The Festes de Sant Roc will return to Plaça Nova, opposite Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic Quarter, from Wednesday 12 August to Sunday 16 August 2026. Residents and visitors will find shaded areas and water at the square during the periods of strongest sun, according to the 2026 programme.

The four-day event is one of Barcelona’s oldest neighbourhood celebrations. Its origins are linked to the 1589 plague: the Cathedral district’s residents attributed their survival to Sant Roc and formed the Brotherhood of Sant Roc de la Plaça Nova in gratitude, according to an account of the festival’s history.

The 2026 programme pays tribute to women who, despite being “the soul and strength” of the neighbourhood and its festivities, have been made invisible over the centuries.

The tribute, organised by the Associació de Festes de la Plaça Nova, puts the role of women in sustaining the local celebration at the centre of this year’s edition.

Traditional games, dances and giant figures

Activities planned for Plaça Nova include neighbourhood gatherings, workshops, traditional games, competitions, traditional Catalan dance groups, habaneras, puppet shows, giant parades, correfocs and evening dances. A correfoc is a fire-run procession involving performers and pyrotechnics.

  • Cucanya: participants attempt to cross a raised, slippery pole to reach a prize.
  • Porró Llarg: a traditional wine pitcher with a 55cm spout, used for a difficult no-spill drinking challenge.
  • Panellets: the festival’s traditional sweet, which the programme says has been associated with Sant Roc since 1869.

This year also marks 120 years of Laieta and Roc, the two giant figures of Sant Roc. The pair have undergone restoration and will appear with a renewed look, the programme states.

Roc and Laieta were first presented during the Sant Roc festivities in Plaça Nova on 14 August 1906, according to historical information about the figures. People wishing to attend can go to Plaça Nova between 12 and 16 August; the festival programme sets out the detailed timetable for each activity.

Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, barcelona.cat, barcelona.cat, barcelona.cat. Reported by Source Text Link, Charles, ground.news, ca.wikipedia.org, racocatala.cat, xarxanet.org, beteve.cat, Diari Catalunya, El Periódico Barcelona.