Barcelona International Community Day will hold its 13th edition on Saturday 24 October at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona, located in the former Royal Shipyards. This big annual gathering continues to gain ground as main venue to welcome professionals who have recent arrived in Barcelona. It is also the benchmark event for all members of the international community living and working in Barcelona.
This year’s edition is growing in both participation and programming and is particularly spotlighting its commitment to linguistic integration, community participation, access to municipal services and connection with the job market.
The event is open to everyone, including people interested in connecting with this group that brings the city diversity and richness. It is an initiative organised by Barcelona City Council through its Directorate for International Economic Promotion.
Just like recent editions, there will be a fair featuring companies and organisations offering goods, services and initiatives for international talent, and a programme of activities, workshops and lectures on topics of interest to the community. The venue will be open from 10 am to 7 pm, and the event is free of charge with registration.
In collaboration with Barcelona International Welcome.
Barcelona International Community Day 2026
Summary BICD 2026
The 13th edition of Barcelona International Community Day is being held on Saturday 24 October at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona and will have an expanded exhibitors’ fair and activity programme.
This event, promoted by Barcelona City Council, continues to gain ground as the main welcome, integration and networking venue for international people living and working in Barcelona.
It is also a meeting point that promotes relations between locals and internationals and is open to everyone interested in connecting with this diverse, talented group and helping them to better integrate into their new city.
This year, the fair will welcome 84 exhibitors, the highest figure in the event’s history, with an increase in the proportion of public entities and associations, which will account for 45% of the total. Plus, 26% of the exhibitors will be participating for the first time.
The 2026 edition will particularly ramp up the resources targeted at the integration of new arrivals, with a greater focus on learning Catalan, volunteerism and community participation.
Barcelona City Council is expanding its institutional space, which will bring together a range of municipal services in a single place to facilitate participants’ access to information and resources that are useful in their everyday lives in the city.
The programme has also grown to include 68 activities, with sessions on employment, entrepreneurship, health, linguistic integration, education, networking, popular culture and family activities.
Barcelona Activa is boosting its range of job-search services, while Mobile World Capital Barcelona is promoting the participation of multinationals and tech hubs to connect international talent with professional opportunities in the city.
The new features also include the addition of simultaneous translation via artificial intelligence in the auditorium, which will facilitate the accessibility of the contents for international audiences.
Yet another year, the event will welcome the collaboration of eight companies and institutions which will contribute to enriching participants’ experience and enhancing the quality of the event with technical improvements, new activities and complementary experiences.
Barcelona International Community Day continues to promote its role as a benchmark meeting point for the international community and thus focuses on integration, active participation and connection with the city.
Exhibitors’ Fair
This year the fair will have a record 84 exhibitors, the highest number in the thirteen years of the Barcelona International Community Day. Public organisations and associations continue to predominate and will account for 45% of the total exhibitors, compared to 39% the previous edition. There will be 19 public organisations, 35 companies, 19 associations and 11 educational organisations.
This evolution reinforces the event’s role as a space of guidance not only to facilitate the international community’s arrival in Barcelona but also to promote their active engagement in city life. Furthermore, 26% of exhibitors are participating for the first time.
Visitors will find services related to legal matters, real estate, healthcare, education, business and language learning, as well as relocation companies, international schools, business schools, sports activities and other useful resources for settling in Barcelona.
Support for the integration process will be one of the main focuses on this year’s edition. Barcelona International Community Day is particularly highlighting language, with twice as many organisations devoted to promoting Catalan learning and use. The Consortium for Linguistic Normalisation (CPNL), the Ateneu Barcelonès, the Coordinator of Associations for the Catalan Language and the Speak Catalan initiative will all be there.
Likewise, the resources focused on volunteerism and social participation have been amped up with the presence of Plataforma de Festes Majors de Barcelona and the Catalan Federation for Social Volunteering, which will share information about different social organisations that offer the international community opportunities to get involved in community and associative projects.
Barcelona City Council is also bolstering its presence with an expanded institutional space that will bring together a range of municipal services in a single information point. Barcelona International Welcome, Barcelona Activa, Markets and Retail, Libraries of Barcelona, Torre Jussana, Barcelona Books, the Guàrdia Urbana city police force, the Firefighters of Barcelona, BSM and Barcelona Esports will all offer resources and advice to facilitate international people’s integration and everyday life.
