Halloween in Barcelona!
Another spooky time of year is upon us! We are just finishing up the last pieces of pumpkin pie from Canadian Thanksgiving and getting ready for one of our favorite times of year – Halloween!
Although there isn’t a long tradition of celebrating Halloween in Spain or Barcelona, in recent years, perhaps because of tourism or a large number of ex-pats – Halloween has become a thing.
Last year we went to the Poble Espanyol or Spanish Village for some scary Halloween fun.
The Poble Espanyol is a wonderful place to visit any time of year. Located on the Hop on Hop off bus route near museums like Joan Miro, it sits high above the city and offers permanent shops, restaurants, artisans’ studios, galleries, and endless events for any and all ages.
As well, each section of the village represents a region in Spain. The architecture, decor, and colors of each area. Whether it’s the charm of the north or the flower pots and painted window shutters of the south. If you don’t have time to visit all of Spain – spend an afternoon in the Spanish village in Barcelona.
We have visited the Poble Espanyol on many occasions at different times of the year or for some of their children’s events. They often have live bands play at night and food trucks and markets set up, so it’s definitely worth checking out the website.
Last year, they had a haunted house, scary outdoor play areas, and loads of pumpkins, ghoulish masks, and tombstones everywhere. It actually wasn’t that scary which is good as our son was little, but it definitely got us in the Halloween Spirit.
As well, shops like Vicens had lots of tasty festive chocolates. It’s not always easy to find vegan chocolate, but dark chocolate seems to be popular in Spain, so we managed.
The front entrance area is always colorful with canopies for every season. Autumn leaves draped between buildings for Halloween, but sometimes you’ll find umbrellas or Christmas garlands hanging seemingly from the sky.
Nothing says Halloween like a cup of dry-leaf tea without water and a glow-in-the-dark skeleton sweatsuit. This year our little guy has another skeleton suit and a pirate suit!
My husband and I are unsure of what to wear. We either go big for the photos and memories or just find a funny hat or eye mask – stay tuned!
And of course what to eat? Although I don’t have an official Halloween meal, I did make Jack-o-lantern carrot/raisin muffins last year. Very tasty!
So this year is going to be extra special as we are spending our spooky Halloween at Portaventura! We visited this theme park last June for our son’s first year of school graduation and had such a blast.
We really enjoyed the park, the rides, and our Hotel – the Colorado Creek hotel. It’s very new and very clean with a gorgeous pool and a nice location within walking distance of one of the park entry gates. This time we will stay at another hotel, but I will do a post on our experience when we return!
Until then, check out my Portaventura post, and of course, have a Happy Halloween!
