The Port of Barcelona consolidates its Open Days as a major public event, with more than 15,000 participants

The Port of Barcelona has closed the third edition of its Open Days with a very positive outcome. Held this weekend, the event brought together more than 15,000 people through a broad programme of activities designed to allow citizens to discover the port infrastructure from the inside.

Over two days, the Port offered a varied programme of nearly twenty different activities and more than 20 hours of experiences, combining guided land and sea tours, cultural and family-oriented proposals, sporting activities and initiatives open to the general public. This diversity made it possible to show the reality of the Port of Barcelona from multiple perspectives and to reach a wide range of audiences.

The land and sea tours once again proved to be among the most highly valued activities, giving visitors access to areas that are usually restricted, such as the APM Terminals Barcelona and Hutchison Ports BEST container terminals and the Llobregat Lighthouse, while offering first-hand insight into the operation of a key infrastructure for the city and the country.

A solidarity dimension

At the same time, activities such as the Deichmann “KM against cancer” charity race at the Port of Barcelona, with 4,000 participants and 100% of registration proceeds allocated to cancer research, together with cultural and recreational proposals, helped turn the Port into a lively and shared space throughout the weekend.

The solidarity dimension was also present in the sea and land tours, as booking a place included a one-euro contribution allocated in full to Stella Maris Barcelona and the Foundation for the Conservation and Recovery of Marine Animals (CRAM). This initiative reinforces the Port of Barcelona’s commitment to linking its activity with social and environmental projects in its surrounding area.

This year’s edition also included new proposals such as the “boat dance”, a maritime show held for the first time on Saturday, which enabled the public to see tugboats, pilots and mooring teams in action in a synchronised choreography on the water, bringing some of the port’s essential services closer to citizens in an innovative and visual way.

The broad programme of parallel activities, organised jointly with organisations, companies and associations linked to the Port and the city, was also very well received by the public.

Among these activities, held at different locations in Port Vell, were the World Trade Center’s “Vora el Mar” event; the “Navega al Port” activity organised by the Barcelona Capital Náutica Foundation to promote and disseminate sailing; the Festival Pelut, organised by the Barceloneta Traders and Industrialists Association (ACIB); the participatory artistic carpet, promoted by the Poble-Sec Council of Popular and Traditional Culture and inspired by the tradition of floral carpets; the Vermut de Llucià Ferrer; and the Catalan rumba concert and related activities organised by the Barceloneta Residents’ Association.

The Maritime Museum of Barcelona and the Museum of the History of Catalonia also joined this major public celebration by offering free admission to all visitors, while L’Aquàrium de Barcelona offered special promotions for families.

Connection with the city

With this initiative, now in its third edition, the Port of Barcelona strengthens its commitment to opening up to citizens and making knowledge of an essential infrastructure for the functioning of the city and the country more accessible.

Ports are a key part of life as we know it: they make international trade possible, guarantee the supply of raw materials, energy and basic products, and support industrial and economic activity. In the case of the Port of Barcelona, this reality translates into an ecosystem of more than 500 companies and over 40,000 jobs linked to port activity.

Beyond its logistics function, the Port of Barcelona is committed to building a more direct relationship with citizens, based on transparency and knowledge. The Open Days are a clear expression of this ambition: an opportunity to discover what happens inside an infrastructure that is often little known, yet present in many aspects of everyday life.

“We want citizens to get to know the Port in order to better understand its role and feel it as their own. Because only through knowledge can strong links with the city be built,” said the president of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell.

This opening-up of the port area, combining physical access with an educational vocation, forms part of a broader strategy to better integrate the Port of Barcelona into its urban environment and to reinforce its commitment to sustainability and to citizens’ expectations.

As conveyed during the visits, “you cannot love what you do not know”, a message that sums up the spirit of these Open Days and is reflected in growing participation and a very positive assessment by attendees.

The third edition of the Port of Barcelona Open Days has consolidated this initiative as a benchmark annual event in the city, helping to strengthen the bond between the Port and citizens and to highlight its economic, social and cultural role.

The initiative was supported by leading companies from the Port Community, including APM Terminals Barcelona, Hutchison Ports BEST, Marina Barcelona 92, ZAL Port and World Trade Center Barcelona, which made the event possible.