Barcelona is a vibrant city with a wide range of live music and theatre, including the famous Gran Teatre del Liceu opera theatre on the Ramblas; the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya; the Teatre Lliure and the Palau de la Música Catalana concert hall. There are many performances in English as well as Catalan and Castillian Spanish.
Most European rock tours include Barcelona on their schedule, while the GREC festival takes place every summer and attracts some highly renowned performers and companies to Barcelona. Barcelona is home to the Sónar Music Festival, an electronica music extravaganza, which takes place annually around June.
Most clubs are in the Barri Gotic, Raval, Poble Nou and Eixample. The Spanish 'village' of Poble Espanyol on Montjuïc is also popular - try the Torres de Ávila in summer with its fantastic terrace. The style elsewhere varies from the likes of Cafe Royale in the Barri Gotic (c/Nou de Zurbano 3) just off the Pl. Reial, a favourite of the 'beautiful people' where you'll want to be dressed in style, to basements like the nearby Karma.
Check out whether it's a music bar or a disco you're heading for. Music bars tend to close earlier - 2 or 3am - whereas discos are likely to be going to 5am and tend to be more expensive. Sometimes entry is free, but expect to pay for it through the high-priced drinks; others charge on entry and that may vary with the arrival time or if there's live music on offer.
Barcelona is increasingly making its mark as an up and coming venue for popular stag and hen weekend holidays. Check out the latest deals for Stag and Hen Weekends in Barcelona from UK-based company 'Last Night of Freedom'.
There's a big choice, whether you're looking for rock and pop; jazz; classical or opera. With such a variety, it's a good idea to check out one of the listings magazines during your stay.
It may not be Catalan in origin, but there's a fair bit of flamenco in town. The Soniquete (c/Milans 5) in the Barri Gotic is highly regarded. The Harlem Jazz Club (c/Comtessa de Sobradiel 8), also in the Barri Gotic, has a wide appeal and variety of jazz styles.
The Barcelona and Catalonia National Symphonic Orchestra, the Orquestra Simfonica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya or OBC, dates back to 1944 and plays at l'Auditori, which opened in 1999. It performs around 75 concerts per season with a season running from September to May.
There's a well established cabaret tradition in Barcelona. It leans towards music rather than comedy, so it is relatively accessible to non-Catalan speakers. The Mercat de les Flors on Montjuïc, part of the Ciutat del Teatre, is the main venue. Another worth looking for is Llantiol in c/Rierata, a cabaret cafe with shows every night but Monday at 9pm and 11pm.
While most foreign films are dubbed into Catalan or Spanish, a number of cinemas show original language (V.O) films. Try Filmoteca in Eixample or Maldá in the Barri Gotic.