Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Manchester and Barcelona have a longstanding relationship based on key policy areas including:
- culture,
- digital,
- housing; and
- sustainability
We've been working with our Catalan partners on street and performing arts. This began in the 1990s and has lead to art being shown at Barcelona's La Mercè festival.
Highlights:
- Manchester was the international guest city at La Mercè festival in September 2025.
- Manchester and Barcelona signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2024. This focused on cultural exchange. Manchester has been attending the Smart Cities Expo in Barcelona since 2023.