🗓️ Where and when are the 2026 Goya Awards held in Barcelona?
The gala will take place at the Auditori del Centre de Convencions Internacionals de Barcelona (CCIB), located in the Fòrum complex, just a few metres from the Mediterranean Sea. This impressive space, with a capacity for 3,084 seats and a stage of 420 square metres, will be completely transformed to host one of the most important nights of the year.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 p.m. and can be followed live on La 1 de TVE. Additionally, RTVE Play will offer the pre-gala red carpet from 7:15 p.m. until the start of the gala, as well as behind-the-scenes coverage throughout the event.
📜History of the 2026 Goya Awards: 40 years of Spanish cinema
The Goya Awards were born in 1987 under the auspices of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, created a year earlier thanks to the initiative of producer Alfredo Matas. The first edition was held on March 17, 1987, at the Teatro Lope de Vega in Madrid, with 16 categories.
The name of the awards was the subject of debate. Options such as "Lumière", "Buñuel" or "Soles" were considered, but finally "Goya" was chosen because the Aragonese painter is an emblematic figure of Spanish culture and, as artistic director Ramiro Gómez pointed out, his work has a visual approach that recalls cinematic language.
Since then, the Goyas have evolved to the current 30 categories and have consolidated themselves as the highest recognition of cinema in Spain. In recent years, the Academy has opted to hold the gala in different cities, such as Seville (2019 and 2023), Malaga (2020 and 2021), Valencia (2022), Valladolid (2024) and Granada (2025). Now, on its 40th anniversary, the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona take on a specially symbolic meaning.
🎬 Films and artists nominated for the 2026 Goya Awards
This year's edition features a sensational lineup, with two big favourites dominating the nominations:
Film and Nominations
- 'Los Domingos' (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa) 13
Main categories
Best Film:
Best Direction:
- Alauda Ruiz de Azúa for 'Los Domingos'
- Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga for 'Maspalomas'
- Carla Simón for 'Romería'
- Albert Serra for 'Tardes de Soledad'
Best Documentary Film:
- Albert Serra with 'Tardes de Soledad'
- Isaki Lacuesta and Elena Molina for 'Flores para Antonio'
- Hernán Zin for 'Todos somos Gaza'
- Álvaro Longoria for 'The Sleeper. El Caravaggio perdido'
- Gaizka Urresti for 'Eloy de la Iglesia. Adicto al cine'
🎤 Presenters and VIP guests for the 2026 Goya Awards
The 40th edition of the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona will be presented by a surprising and charismatic pair: actor Luis Tosar (three-time Goya winner) and singer Rigoberta Bandini, who already left her mark on the previous edition with her performance on stage.
More than 60 professionals will take the stage to present the 'cabezones' throughout the night. Among the confirmed names are:
- Karla Sofía Gascón, who after her absence last year in Granada (due to the controversy over her old tweets), will attend this edition to present an award.
- The Barça footballer and Ballon d'Or winner, Alexia Putellas.
- Filmmaker Rodrigo Sorogoyen, six-time Goya winner.
- Actor Eduard Fernández, four-time winner.
- Actresses such as Rossy de Palma, Laia Costa, Mónica Randall, Laia Marull, Vicky Peña, Anna Castillo, Leonor Watling and many more.
- Actors such as Diego Luna, Miki Esparbé, Arturo Valls, Enric Auquer.
- Filmmakers such as J.A. Bayona, Ángeles González-Sinde, Marcel Barrena and Arantxa Echevarría.
Among the guests, the attendance of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, as well as the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, is expected. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, for their part, will not attend due to prior commitments, although the president of the Academy, Fernando Méndez-Leite, confirmed that relations with the Royal House remain good.
🏆 Special recognitions of the 2026 Goya Awards
- Honorary Goya: Filmmaker, writer and journalist Gonzalo Suárez will receive this recognition for a "surprising" and "pioneering" career in film, literature and journalism. The Academy highlighted that his career is "linked to the city of Barcelona, the setting for dozens and dozens of films".
- International Goya: American actress Susan Sarandon will collect the fifth International Goya, in recognition of her outstanding career in Hollywood, with iconic films such as 'Thelma & Louise', 'The Client' or 'Dead Man Walking', for which she won the Oscar. Sarandon will participate in a public meeting on Friday, 27 February at 1:00 p.m.
🌍 What do the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona represent for the city?
The celebration of the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona has a very special meaning. Not only does it mark the 40th anniversary of the awards, but the city is hosting the event for the second time in its history, 26 years after the 2000 edition.
For the Regional Government and the City Council, these awards represent a "turning point for Catalan audiovisual production" and an opportunity to position Catalonia as "one of the great European hubs for creation, production and cultural innovation". The timing could not be more opportune: Catalan cinema is living its best era, with successes like 'Alcarràs' (Golden Bear in Berlin), 'El 47' (Goya for Best Film in 2025) and the three films pre-selected to represent Spain at the Oscars ('Romería', 'Sirat' and 'Sorda'), all with Catalan production.
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, highlighted that "Spanish cinema is once again looking at Barcelona, which was the cradle of its beginnings and a great centre of film production for decades" and underlined the goal of making the gala an event "as open, accessible and participatory as possible".
🎉 Parallel activities: the Goyas are experienced on the streets
The 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona will not be just a televised gala. The city will throw itself into a wide programme of cultural activities open to the public throughout the previous week.
Screenings and meetings
The Filmoteca de Catalunya will host screenings of the nominated films, several of them with subsequent discussions with directors, actors and technical teams. Highlights include:
- 25 February, 7:00 p.m.: Screening of 'Maspalomas', with the presence of its director Jose Mari Goenaga.
- 27 February: At El Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, meetings with the nominees for Best Ibero-American Film (6:00 p.m.) and Best Direction (7:30 p.m.).
- 26 February, 7:00 p.m.: Palau de la Música Catalana. Tribute to Gonzalo Suárez (Honorary Goya), with the live sound fiction of 'Remando al viento' and a subsequent conversation with the filmmaker.
- 27 February, 1:00 p.m.: Meeting with Susan Sarandon, who will review her professional career and her social commitment.
The centre of Barcelona will be filled with cinema through an urban exhibition of monumental sculptures of Goya's bust, installed at strategic points such as the Fòrum, Les Glòries, Portal de la Pau or Plaça Sant Jaume. Furthermore, a "walk of fame" featuring large-format photographs of all the Catalan winners from the 39 editions of the Goya Awards can be visited at different points in the city.
There will also be a photocall at the City Hall, where citizens can have their photo taken with a Goya Award, and educational and social activities aimed at children, young people and vulnerable groups.
Where to stay near the 2026 Goya Awards?
🏡 Experience the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona with THE SUN PLACES
Including the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona in your agenda is a unique opportunity to experience the magic of Spanish cinema from the inside and discover a city that breathes culture through every pore. At THE SUN PLACES we want your experience to be complete and worry-free.
We offer you:
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- Personalised advice to learn all the details of the celebration, the previous activities and the best moments to enjoy the Goya week.
- Connection with the city's cultural offering: We recommend complementing your visit with other essential plans in Barcelona.
👉 Contact us and book your accommodation with THE SUN PLACES to experience the magic of the 2026 Goya Awards in Barcelona from the best place. We look forward to celebrating 40 years of Spanish cinema with you! 🎬✨