Barcelona opens Tour de France 2026 volunteering to people over 16

The Tour de France starts in Barcelona in 2026 and the form is already open for people who want to volunteer. No previous experience is required. The campaign involves 63 Catalan municipalities. Taking part is simple and can make a difference in the city.

The Grand Départ of the 2026 Tour de France will turn Barcelona and dozens of Catalan municipalities into the epicentre of international cycling. From today, anyone over 16 can register as a volunteer to help organise the stages that will run through the city and its surrounding area. The opportunity to be part of this historic event is now within reach for those who want to experience it from the inside.

The volunteering campaign, presented on Monday to representatives of the 63 municipalities involved, has the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya and Barcelona City Council. Berni Àlvarez, Minister for Sport, and Susana Closa, manager of the Institut Barcelona Esports, stressed the importance of citizen involvement in ensuring logistical success and public assistance during the race.

Volunteers’ tasks will focus on supporting the organisation of the stages and providing information to residents and visitors. No previous experience is necessary; the only requirements are meeting the age and language requirements (Catalan, Spanish or French), attending an information session and completing the form available on the official Grand Départ website. Each person will be able to choose the stage and municipality in which they want to collaborate, as well as their availability.

The information sessions, organised in collaboration with the Federació Catalana de Ciclisme, will take place at different points around the region. In a single day, volunteers will receive training on protocols, manuals and safety rules, ensuring effective coordination during the event.

Registration data will be sent to the town councils of each municipality, which will appoint coordinators to assign each volunteer’s location and duties according to the needs of the route. General coordination will involve provincial councils, municipalities and security forces, while volunteers’ work will focus on assisting the public, complementing the work of Protecció Civil and the Agents Rurals.

The Tour de France returns to Catalonia for the ninth time, but this will be the first occasion on which Barcelona hosts the Grand Départ. The three planned stages total more than 350 kilometres and pass through 63 municipalities, with a notable presence in the province of Barcelona as well as Tarragona and Girona. Those wishing to join the volunteer team can now register and choose their role in this unique event.

The Grand Départ is much more than the start of the Tour de France: it is an opportunity for Barcelona and its metropolitan area to project themselves internationally as benchmarks in organising major sporting events. Citizen involvement through volunteering has been key at other historic events in the city and strengthens the social fabric and local hospitality. The experience of helping at an event of this scale leaves its mark both on those who take part and on the image Barcelona conveys to the world.

The Grand Départ of the Tour de France™ 2026 will be held from 4 to 6 July with three stages in Catalonia: a team time trial entirely within Barcelona, a second stage between Tarragona and Barcelona, and a third between Granollers and Les Angles station, in Capcir. They total 397.4 kilometres through 63 municipalities and 12 Catalan counties, with 6,650 metres of elevation gain. The volunteering programme is already open to people over 16 who speak Catalan, Spanish or French and complete an information session; the form is processed on the official Grand Départ website, where each person can choose a stage, municipality and availability, and their data are sent to the town councils to assign logistical-support and public-information tasks, in coordination with provincial councils, Protecció Civil and the Federació Catalana de Ciclisme.