Why this year’s EPT Barcelona festival could be the best yet

August 13, 2025

Events

by PokerStars Staff

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5 Minute Read

We can’t wait for the upcoming EPT Barcelona festival, running August 18-31. Here’s why.

You can probably feel it too. 

There’s a special buzz for poker players at this time of year. Just about everyone in the poker world has enjoyed some summer downtime post-World Series, and it sure has felt great to get outside in the sun. 

But it’s time to swap swimwear for hoodies; sunscreen for hand sanitiser; fish and chips on the beach for fish (hopefully) and stacks of chips (ideally) in a poker room.

Yep. It’s almost Barcelona time. 

The Spanish leg of the European Poker Tour is always a highlight, but this year the excitement feels more charged than ever. It doesn’t matter whether you’re heading to Catalonia to play or you’re just looking forward to watching the streams at home. 

You can feel it. It’s going to be huge. And it’s just around the corner. 

EPT Barcelona 2025—now in its 21st edition—runs from August 18-31, 2025. Here are five reasons why it could be the best festival yet.

ICONIC LOCATION ON THE BEACH

As far as casinos in major cities go, they don’t come more perfectly placed than Casino Barcelona.

When you walk out the door, you’re literally (and we do use that word literally, not figuratively) in front of the beautiful Barcelona beach. 

This is what you’ll find right outside Casino Barcelona

You’re a stone’s throw from some fantastic restaurants (perfect for a relaxed meal with friends), some great and healthy “fast food” options (ideal for those speedy tournament breaks), and some cool bars (for whenever the mood strikes).

If you’d like a full guide to the city written from a poker player’s perspective, check out this article.

But it’s not just the location that makes Casino Barcelona such a fantastic place to play poker. The venue is iconic, home to many of the biggest poker tournaments ever held on European soil.

The first ever EPT took place in Casino Barcelona back in 2004, and we’re still coming back 143 Main Events later.

The Spin & Go Championship Live returns

Heads have been spinning since PokerStars announced that the electrifying Spin & Go Championship Live would return in 2025 for another exclusive, rapid-fire live event, following the success of the inaugural competition in Prague last December.

And what better place to hold the second edition than Barcelona?

Spinning and going

If you’ve not heard about the Spin & Go Championship Live yet, you’re in for a treat.

This isn’t just another tournament. It’s an exciting, frenetic live format replicating the three-handed, action-packed Spin & Go’s you play on PokerStars. It’s quick, accessible, and a whole lot of fun.

For two days at the end of August (30-31), three-handed tables will become the norm as 81 players battle for a €275,000 prize pool over two days, with a massive €100,000 and a championship trophy going to the winner.

We can’t wait.

RECORD-BREAKING EXPECTATIONS

With so much anticipation, it’s hard not to think that every edition of EPT Barcelona will be the biggest yet.

Barcelona played host to the largest ever EPT Main Event back in 2022. Giuliano Bendinelli defeated a monster 2,294-entry field to win €1,491,133–the lion’s share of a €11,125,900 prize pool.

A year later, Lucien Cohen conquered the largest live field in PokerStars history—a staggering 7,398 entries—to win the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event for €676,230.

And that’s not to mention the many other record-breakers we’ve seen in High Rollers and side events over the past two decades.

There’s no guarantee 2025 will hit those numbers, but with the PokerStars Open making its Barcelona debut, and a long wait since EPT Monte Carlo, Casino Barcelona is going to be absolutely buzzing.

Stars Are Lining Up

EPT Barcelona always attracts many of the biggest names in poker—even those we don’t often see on the tour. 

Take John Juanda, for example. The Poker Hall-of-Famer rocked up to Barcelona in 2015 and took part in what was at the time the largest Main Event in EPT history (1,694 entries). 

Having finished second at EPT London in 2010, this time Juanda went all the way and took it down for €1,022,593. We don’t see Juanda at many stops these days, but you better believe he always finds time for Barcelona.

It’s not just huge names in the poker world that come, either. Football superstars like Neymar and Gerard Piqué have been frequent visitors, as well as golf legend Sergio García and many other sporting and content-creating giants.

Pique’s now a Barcelona poker regular

Who will show up this year? We’ll have to wait and see.

Your beloved PokerStars Ambassadors will be there, though. You can count on them.

That EPT Barcelona Festival Feel — Off the Felt

Wherever the EPT goes, there’s plenty of fun to be had off the felt. But it’s especially good in Barcelona, where the casino is right beside the beach and the hills of Catalonia are only a short bus ride away.

Don’t miss the catamaran trips

This time, players and their guests can enjoy catamaran trips, padel tournaments and off-site activity days, as is now established for this stop, as well as a comedy night, a quiz night and several get-togethers where on-felt adversaries can become friends.

Ain’t no party like an EPT Barcelona party

Of course, it wouldn’t be the EPT without an incredible Players Party too, and Barcelona’s is always one of the best.

All of this makes EPT Barcelona richer than other festivals—it’s about so much more than cards.

Check out the full EPT Barcelona activities guide here.

*****

Even if you’re not going to play at EPT Barcelona, you can still be a part of it.

Coverage from the festival will not only be beamed onto your devices through live streams, but your trusty PokerStars Blog writers will be on the floor bringing you all of the news and stories (the type of stuff the cameras can’t always capture), plus player interviews and results.

There’s that buzz again. Can you feel it?