Font Magica: Dancing Water, Glowing Colors

Lights, color, music, water…action! Montjuic's Magic Fountain has it all. Soft tones of colored lights bathe the mist in shades of reds, greens and yellows as the Magic Fountain sprays and shoots water in all directions to the sounds of Mozart, Queen and Whitney Houston.




Barcelona's Magic Fountain, located at the foot of the steps up to the Museum of Catalán Art (Museo National del Arte de Catalunya) on Montjuic mountain, was built in 1929 for the Barcelona World's Fair.

After many years of decay and disuse the city restored this little known attraction for the 1992 Olympic Games; thrilling, spraying and entrancing visitors and citizens ever since.

The Magic Fountain is a series of smaller fountains that begin at the door to the Palau Nacional, home to the Museum of Catalán Art, that cascade and flow down the various levels that lead to Plaza Espanya.

This makes finding your way to both the central fountain and the Museum of Catalán Art a simple matter of following the water!

The best time to take in the show is as the sun makes its final descent, just before disappearing into the night.

The various views afforded from the many levels leading to the Museum of Catalán Art make this a wonderful place to watch the sun set over the city.

The soft reds and yellows provide a beautiful backdrop to the Palau Nacional and its Magic Fountain.

The water and the lights are like a young couple dancing the night away, changing their pace and rhythm to match that of the music.

When Freddy Mercury reaches his highest note, a single stream of water suddenly shoots upwards to astonishing heights before vanishing in a cloud of purple mist.

  • The Magic Fountain's color display contains more than 50 hues.
  • The fountain's creator, Carles Buiges, also designed a torpedo bomber seaplane and a one-person submarine.
  • The fountain uses recycled water.


The museum of Catalan Art serves as the backdrop to the Magic fountains and is actually where the fountain begins is cascading journey to the main fountain below.
The museum of Catalan Art serves as the backdrop to the Magic fountains and is actually where the fountain begins is cascading journey to the main fountain below.

Opening Hours the Magic Fountain are:

Date Opening Times
October 1 to April 30 Friday & Saturday only from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Shows start every 30 minutes.
May 1 to September 30 Thursday to Sunday only from 9 to 11:30 p.m. Shows start every 30 minutes.
Closed January 7 to February 6, and Semana Santa (April 20-24, 2014)

Location & contact information:

  • Plaza de Carles Buïgas 1, 08038 (Plaza Espanya)
  • You can take the red or green metro lines to the "Plaza Espana" stop. Just follow the water from there to the main fountain.