As with every major metropolis, the LGBTQI+ energy in Barcelona is not contained within just one area. Its many different barrios each have a distinct personality. Photo / Getty Images
For Travel - Feb 14
As with every major metropolis, the LGBTQI+ energy in Barcelona is not contained within just one area. Its many different barrios each have a distinct personality. Photo / Getty Images
For Travel - Feb 14
Madrid has claimed the crown as Spain’s gay capital, but Barcelona has much to offer, writes Bronwyn Griffiths
“The Future is Queer,” announces Candy Darling – not Warhol’s beloved superstar but a neon sign in an achingly cool Barcelona bar named after the trans icon. It sums up the energy of this vibrant Spanish city, which is often overlooked as an LGBTQI+ destination. Madrid has claimed the crown as the country’s gay capital, but Barcelona has more to offer others under the queer umbrella.
As with every major metropolis, the LGBTQI+ energy in this iconic Catalan city is not contained within just one area. Barcelona’s many different barrios each have a distinct personality. So, depending on what you want from your time here, you’ll find the neighbourhood you need with the proper guidance.
Eixample has become so popular with well-heeled gay folks over the past two decades that it’s more commonly known as “Gaixample”. In this sizeable barrio, you’ll find a range of boutique shops, restaurants and bars catering almost exclusively to this crowd. Stay at the “straight-friendly” Axel Hotel, where you can sip cocktails at their rooftop Sky Bar.
Across the road, you’ll find Gingin, a party bar with a penchant for ginger boys and polished drag queens that plays fun pop tunes till 3am every night of the week. Round the corner, Madonna aficionados will love Blond Ambition, featuring a multitude of screens that play her seemingly endless music videos and live shows. Nearby, Carita Bonita is where women who love women let their hair down on the weekend.
Below Eixample, you will find the smaller barrios of El Raval, San Antoni and Poble Sec. With an edgier and more inclusive vibe, these neighbourhoods attract a creative crowd at slightly more affordable prices. Monday nights at the aforementioned Candy Darling are for women, non-binary and trans people only, while La Reposa is a lively vegan tapas bar and intersectional feminist bookstore.
Barcelona's Axel Hotel bills itself as "straight-friendly" - it's a welcoming spot for LGBTQIA+ travellers in the city's Eixample neighbourhood. Photo / Supplied
Madame Jasmine may be modestly sized, but it oozes the kind of eccentric charm you would expect to find in Berlin. El Cangrejo, which translates as “The Crab”, is a queer dive bar that has been around for decades and hosts drag shows en Espanol at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. For a splash of colour and with a side order of tapas, head to La Federica for its friendly, unpretentious atmosphere.
In the city’s east, you’ll find Barcelona’s queer beach, Mar Bella. It is hard to miss the signs announcing the chiringuito (beach bar’s) name BeGay – and all the naked flesh around it. Playa Mar Bella is a zona nudista, which means clothing is optional, and you’ll see a healthy mix of bodies on this beach, from buffed boys to thicc gender non-conforming folks. There is a very sociable energy on the sand as people chat, cruise and play music.
Mar Bella’s location also means that the nearby neighbourhood of Poblenou has an increasingly queer influence. Stay here if you want to experience the calm of a traditional Catalan neighbourhood rather than the bustle of central Barcelona. After a long day sunning yourself on the beach, you can sip cocktails at the local gay bar, Madame George, where they play vintage soul and funk records.
Another key part of queer life in Barcelona is the parties, which happen all year round. Safari Disco Club plays host to YASS! Barcelona every Saturday, where cute boys and girls shake it to pop hits in one room and house music in the other. If you are yet to have your fill, head to Churros con Chocolate at the Sala Apolo on Sunday afternoons. It is a frivolous and fun party where you should expect everything from a drag Holy Week procession to queer mariachi bands, all accompanied by a soundtrack of “reggaeton” bangers.
One of the best parties in Barcelona is Pluma, whose name is a reclaimed Spanish slur for camp or effeminate. Hosted by the legendary drag choreographer Joan Oh, each month is a wild ride of queens, kings and poptastic tunes at Believe Club. If gender-bending hunks are more your thing, watch out for performers like Ken Pollet and Touni Tea, who run the annual “anti-race” competition, Kings.
In this part of the world, the warm months extend from April through to October, which means one thing: festival season. Time your trip right, and you can include one of the many options as part of your Barcelona experience. Depending on your taste, there are three fiestas not to be missed.
Primavera Sound (May 29-June 4) signals the start of the season, attracting a younger queer crowd who want to stay up till sunrise, partying on the seafront festival location. This year’s line-up includes Ezra Furman, Le Tigre, Christine and the Queens and the Pet Shop Boys.
Barcelona Pride is the largest celebration of its kind on the Mediterranean, usually happening over the last weekend in June. Photo /Getty Images
Barcelona Pride is the largest celebration of its kind on the Mediterranean, usually happening over the last weekend in June. It culminates with a parade on the Saturday, followed by a popular free outdoor party in the Pride Village, which was most recently headlined by 90s pop group Aqua.
If your preferred festival has an endless sea of muscly guys, then Circuit Festival (August 5-13) is the one for you. This 10-day celebration is the largest gay festival in Europe, attracting some 70,000 men for sunshine, beaches and endless parties. Here’s hoping its sister event, Girlie Circuit (usually also in August), returns for the lesbians this summer after its pandemic-induced hiatus.
No exploration of queer Barcelona would be complete without a day trip (or weekend) in Sitges. This tiny town is under an hour away by train and was once where LGBTQI+ people found refuge during the oppressive Franco era. These days, it is a gay hot spot, hosting an iconic Carnival in February, Pride in June and not one but two Bear Weeks in April and September.
Celebrations aside, the beaches are Sitges’ main attraction, with Playa De La Bassa Rodona the most central gay beach, while the clothing-optional Playa de las Balmins attracts a mixed crowd. As the sun sets, head into the main village for drinks at one of the many gay bars. Try Runway for cocktails and people-watching, Parrots for drag queens and colourful pub vibes and El Horno, which translates as “The Oven”, for a bit of cruising.
This tiny town of Sitges is less than an hour by train from Barcelona and was once where LGBTQI+ people found refuge during the oppressive Franco era. Photo / 123RF
Back in Barcelona, the Olympic pool is the last stop on your adventure. Sitting high up in the mountains, the Piscina Municipal de Montjuic boasts some of the city’s most stunning views, which will be familiar if you’re a Kylie fan. She shot the music video for her sultry anthem Slow here in 2003, so you can cross off a panoramic swim, a touristy photoshoot and a potential reenactment of Minogue’s beach towel choreography for TikTok – all in one sunny afternoon. Queer holidays don’t get much more dreamy than that.
