Barcelona closes a year 2024 during which news that has contributed to boosting Barcelona's notoriety and its international projection has abounded. In this vein, it has continued to generate and attract projects from large companies, as well as entrepreneurial initiatives, which have continued to enrich the economic ecosystem of the Catalan capital.
But these 12 months have brought good news for Barcelona beyond the purely economic sphere. The year has been marked by developments linked to research, technology, science and health, as well as art and culture, passing through gastronomy and sport, which have been explained and analyzed by The New Barcelona Post to gather what positively contributes to the city's development and its international positioning.
January: La Caixa signs Ángel Simón as CEO of Criteria
The year began with developments especially linked to the health sector, such as the relocation of AstraZeneca's R&D hub to the Edificio Estel, and the reinforcement of the future Clínic as a metropolitan project with the complicity of Esplugues and L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. However, January also stood out for an appointment: that of Ángel Simón as CEO of CriteriaCaixa, whereby the executive left his executive functions in the Agbar Group to take over the investment holding of the Fundació Bancaria La Caixa.
In a month also marked by culture and the return of Eduardo Mendoza with Tres enigmas para la Organización, Barcelona also gained connectivity, both international and local: while Cathay Pacific recovered the direct connection between the city and Hong Kong, works also began to connect the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC) between Plaza Espanya and Gràcia, which will allow connecting the Vallès and Llobregat networks, with works that will last about five years and will require a budget of more than 400 million euros.
February: Mobile once again exceeds 100,000 attendees
February is congress time in Barcelona. After a record-breaking edition of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) with 51,600 visitors, it was the turn, as usual, of the Mobile World Congress, which once again surpassed the goal of 100,000 attendees.
February was also a month of anniversaries: the CCCB turned 30, consolidated as a space for critical debate on a changing world, while the Liceu recalled the also 30 years since the fire that devastated it, and Vueling celebrated its 20th anniversary outlining plans to continue growing in Barcelona.
March: Mango doubles profits and aims for 4 billion
The death of Isak Andic has made Mango a protagonist in the news during the last weeks of the year, but the company also filled headlines in March. After closing 2023 with the best results in its history, the company launched a new strategic plan with an investment of 600 million euros over three years, with 500 new stores and the forecast of reaching sales of 4 billion euros. A few days later, Andic received the Kingdom of Spain Award for Business Trajectory from the King, at a gala where the businessman highlighted the work of his team: "This award is not for Isak Andic. It is for Mango, which is much more than one person, this is the key to its success, it is a bit of everyone."
And from a large consolidated company like Mango, to startups that aim high, with the main candidates for Catalan unicorns, with prominent names such as Typeform, Wallapop, Tradeinn, and Paack. All of them grow embedded in Barcelona's entrepreneurial ecosystem, in a context where the city will receive a public investment of 10.6 billion until 2035, as announced by the mayor.
But economy is not everything, and the Catalan capital is nothing without its culture, including its gastronomy. Another protagonist of the month was Juan Jesús Pérez Alonso, head waiter at Botafumeiro, who stated in an interview that the restaurant is "the Sagrada Familia of restoration." And from gastronomy, to the most Barcelonian illustration: in March, the collaboration between The New Barcelona Post and The Barcelonian began, which publishes covers made by illustrators accompanied by micro-stories. In addition, this collaboration has resulted in specific illustrations for special dates, such as La Mercè and Christmas, in a commitment to local talent.
April: Collboni praises talent and technology at a The New Barcelona Post event
Barcelona has as its "great strengths" its talent and technology, and this was stated by the mayor, Jaume Collboni, in a meeting organized by The New Barcelona Post. And it is that technology and talent translate into concrete projects in multiple areas, such as Casa Leopoldo and its reopening, and like the one that finally materialized in April: Chery and EV Motors closed the agreement to manufacture vehicles in the former Nissan in the Zona Franca.
And, in parallel, the city was unfolding the preparations for the America's Cup. To bring this competition closer to Barcelona residents, The New Barcelona Post designed the series Everything you want to know about the America's Cup, which reviewed in four sessions aspects such as the functioning of the regattas, their rules and the repercussions for Barcelona, which then proposed to make history with the America's Cup.
May: Puig's stock market debut
In May, Barcelona experienced one of its biggest stock market debuts: Puig's stock market debut. After 110 years of history of the family business, the company went public, opening a new stage that is shaping up to be "promising," as its president, Marc Puig, assured. A few days later, the Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona began its transformation, with the aim of arriving renewed for the centenary of the 1929 Universal Exposition, and with an investment of 290 million euros.
The transformation of Montjuïc was not the only one in the city that advanced in May. In an interview, the then president of the Port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, told The New Barcelona Post that the port is considering extending La Rambla to the Barcelona pier, with a new promenade that opens up the piers surrounding the World Trade Center (WTC), now closed to the public.
June: Disfrutar, the best restaurant in the world
And with June, a global gastronomic news arrives in Barcelona: Disfrutar was named the best restaurant in the world at The World's 50 Best Restaurants awards. Led by Eduard Xatruch, Oriol Castro, and Mateu Casañas, the Barcelona establishment won the award at a gala held in Las Vegas, where Enigma, by Albert Adrià, also made it into the top 100 best restaurants in the world, specifically, in 59th place.
