Fantastic literature takes over the city once again with the sixth edition of Festival 42, the major event dedicated to fantasy, science fiction, and horror in Barcelona. An unmissable gathering to delve into worldbuilding and extraordinary tales. 📚✨

Curated this year by cultural journalist Karen Madrid Ribas and writer Susana Vallejo, founder of Phantastica, the programme presents a wide range of thematic talks and discussions.

📚 FESTIVAL 42

📅 From November 4 to 8, 2026

🕐 Time not specified

📍 Fabra i Coats, Barcelona

🎟️ Check entry details

📖 Primal fears, AI, and tributes

The festival focuses on core themes such as ancestral and contemporary fears, the creation of imaginary worlds, art within fantastic genres, and reflections on artificial intelligence. It will also pay tribute to Richard Matheson on the centenary of his birth and to architect Antoni Gaudí.

Featured guests include writers such as Naomi Ishiguro, Django Wexler, Agustín Fernández Mallo, Jaume Oliver Ripoll, Alicia Kopf, and Carlos di Urarte, discussing everything from alternate histories and grimdark fantasy to technology and self-representation.

🏛️ Fabra i Coats as the fantasy hub

The historic Fabra i Coats cultural venue hosts this literary celebration once more, bringing together speculative fiction specialists and creators from across the scene.

✨ A key festival for exploring the outer limits of imagination in Barcelona.