The beginning of Lent is accompanied in some Catalan towns by a dramatic reenactment, a tradition that has been performed throughout Europe since the Middle Ages: the Passion Plays. These can usually be seen until after Easter.
The popular and traditional manifestations of the Passion Cycle include a multitude of forms, not strictly liturgical, that commemorate the Gospel episodes of Jesus' public life, passion, death, and resurrection during Holy Week. The Passion plays performed today derive, in their most remote origin, from the readings of the Passion delivered on Good Friday.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Passion plays took more the form of processions with occasional performances of certain scenes, a combination still practiced in many Catalan towns. Later, with the development of secular theater, they acquired a more complex structure, becoming long, multi-act plays with fixed scripts by the 18th century. At this point, they became established as performances held in town squares or large public or semi-public spaces specifically designated for theater.
Throughout Catalonia , processions, parades of armed men or of men, mysteries or monuments, representations of different kinds (spoken dances, tableaux or static scenes, historical reenactments...) and Passions of very diverse magnitude and perspective are celebrated: from the most traditional, still incorporated in processions; through those that adopt current texts, characters and perspectives; up to the great Passions, which stage massive shows in large theaters.
When are the Passion Plays celebrated in Catalonia in 2026?
The Passion Play season in Catalonia begins on March 1st and runs until May 1st. Most Passion Play performances are concentrated around Holy Week (from Sunday, March 29th to Sunday, April 5th, 2026).
Below you will find the main Passion Plays of Catalonia scheduled for 2026.
Featured
Associació Vila-sacra Activa't
Vila-sacraGrup de Teatre Till-Tall - La Passió de Llinars del Vallès
Llinars del VallèsLa Passió d'Esparreguera
EsparregueraLa Passió de Vilalba dels Arcs
Vilalba dels ArcsFederació Catalana de Passions
UlldeconaLa Passió d’Ulldecona
UlldeconaAssociació del Via Crucis Vivent
Sant Hilari SacalmLa Passió de Cervera
CerveraLa Passió de Sant Climent Sescebes
Sant Climent SescebesPassió de La Bisbal d'Empordà
La Bisbal d'EmpordàEvents
The Passion of Castellvell del Camp
1 March …The Passion of Castellvell del Camp is back! A Passion in small format. An innovative setup. A more intimate and human story. An agile and modern staging with cinematic rhythm. The Teatr'Era of Castellvell del Camp is a theater group born from…
The Passion of Cava
6 March …From La Cava - Deltebre, Baix Ebre region and in the very heart of the Ebro Delta, La Pasión de La Cava represents the life and passion of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. From its first performance, in 1956, to the present day, several generations…
The Passion of Cervera
7 March …The Cervera Passion was born in 1477, thus becoming the oldest representation in all of Europe. Currently, you can see a fully consolidated tradition, which offers the viewer a quality theatrical work, with a fast-paced rhythm, thanks to the…
FIRAPASIÓN of Esparreguera
From 7 to 8 MarchThe 7th edition of FIRAPASSIÓ! will take place in Esparreguera on March 7th and 8th. The event will follow the same format as in recent years and will include a trade fair area. This fair will be located in the streets of Arbres, Plaça…
"Apassiona't" in Baix Llobregat
From 15 March to 1 MayThe Baix Llobregat once again launches the initiative "Apassiona't al Baix Llobregat". An initiative to discover two of the most outstanding theatrical productions in Catalan culture: La Passió d'Esparreguera and La Passió d'Olesa…
The Passion of Esparreguera 2026
15 March …The Passion of Esparreguera is a show with great dramatic and technical complexity, which manages to convey to the modern viewer the essence of characters with two thousand years of history. The grandeur of the theater (1,700 seats), the large…
The Passion of Olesa de Montserrat 2026
15 March …The Passion of Olesa: a show like you've never seen before! If there's one place where tradition has been modernized and made accessible to everyone, young and old, it's the Passion Play of Olesa. A performance whose roots go back to 1538,…
The Passion of Llinars del Vallès
From 21 to 22 March …Who was Jesus? What did he say? What did? What circumstances led to his murder... The Till-Tall theater group presents a modern, simple, feminine and emotional passion that will bring you closer in a simple way to the most outstanding moments…