In addition to the Barcelona Education Consortium, the education sector will also be represented by stands from different schools offering international curricula or degrees, in addition to business schools and other international schools.
A wide range of municipal services will be there, too. The Barcelona International Welcome Desk, the service that caters to international talent, and the local development agency Barcelona Activa will welcome international visitors and share information and resources of interest for their arrival and integration into Barcelona. To ensure that visitors are aware of what the city offers and to facilitate their integration, other organisations which appeal to the general public will also be there. These include Markets of Barcelona, the Institute of Culture, Libraries of Barcelona, B:SM, the Barcelona Sports Institute, the Barcelona Education Consortium, the Guàrdia Urbana (city police), and the Barcelona Firefighters.
Activity Programme
The programme continues to grow, and this year it features 68 activities that address practical issues related to settling in Barcelona, access to the job market, entrepreneurship and networking. There will also be popular culture shows and family activities.
One of the most prominent activities will be debates on the tech hubs and professional opportunities that Barcelona offers, job market trends and international entrepreneurship, as well as practical sessions on taxation, immigration, housing, education, health and volunteerism.
The programme also includes sectoral and community networking spaces, activities to foster Catalan learning and use (twice as many as in last year’s edition), a guided tour of the Maritime Museum, and cultural and family activities. Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy music, a stand-up comedy show, havanera singing with burnt rum and a passacaglia of Chinese dragons and lions.
Employment will continue to be one of the key topics of Barcelona International Community Day. Throughout the entire event, Barcelona Activa will provide services geared at facilitating job placement, like the Empresa-Ocupació (Business-Employment) platform, a professional photography service for CVs, virtual reality tools to prepare for job interviews and four practical workshops on improving job searches.
Outside this area, the partnership with Mobile World Capital Barcelona will take it beyond just being an exhibitor. This year, the organisation is promoting the presence of multinationals and tech hubs searching for international talent. They will be able to present their professional opportunities and make contact with participants interested in developing their career in Barcelona.
Innovation is also playing a prominent role in the organisation of the event. One of the improvements this year is new headphones. There will also be simultaneous translation using artificial intelligence in the Auditorium, a tool that will even further facilitate the accessibility of the contents for a diverse international audience.
Host Ambassadors
Just like every year, the event’s host ambassadors will take part in the programme of activities. They are six professionals from different countries who have settled in Barcelona, launched their professional projects and personal lives here, and are keen to share their experiences of the city with people attending the gathering.
The hosts in this year’s edition are Amber Jackson, a US American entrepreneur specialised in communication, technology and videogames; Chilean professor and researcher Patricio Reyes, who is currently the coordinator of the Department of Urban Sciences at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC); Suzan Beers, a Dutch woman who founded the inclusive sports initiative Equipo Sin Barreras; the Chinese journalist Ziliang Zhan, who has three million followers on the Chinese social media; Mariam Sargsyan, a doctoral student in Business and Data Science from Armenia; and the French audiovisual producer Clément Esso, co-founder of In The Mirror Films.
Host Ambassadors
Collaboration & Support
Companies and institutions that contribute to enriching participants’ experiences and boosting the quality of the event are partnering with Barcelona International Community Day yet another year. Thanks to their support, the event is offering technical improvements, new activities and complementary experiences.
This year’s partner organisations include Banc Sabadell, CaixaBank, Allianz, Eres Relocation, the Palau de la Música Catalana, The Old Irish Pub, Grup Arenal and La Granja. La Vanguardia will again be the event’s media partner, with additional support from other media specialising in content for Barcelona’s international community.
With this new edition, Barcelona International Community Day is enhancing its role as a benchmark space in welcoming, connecting and encouraging the participation of the international community while also stressing key aspects like linguistic integration, volunteerism, employment and access to city services.
2025 Edition
Barcelona International Community Day 2025 had 5.432 people registered from 131 home countries, with 77.7% from abroad and 22.3% local. The overall rating of the event was 8.2 out of 10 points. Of the total participants, 65% were first-time attendees, while the remainder had already attended one before. Regarding the amount of time they had been living in Barcelona, 25% of participants had been here from one to three years, 24% from three to ten years, and 21% more than ten years.
A 360º Plan to Care for International Talent
The international community now accounts for more than 26.6% of Barcelona’s population. One out of every four residents is a foreigner, which fuels Barcelona’s diverse, intercultural spirit. The city is home to 182 nationalities other than Spanish, with the largest groups coming from Italy, Colombia, Pakistan, China and Peru.
