Originally created for the 1929 World Exposition, this huge colour-lit fountain has again been a magnet since the 1992 Olympics, shimmering on the long sweep of Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina to the grand Palau Nacional. With a flourish, the ‘Magic Fountain’ erupts into a feast of musical, backlit aquatic life; it's a unique 15-minute night performance in which the water can look like seething fireworks or a mystical cauldron of colour.
On hot summer evenings especially, this spectacle (repeated several times) mesmerises onlookers. On the last evening of the September Festes de la Mercè and on New Year's Eve, the particularly beautiful displays feature fireworks. Eco initiatives include the use of groundwater and LED lights.