How to Cope with May Day (May first) in Barcelona

May 1st is Labor Day practically all over Europe and a day off. Banks, offices and many shops will be closed, but on May 2 it´ll be business as usual, it´s people that take that day off as what we call a "bridge day", but no closures of shops, supermarkets, offices, banks...

.... "how to cope"? I don't get your question. Unless you were planning to visit a solicitor or to go to that niche store to get whatever, or to that shopping mall, I don't quite see how a national holiday will impact you that much. On national holidays many of us locals we also do touristy stuff in our own patch, therefore museums and other tourist sites, many eateries, public transportation, etc. are open as usual. Is there anything "not a tourist would normally do" that you need to do?

Thank you for your replies. My concern was that everything shuts down, like Christmas in the US, where many restaurants are closed.

If this helps...Spanish bars and restaurants are extremely lively on our vacation days, and Sundays are one of the most busy days of the week for the "aperitivo" and lunch. We do not close for any holidays, except maybe Christmas and New Year´s Day. Bars are an extremely important part in Spanish life, where you´ll see kids of all ages, families with grandparents and parents together, and young people all at once. Very different from bars in the USA.

... same goes for most "entertainment" -that is, museums, exhibits, theaters, etc.

We were in Barcelona last year on May 1st and planned to visit sites in the Montjuic area. The only two closures we ran into were at the Olympic & Sports Museum and Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. The rest of the day had a joyful atmosphere of a holiday with lots of families, etc..out and about.