Feliz Navidad from us all at Antares
Welcome and Feliz Navidad from us all at Antares. The Christmas lights are on right across Barcelona, adding a wonderful festive glow to the city. It’s a magical time of year here with a wide range of seasonal activities from Christmas fairs to open-air ice-skating rinks.
In this newsletter, the last of 2022, we highlight some festivities and outline how Catalans traditionally ring in the New Year. Barcelona is of course a modern and dynamic city – Antares with its cutting-edge architecture by Odile Decq, contemporary homes and Diagonal Mar location perfectly embodies the “new Barcelona” – and it’s the magnificent mix of old and new that forms a big part of the city’s appeal, Catalan heritage combined with 21st Century design and technology.
Residents at Antares will see in the New Year against a cinematic backdrop of the Montserrat mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. We hope to welcome you here in 2023 to show you first-hand how Antares has set a new standard for contemporary living in this world-class city.
Feliz año nuevo
Best wishes
The Antares team
A Catalan Christmas at Antares
Catalan traditions
The festive season starts in early December with the Feast of St Nicholas and continues until Three Kings Day – Epiphany – on the 6th January. For many residents, 25th December is a family day devoted to an extensive menu – typically roast duck or chicken accompanied by torrons (nougat and nuts) and neules (rolled wafers) dipped in cava, with presents usually exchanged on Three King’s Day. Celebrations peak on the 5th January with elaborate processions held throughout the region. In Barcelona this year, the royal parade will set out from Avinguda del Marquès de l’Argentera at 6pm and wind its way to Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina.
Barcelona at Christmas
Barcelona glows with a backdrop of lights from Plaça de Catalunya to this year’s new designs in Passeig de Gràcia. An unforgettably magical evening in the city – for children and adults – is the spectacular Three Kings Parade on the 5th January. This sees the Kings arrive by boat in the harbour before making their way through the city, with the Royal Guards collecting letters from the children detailing the presents they wish for as they go. Other festive events include Christmas markets – firas – Fira de Santa Llúcia, held in front of the Gothic cathedral is the largest and there’s also Fira de Nadal de la Sagrada Familia and Port Vell Fair. There’s a magnificently detailed nativity scene at Plaça de Sant Jaume and don’t miss watching the hardy swimmers cross the port on Christmas Day, an annual event for over 100 years.
Catalan’s New Year Celebrations
After a two-year pause, New Year in Barcelona will be celebrated once more with music and fireworks beside the Montjuïc Magic Fountain, close to Plaça d’Espanya. It’s a favourite event with residents and visitors alike who come to toast the New Year with cava and join in with the traditional Spanish custom, thought to bring good luck and prosperity for the twelve months ahead, of eating one grape for each strike of the midnight bell. Start with a meal at Le Grand Café Rouge in Antares before heading over to watch the fireworks from 11.45pm. If you prefer to start the New Year in the snow, there are magical torch-lit descents in many of Catalonia’s ski resorts in the Pyrenees including Baqueira Beret, a favourite with the Spanish royal family. The descent in La Molina ski resort celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men on the 5th of January.