La Marató 2026: date, cause and how to donate to Catalonia's TV3 telethon

La Marató de 3Cat 2026 is on Sunday 13 December and is dedicated to neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. It is the 35th edition of the TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio telethon that raises money for medical research: Raquel Sans and Miki Núñez present it on TV3, Roger Escapa on Catalunya Ràdio.

When is La Marató 2026?

On Sunday 13 December 2026. According to the Fundació, the TV and radio programme runs for about fifteen hours live; the 2026 start time and running order have not been published (checked on 26 October 2026).

It is the Sunday after the December long weekend. Shops in Barcelona may open that day, because 13 December is one of the Sunday opening days in the 2026 shopping calendar: details in our guide to shops open on Sundays and holidays.

What is La Marató 2026 for?

Neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. According to the Fundació, there are more than 600 recognised neurodegenerative conditions, affecting about 250,000 people in Catalonia: the commonest include Alzheimer's and other dementias, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis, and the rarer ones atypical parkinsonism and Huntington's disease.

There are more than 150 neuromuscular diseases, affecting about 44,000 people in Catalonia, and more than half of patients first show symptoms in childhood. They include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Neurodegenerative diseases are progressive and most neuromuscular ones have no cure; both take away people's independence, so this edition also looks at the people who care for them. The Fundació puts all donations into awareness and research. The 2025 edition was about cancer.

How to watch or listen to La Marató

On TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, and online in 3Cat's live section, which streams the TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio channels. Raquel Sans and Miki Núñez present it on TV3 and Roger Escapa on Catalunya Ràdio, 3Cat announced on 2 October 2026.

How to donate to La Marató 2026

Only through the channels the Fundació lists on its donation page. On 26 October 2026 there were three:

• Online, with the form on that page.
• By Bizum (the Spanish mobile payment service), in the app's donations section, with La Marató's code: 33333. Put your postcode in the payment concept field.
• By bank transfer to the Fundació's account. Copy the account number from the official page, never from a message or a social media post.

On the day, La Marató runs phone centres at Fira de Barcelona, the Palau de Congressos de Girona, the Port of Tarragona and the University of Lleida to take donation calls. The number is not on the donation page yet; only use the one 3Cat publishes.

Tax relief. The Fundació La Marató de 3Cat is covered by Spain's Law 49/2002. Article 19 of that law lets people who pay Spanish income tax (IRPF) deduct 80% of the first €250 donated and 40% of the rest (45% if you gave the Fundació the same amount or more in each of the two previous years), up to 10% of the taxable base. To get the certificate, the Fundació asks donors to fill in the form on the donation page before 31 December.

How to take part: volunteering and local events

Volunteering. Anyone who wants to answer calls at the phone centres on 13 December can pre-register at marato.voluntariat.org until 10:00 on 10 November 2026 (registration opened at 10:00 on 20 October); places are drawn by lot among everyone who signs up. Volunteering is coordinated by the Generalitat's Directorate-General for Community Action and Social Innovation (Department of Social Rights and Inclusion).

Local events. According to the Fundació, more than 3,500 fundraising events are organised every year: concerts, sports competitions, walks, lunches and more. Groups that want to run one can register it on the popular activities page, which also has a map of those already registered, by comarca.

La Marató in schools

From 13 October to 13 December 2026 the Fundació is coordinating about 6,500 talks on these diseases in about a thousand secondary schools, sixth-form (batxillerat) and vocational training centres and shared schooling units (UEC), with the support of the Catalan Department of Education and Vocational Training. About 450 health professionals give them, reaching about 225,000 young people.

After the talk, each class can enter the "Crea per La Marató" competition with a piece in any art form: music, dance, theatre, film, writing, drawing... Schools and organisations that want a talk can request one with the form on the outreach sessions page.

What is La Marató?

A charity project run by Televisió de Catalunya and the Fundació La Marató de 3Cat that raises money for research into diseases that still have no cure, and explains them to the public. It began in 1992: according to the Fundació, TV3 was the pioneering public broadcaster in Spain to run a telethon. Many people still call it La Marató de TV3; its current name is La Marató de 3Cat.

According to the La Marató 2026 page, checked on 26 October 2026, it has raised €271.9 million since 1992 and funded 1,084 research projects.

More for December

The long weekend, the markets and Christmas: the December 2026 long weekend, Christmas markets in Catalonia, living nativity scenes and Christmas in Barcelona.

Data on this page last verified: 26 October 2026.

Keep reading

• Christmas in Barcelona: lights, nativity and what's open
• December 2026 holidays in Catalonia: 6, 7 and 8 December
• Christmas markets in Catalonia
• Shops open on Sundays and holidays
• Living nativity scenes in Catalonia
• Catalonia public holidays 2027