Besides this recognition, June arrived loaded with remarkable events in Barcelona, such as Bruce Springsteen's acclaimed concert at the Estadi Olímpic and Sony's announcement to locate an artificial intelligence development center in the Catalan capital. And even more: Passeig de Gràcia became a Formula 1 track for the first time, and Barcelona Global renewed its presidency, which was assumed by Damm's board member and secretary, Ramon Agenjo, replacing Maite Barrera after her term ended. In addition, The New Barcelona Post premiered the first chapter of the series on historical curiosities of Barcelona-El Prat Airport, which has reviewed different facets of the infrastructure in five installments.
July: The Tibidabo free fall and the nautical bus
With the arrival of summer, leisure takes center stage with new proposals in Barcelona. Tibidabo leveled up with a new free fall with views of the entire city; Sala Muntaner announced its reopening, and Time Out Market opened its doors. With its gastronomic proposal, the new space invites Barcelonians to return to Port Vell, which also added a new connection with its surroundings with the premiere of the nautical bus.
Also in the port area, the Best container terminal connected to the electrical grid, which will allow a hundred ships arriving in Barcelona in the next two years to turn off their engines and stop burning fuel while unloading. In addition, July was a month of celebration for Caprabo, which turned 65, with the goal of reaching a turnover of 900 million euros in 2026.
August: The start of the America's Cup
Finally, after months and years of preparations, the America's Cup boats began to compete on the Barcelona coast in August. And they did so to the satisfaction of the organizers: "Choosing Barcelona has been the best decision I have made," said America's Cup CEO and New Zealand team CEO, Grant Dalton, in an interview.
Despite the prominence of the America's Cup and the holidays, August was also a month of news: the US fund Carlyle bought 60% of Seidor, while the Corte Inglés of Portal de l'Àngel closed its doors as a shopping center to make way for offices and, of course, more commerce. The Circuit festival is also a prominent regular actor in August, this year too, in which it celebrated 15 editions exporting a tolerant and inclusive Barcelona.
September: Manifesta lands in Barcelona
The European nomadic biennial Manifesta sprinkled contemporary art and culture in unique spaces of metropolitan Barcelona between September and the end of November. With the Tres Xemeneies of Sant Adrià de Besòs as one of its main exponents, the itinerant event invited reflection on the past, present and, above all, the future, with a proposal that attracted 291,000 visitors. All this, after a good summer for Barcelona's hotels, and while the Sagrada Familia continued to climb, with the forecast of crowning its tallest tower next year with its cross-viewpoint.
The start of the new academic year also included the traditional welcome event for international talent organized by Barcelona Global, which brought together 1,500 professionals at the Palauet Albéniz, and the announcement of the reopening of El Molino, by the organizers of events such as Cruïlla. And for music, that of La Mercè, in a major festival in Barcelona that culminated with a Piromusical with a playlist designed by Rosalía. From The New Barcelona Post, the new academic year was also faced with the date of La Mercè as a reference, with novelties and new projects that give continuity to four years of trajectory.
October: Record number of foreign subsidiaries in Catalonia
During 2024, Barcelona and Catalonia have continued to position themselves in the international economic landscape and, in fact, Catalonia has broken its record for foreign subsidiaries, approaching 10,000. October, in addition, was a month of anniversaries, with Planeta's 75th anniversary ---which has sold more than a billion copies---, Estopa's 25th, and the 70th of Club de Fútbol Damm, which celebrated the anniversary by inaugurating a sports city in Montjuïc. And, beyond anniversaries, 2024 has been dedicated to the Tàpies Year, an artist of whom Barcelona needs "more presence", as the director of the Tàpies Museum, Imma Prieto, defended in an interview.
Beyond the news in the economic and cultural spheres, October was marked by the America's Cup final, in which New Zealand once again emerged as the winner. It did so after a competition that served to reinforce the sea as an economic and scientific engine for the city and to promote urban transformations that the Catalan capital retains as a legacy of the regatta, which will not be repeated in the city.
November: Barcelona shines in the Michelin Guide 2025
Once again, gastronomy emerged in November as one of Barcelona and Catalonia's strong points for international projection. The Michelin Guide 2025 awarded four restaurants in the Catalan capital with a Michelin star: Fishølogy, MAE, Prodigi, and Teatro Kitchen Bar.
Beyond gastronomy, November brought news such as the Govern's contribution of 110 million to build 1,788 homes in Barcelona, and significant developments in the field of mobility. The main one: the tram extension to Verdaguer came into operation, and is already looking towards Francesc Macià. In addition, the transfer of Rodalies continues to advance, with Renfe remaining present in Catalonia, as stated in an interview by the director of Rodalies, Antonio Carmona.
And mobility has also been a topic of discussion in an unusual context: culture. Marcel Barrena's El 47 has become the most watched Catalan film in the last 40 years. Also in the cultural scene, Serrat returned to the stage in November, in a charity concert to raise funds for the victims of the Dana, alongside Estopa, Judit Neddermann, and Lucia Fumero, among other artists.
December: Barcelona, city of science
The last month of the year, although marked by the death of Isak Andic, has brought news to the city such as the future opening of the Carmen Thyssen museum, Fira de Barcelona's record turnover of 300 million euros, and the return of Molins' headquarters to Catalonia.
However, December's news has been closely linked to science and health. In this context, the future Vall d'Hebron has premiered its first piece, with the opening of the new headquarters of the Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR) to boost research and respond to medical challenges with technologies such as advanced therapies and the use of data and artificial intelligence. This is precisely where the announcement that the Barcelona Supercomputing Center will lead one of the seven European AI factories is also framed, which contributes to continuing to position Barcelona in this field internationally.
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