The Passion of Ulldecona
22 March …A dynamic theatrical performance about the life and work of Jesus, where the sequencing of scenes will immerse the viewer in a story full of tenderness, despair, emotion, tension, joy… that will leave no one indifferent. More than 500…
The Passion of Mataró, in the last days of Jesus
From 27 to 28 MarchThe Passion Play of the Armats of Mataró is a reenactment that was once very popular in the Sala Cabanyes. In 1983, the Armats (members of the Armats group) revived the event, and for over 30 years now, the Passion Play has been performed…
The Passion of Sant Climent Sescebes
28 March …The Passion of Sant Climent Sescebes has two characteristics that make it different from any other Passion. The place where it is performed, l'Horta d'en Cusí, is a natural outdoor space that gives it a realism and credibility that…
The Passion of Vilanova i la Geltrú
28 March …The Passion of Vilanova i la Geltrú is an understandable and attractive work for all ages! In 2017, the first performance of The Passion premiered in Vilanova i la Geltrú. "Aquell qui dona testimoni" is the new Passion that was…
Via Crucis of Castelló d'Empúries
29 March …On Palm Sunday and Good Friday the Living Via Crucis ofCastelló d'Empúries is celebrated! With more than two decades, the via crucis, or way of the cross, already marks an uninterrupted tradition where a hundred people, all of…
The Passion of the Bisbal d'Empordà 2026
29 MarchEach Passion Play is a product of its time and grows with the community that represents it. Ours maintains the beloved music that has united generations, but renews the text so that it remains vibrant and relevant. We wanted a Passion Play…
Auto Sacramental in Sant Vicenç dels Horts
31 March …The Auto Sacramental of Sant Vicenç dels Horts is a unique jewel. A popular theatrical manifestation that dates back at least to the 16th century, when the Baron of Cervelló was interested in having performances in his Barony,…
The Passion of Vilalba dels Arcs
2 April …A social version of the Passion of Jesus! The Passion of Vilalba dels Arcs brings us closer to the social and cultural reality that Jesus Christ lived during the last days of his life, from the entry into Jerusalem to the crucifixion. The play,…
Living Via Crucis of L'Escala
3 AprilThe living Via Crucis that takes place in L'Escala, wants to rediscover and reveal the importance that cultural and religious manifestations have had in all peoples and throughout all times. The streets and places of our town are the places…
Living Via Crucis in Sant Hilari Sacalm
3 AprilFor more than three centuries, Sant Hilari Sacalm has celebrated its Living Via Crucis on Good Friday, preserving the processional tradition passing it on from father to son, and it has become a popular event so important that it even surpasses…
The Passion of Vilassar de Mar, Christ has died for us
3 AprilThe passion, death and resurrection of Christ in a set of plastic scenes interpreted, basically by young people and narrated, many of them based on the adaptation of texts from the book “Plegarias” by Michel Quoist, where there…
The Passion of Cunit
From 4 to 5 AprilOf the extensive annual program of the Ateneu Cultural Alba de Cunit, an entity founded in 1994 and organizer of the performance, La Pasión is the flagship due to its importance and difficulty: more than 40 people on stage who are not…
The Passion of Vila-sacra
4 AprilWe invite you to come and experience the Passion of Vila-sacra! A unique passion, portrayed in a unique Romanesque setting, accompanied by the singing of the Coral Veus Blanques choir and with the collaboration of the Armats de Vila-sacra.…
The Passion of Constantí
5 AprilThroughout the old town of Constantí, different scenes from the Passion of Jesus Christ are reenacted! Constantí has had its own Passion of Christ since 2019, promoted by the Associació d'Amics del Teatre de Constantí…
The Passion of Argentona
11 AprilThe performance of The Passion of Argentona began following a great tradition of theater in the Parish Center, a centuries-old tradition that began with the shepherds, but over the years different performances were carried out around the passion.…
The Passion of Clot
11 AprilDon't miss the Passion of Clot (Barcelona)! The representation of the first Passion of Jesus documented in the Christian Community of the Jesuits of Sant Pere Claver del Clot dates back to 1933; That year "Jesus of Nazareth" (1894) by Àngel…
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