum, Alberto Feijóo Rodríguez at the Fundació Joan Miró, Marina Sáez at the Museu Picasso de Barcelona, and Nadia Hafid at the Museu d’Història de Barcelona – El Born. Themes of city and architecture are central, with events at IED Barcelona, the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion, the College of Architects of Catalonia (COAC), the Centre Obert d’Arquitectura, and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC). Drawing intersects with movement and performance at the Centre de les Arts Lliures – Fundació Joan Brossa, where Montdedutor presents Danses romàntiques – Antena fantasma, and at the Museu Picasso, where Marco Noris leads Dibuixar caminant. At Fundación MAPFRE, Paula Artés explores line and photography in Traços Visuals. Aleix Font Arroyo presents L’arbre que volia viure dins una parada d’autobús at the Hivernacle of the Museu de Ciències Naturals, while Glendis López leads print-based storytelling workshops at Espai Jove La Fontana and Espai Avinyó under the title Estampar el relat.
Participatory Focus Grows
For the second consecutive year, the festival strengthens its cultural mediation strand, involving 11 collaborating entities including schools, social organisations and local residents. These partnerships aim to expand access, foster inclusion and co-create activities that reflect community voices. The festival poster, designed by Camille Vannier, a graphic artist and textile designer known for her work with Vice and publishers such as Anagrama and Lumen, encourages unrestrained creativity and embraces the expressive power of the imperfect line.
Reported by diaricatalunya.cat, noumnac.museunacional.cat, Diari Catalunya.
