Barcelona recovers Port Vell: green areas, IMAX and Maremagnum will open in autumn 2026

Port Vell is recovering public spaces after the America’s Cup sailing competition. Two landscaped areas will open this year on Moll d’Espanya. Investment exceeds €600,000. Visible changes in one of Barcelona’s busiest areas.

First area (INEOS Britannia, beside Imax): rhomboid, two levels, wall demolition, landscaped embankment temporarily until Liceu Mar (3–4 years), lighting/carriageway/Saló Nàutic events/Prisma. Second (Alinghi, former Multicine Maremagnum): trees, kiosk pergola, hammocks, furniture for small-format events. Port takes possession of land on 31 March.

Wider context: part of the Port Vell Strategic Plan 2025–2030 (Moll d’Espanya/Moll Fusta refurbishment, underground roadways, seafront promenade, Reial Club Marítim). Liceu Mar architecture competition June 2026 (decision summer 2027, €57M until 2031).

Barcelona will see Moll d’Espanya, one of Port Vell’s busiest points, change its appearance this year. After the dismantling of the bases of the last two teams in the America’s Cup sailing competition, the city is recovering two key plots that will soon become green spaces open to the public. This transformation responds to the demand for more accessible urban spaces and revitalises an environment shaped by nautical activity in recent years.

Port de Barcelona will officially receive both sites on 31 March and already has the redevelopment projects ready. The Port Vell Board of Directors plans to approve the works on the 18th of this month, with a total investment of €640,000. The works will go out to tender in spring and begin between June and July, with the aim of opening the new landscaped areas in the final quarter of the year.

The first intervention is beside the former Imax cinema, where the INEOS Britannia team is dismantling its base to move it to Italy. This rhomboid, two-level plot will be adapted temporarily until work begins on the future Liceu Mar, expected in three or four years. The project includes demolishing the perimeter wall, recovering the landscaped embankment and improving the lighting, as well as resurfacing the carriageway and providing multipurpose spaces for events such as Saló Nàutic or activities at the new Prisma centre. The budget for this work is €220,000 and it is expected to be completed in October.

The second green area will occupy the space of the former Cinesa Maremagnum multiplex, recently used by the Swiss team Alinghi Red Bull Racing. After the facilities are demolished, this site between L'Aquàrium and Plaça de l’Odissea will be transformed into a permanent landscaped area, with trees, a kiosk with a pergola, wooden hammocks and urban furniture. The design will make it possible to host small-format activities and the work, more ambitious and costing €420,000, is estimated to continue until the end of the year.

These changes form part of a comprehensive renewal of Moll d’Espanya and Moll de la Fusta, driven by the future arrival of Liceu Mar. The plan envisages a circular promenade facing the sea, the relocation of Reial Club Marítim and the creation of large pedestrian areas by the water. Vehicle traffic will be placed underground and the sheet of water freed by the boats may have new uses. The architectural competition, whose decision will be known in June, will define the reconfiguration of 46,500 m² between Moll de la Fusta and Plaça de l’Odissea. The final project will be ready in summer 2027 and the works, with an estimated budget of €57.3 million, will be completed in 2031.

Moll d’Espanya, known for its proximity to Maremagnum and L'Aquàrium, has traditionally been a meeting point for Barcelonians and visitors. Its transformation in the coming years responds to the need to adapt the seafront to new cultural and civic uses. The arrival of Liceu Mar and the commitment to green spaces reinforce Port Vell’s vocation as an open, dynamic space connected to Barcelona’s urban life.