The great event begins: Barcelona 2026, World Capital of Architecture

Designated by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA), Barcelona is the World Capital of Architecture 2026 this year. With the official opening ceremony on February 12, citizens and visitors alike are invited to look at Barcelona through new eyes: to celebrate its architecture, but also to collectively rethink how we want to experience it, inhabit it, and build it. The program extends across the city’s 10 districts, featuring multiple exhibitions, activities, and initiatives aimed at showcasing the values and transformative power of architecture, urban planning, and landscape design. This is a major cultural event involving all public administrations and 170 local organizations.

Within this framework, Barcelona will host the UIA World Congress of Architects (from June 28 to July 2, 2026), under the theme “Becoming. Architectures for a planet in transition.” The congress will bring together more than 10,000 professionals and 200 speakers from around the world. Barcelona thus becomes the only city in the world to host the Congress twice, having previously organized it in 1996—exactly three decades ago.

Likewise, the program includes the Gaudí Year 2026, commemorating the centenary of his death, under the theme “The Invisible Order.” This anniversary—coordinated by the Gaudí Chair of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), with its own dedicated program—encompasses various exhibitions, numerous activities, and guided visits. Its mission is to rediscover the genius of the Modernist architect by revealing everything that is still unknown about the person, his profession, and his work, through rigor and scientific research. It also seeks to bring the figure of Antoni Gaudí closer to all citizens, especially younger generations.

To explore all the activities:
https://www.barcelona.cat/capitalmundialarquitectura/en

https://consellantonigaudi.cat/en/