People make more use of public space during the festive season, particularly in central areas, which is why various municipal services are bolstered to guarantee optimal conditions.

Police patrols on foot

The City Police will be stepping up their presence to ensure security, with priority given to uniformed patrols on foot. These will be more intensive in busy shopping areas, as well as shopping hubs in the neighbourhoods and tourist areas in the districts, with the corps working in coordination with the Mossos d’Esquadra.

Patrols will carry out public prevention and safety work and enforcement activities for infringements that might disrupt coexistence and hours of rest among local residents. The corps will also carry out community policing, provide assistance for people and generally check on public spaces.

Inspections to guarantee safety and coexistence

The City Police will also be carrying out inspections of venues which open to the public to address any inconvenience caused by noise, excess capacity, closing times, and underage drinking inside venues or in the streets.

For their part, the Barcelona Fire Service will be working with the City Police to check on security systems in venues and for large-capacity shows, as well as events planned for New Year’s Eve and set to draw large crowds.

Prevention in mobility

The Christmas operation also seeks to guarantee road safety and mobility. Breathalyser and drug-driving checks will be stepped up to reduce accidents over the festive season, with a specific campaign coordinated by the Catalan Traffic Service from 12 to 20 December.

The City Police will be paying special attention to infringements that may affect the safety of pedestrians, such as not respecting pedestrian priority at crossings, not respecting traffic lights or circulating on pavements, as well as infringements that might affect the circulation of public transport.

Better on foot or on public transport

People are advised to get around on foot or on public transport if going to the centre of the city or the main shopping areas. Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) will be laying on extra metro services on Saturdays, Sundays and midweek public holidays in December when shops are open, facilitating mobility during the weeks leading up to Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Three Kings.

The increase in trains will be particularly geared towards rush hours, from 5 pm to 9 pm. On Tuesday, 24 December, metro services will end at 11 pm. On Christmas Day, the metro will run from 5 am to 2 am, and on Boxing Day through to midnight. As ever, the metro will be operating non-stop on New Year’s Eve.

The bus network will also be offering greater capacity with articulated vehicles added on some routes.

Boost to cleaning

In all, 114 cleaning staff and 63 cleaning and waste collection vehicles will be reinforcing the usual workforce, particularly in the busiest areas and during the busiest activity through until 7 January. Commercial waste collections and selective waste collections, particularly paper and cardboard, will also be stepped up, as well the emptying of litter bins and road sweeping in streets and squares.

Besides the specific operation in shopping hubs and busy areas, two special operations are planned for New Year’s Eve and the parades by Father Christmas and the Three Kings. As ever, Christmas tree collection points will also be in place from 7 to 17 January.

Finally, a prohibition has been established on any work that may affect public streets between 6 December 2024 and 6 January 2025. The ban applies in the main shopping areas in the city, with the exception of emergency work or where there is a special need, as well as planned work.