Sagrada Familia to host series of events celebrating architect Gaudí

Barcelona will throw a huge celebration to commemorate the completion of the Sagrada Familia and the centenary of architect Antoni Gaudí’s death.

The Unesco World Heritage site will finally be completed next year, some 144 years after work first started in 1882.

Upon the completion of the final 18 towers, the Sagrada Familia will become the tallest Catholic church in the world.

Gaudí’s masterpiece was only 15 per cent built when he died in 1926.

To mark the occasion, the Sagrada Familia has programmed a series of events from autumn 2025 to Christmas 2026.

Highlights include an exhibition of archive photographs and a series of concerts for children.

Special Masses will also be held, including one on 10 June in commemoration of the centenary of Gaudí’s death.

On 1 October 2026, a series of performances will take place outside of the cathedral, filling the stage with castellers (human pyramids), sardana dancers and esbarts (folk dancers), among others. The Barcelona Municipal Band will also put on an open-air concert.

In December of next year, the church’s Nativity facade, Gaudí’s original ornate design celebrating the birth of Jesus, will be lit up in colour while Catalan Christmas carols are performed inside.

The programme of celebration and remembrance comes after The Gaudí Council, an advisory body to the Catalan Ministry of Culture, agreed to make 2026 “Gaudí Year” to make the public more “aware of the works of one of the most universal Catalan architects.”

The church said that “this anniversary is not only an architectural milestone, it is also a celebration, a remembrance, and a collective tribute.”

Members of the public are invited to all events, but some will have limited capacity. The full schedule can be found on the Sagrada Família website.

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