These new arrivals make a positive contribution to the city’s development through their talent and work, their investments and companies, their professional projects and their economic activities. They enhance Barcelona’s competitiveness and productivity by bringing new ideas, knowledge and innovation, and they participate in an open, diverse, welcoming city.
Their integration is a priority for Barcelona City Council. For this reason, the 360º plan aimed at retaining, welcoming, energising, engaging and gaining the loyalty of international talent supports professionals, researchers, university students, entrepreneurs, institutional representatives and other qualified professionals during the different stages of their link with the city.
This plan includes Barcelona International Community Day and the talent resources of Barcelona International Welcome, the municipal initiative spearheaded by the Directorate of International Economic Promotion which offers practical information, useful resources and activities to facilitate the arrival, integration, and personal and professional development of Barcelona’s international community.
Barcelona International Welcome Desk has also been operating since November 2021, a pioneering service in Spain that provides international talent with personalised service by providing information, advice and support in different languages, both in person and by video conference.
FAQ
When and where will the Barcelona International Community Day be taking place?
Barcelona International Community Day will be on Saturday 24 October from 10 am to 7 pm at Barcelona’s Maritime Museum.
What do I need to do if I want to go to the Barcelona International Community Day?
To attend the fair and participate in the activities on Saturday 24 October, you need to register. You’ll then receive a ticket (free of charge) with a QR code that you’ll need to present on arrival. Register by using this form Open in a new window.
What kind of activities will there be?
There will be a variety of diverse activities at the fair: informative capsules, talks, round tables and networking, cultural and fun activities, as well as options for children.
What topics will be covered?
Topics related to the following areas will be addressed:
- Settling in: Useful information and services for people arriving to live in Barcelona, either alone or with their family.
- Working and doing business: Career development, investing, doing business and finding opportunities.
- Enjoying the city: Discover the attractions of the city and the cultural and leisure opportunities it offers, and get connected with local people.
- Entertainment activities: Cultural, fun and children’s activities – for all ages.
Do you have to register for each of the activities at the event?
Once you’ve registered for the fair, you don’t need to sign up specifically for each activity. Attendees will be allowed to enter each activity until the capacity has been reached.
Is there any cost to attend the fair or participate in any of the activities?
Both the entrance and the activities that are included in the Barcelona International Community Day programme are free of charge.
Will there be any online activities?
All Barcelona International Community Day activities will be in-person at the Maritime Museum. However, some activities will be recorded and published on this website after the fair.
Who are the organisers of Barcelona International Community Day?
Barcelona International Community Day is being organised by the Barcelona City Council through the department responsible for the international economic promotion of the city. Barcelona Activa, the city’s local development agency, has also provided a great deal of support, and many other organisations and professionals have contributed as well. We would like to offer our thanks to everyone who has helped to make Barcelona such an open, diverse, and innovative city!
Why are we organising the Barcelona International Community Day?
Barcelona International Community Day is being organised with the following aims in mind:
- To create a meeting point for the international talent ecosystem and Barcelona’s international community.
- To provide information, resources of interest, and networking opportunities for people coming to live in our city.
- To maintain Barcelona’s position as an open, friendly city that welcomes people from other countries.
What happens after 24 October? Do you want to stay in touch with the international community during the rest of the year?
Barcelona International Welcome offers Barcelona’s international community a broad range of activities throughout the year: information sessions, networking sessions, seminars and talks, city tours, workshops and more, so you can continue making contacts and enjoying everything the city has to offer to the full. Follow us on social media and subscribe to the newsletter Open in a new window to stay in touch with the community!
Barcelona International Welcome
About Barcelona International Welcome
Barcelona International Welcome (BIW) is backed by the International Economic Promotion Department at Barcelona City Council and works in collaboration with Barcelona Activa, the city’s local development agency. Barcelona is open to the world and loves its diversity. That’s why this initiative is part of a wider strategy to attract, welcome and engage the city’s international talent including the organisation of different activities throughout the year, services to make your arrival easier and information to establish yourself in Barcelona.
Here we provide you with advice and information on resources that may help you with your job hunting, news on Barcelona’s dynamic start-up and economic scenes, networking and informative activities aimed at the international community as well as tips to make the most of your new life in this city.
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