Pub crawls in a major Spanish city are now totally banned, whatever the time of day or night.
The ban on promoting, organising or running pub crawls has been extended to cover the entire area of Barcelona at all hours of the day.
The new decree comes into force today, October 29.
The move aims to ‘ensure peaceful coexistence, safeguard residents’ right to rest and protect public health’.
The new decree, which also prohibits advertising related activities in any form, has been agreed following a public consultation exercise.
A spokesman for Barcelona city council said: ‘Pub crawling is a business that takes customers on organised drinking tours to a series of establishments that offer discounted alcoholic drinks.
‘It typically involves quickly consuming one or more low-quality drinks before heading to the next stop.
‘This activity has been identified as a risk factor that causes disturbances in neighbourhoods, puts extra strain on public spaces and potentially leads to criminal behaviour or road safety violations.’
Pub crawls in a major Spanish city are now totally banned, whatever the time of day or night
Organisers face fines ranging from €1,500 to €3,000 (£1,320 to £2,640), while participants are exempt from fines but could face them for other infractions such as drinking in the streets or causing disruptions.
Until now, pub crawls were only banned in the districts of Ciutat Vella (since 2012) and L’Eixample (since June 1, 2025).
The restrictions were mainly focused on nighttime hours, from 7pm to 7am.
The new decree introduces a permanent ban that applies 24 hours a day, year-round, rather than being only seasonal.
The new rule has been approved and will be in force for four years.
According to the city council, data provided by the police indicates that the ban on alcohol routes in Ciutat Vella and L’Eixample has worked.
They say it has ‘contributed to significantly reducing the number of activities detected and has facilitated their prevention, thanks to the early detection of the offer through social networks’.
The city council says the ban was been well-received in the Ciutat Vella district, with only three fines issued last year.
The ban on promoting, organising or running pub crawls has been extended to cover the entire area of Barcelona
The new decree introduces a permanent ban that applies 24 hours a day, year-round, rather than being only seasonal
Authorities believe it will have a similar impact citywide.
Pub crawls have been hugely popular in Barcelona and have been widely promoted on the internet, attracting hundreds of thousands of people every year and bringing in a huge income.
Most of them last for at least six hours and others up to 24 hours.
Organisers have already started to post ‘now unavailable’ messages on their websites.
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Major Spanish tourist hotspot BANS pub crawls at all times of the day
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