La Mercè - Barcelona's Festival

During the second half of September, Barcelona celebrates every year "La Mercè", that is, its Fiesta Mayor. A Fiesta Mayor that we could define as a festival of festivals, multitudinous and popular, which in one week brings together between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000,000 people in different public spaces of the city, to follow and enjoy the many cultural, artistic and festive activities.

The city becomes a great stage overflowing with imagination and fantasy. The involvement of a large number of groups and entities is its great secret. Private sponsors and collaborating companies give their support. And, in addition, all the proposals, from the most popular to the most sophisticated and minority, are free.

And what can we see during La Mercè?

• Street theater stands out: dance, circus, brass bands, elite proposals or traveling shows that are grouped under the name of MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer).
• Large-format night shows: related to light and new technologies through artistic projections on buildings and monuments, or fire and pyrotechnics.
• Traditional activities: "toc d'inici" (opening the festivities), parade of giants, human towers ("castellers"), sardanas, groups of choirs and dances, "correfocs", parades of "bastoners", "grallers" and "trabucaires" that bring together a total of 600,000 people.
• Music also plays an important role during the Festival of "La Mercè". Two proposals are combined: a series of concerts programmed for all kinds of audiences and the BAM (Barcelona Acción Musical), a festival of independent music that brings together the best of the Catalan music scene and the rest of Spain, and some top international figures.
• The ACV (Acción Cultural Viva) festival, which in addition to transgressive, inclusive and experimental musical proposals, offers a Record Fair, a live community radio broadcast, several workshops and performances, and the Discofòrum, a space to listen, share and talk about music.
• La Cursa: a 10 km race that passes through the most emblematic places in Barcelona. It's nice to see it, but in this activity, it's better to participate.

La Mercè 2024

The proclamation and the town crier

Carme Solé Vendrell, the herald of La Mercè 2024, is a prominent illustrator, painter and sculptor from Barcelona. She has illustrated children's books and magazines, and is known for creating the giant Laia. Trained at the Escola Massana, she has exhibited internationally. She has also worked in dramaturgy and has collaborated with UNICEF on solidarity campaigns. Her international campaign "WHY?" defends the rights of children. The herald will take place on September 20 in the Saló de Cent of Barcelona City Hall.

The guest city

Every year Barcelona declares a city as a guest that has special relevance in the selection of events. Casablanca is the guest city at La Mercè 2024, so this year's La Mercè will be steeped in the culture and talent of Casablanca. The Moroccan city will bring a vibrant mix of music and street arts. The events will include gnawa music with flamenco, rap and urban reggae, and Moroccan circus shows. Stages such as the Castell de Montjuïc and the Parc de la Estació del Nord will witness these performances. Leading artists such as Maalem Hassan Boussou, Raúl Rodríguez, Oum, and the Colokolo Cirque will participate, offering a unique and diverse cultural experience. This cultural collaboration underlines the connection and exchange between Barcelona and Casablanca.

The traditional Mercè

La Mercè is, above all, tradition in its purest form. Through the streets and squares of the district of Ciutat Vella and some of the Eixample you can see parading and dancing the Giants of the City, the Eagle, the Bull, the Mulassa, the Víbria and the rest of the beings of Barcelona's festive imaginary. If you like strong emotions, follow the devils and drummers of the Correfoc through the streets of Barcelona, who have been preparing the gunpowder for days, and do not miss the Castellers day, the mornings of Grallers, the Trabucaires and the Bastoners.

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Music

Mercè Music

La Mercè 2024 will offer a rich musical programme with more than 140 artists and groups on fourteen stages. From 20 to 24 September, the event will be divided between Música Mercè and BAM, with new performance spaces, such as a stage in Plaça Catalunya and concerts on Carrer de Menéndez y Pelayo. The programme will include a wide variety of genres, from jazz and folk to pop and electronica, with performances by artists such as Marwan, La Ludwig Band, and Mercedes Peón. There will also be Moroccan music, Catalan rumba, and Estonian folk, with highlights including two special concerts for the 50th anniversary of the Sala Zeleste. Performances will take place at eight locations, including the Teatre Grec and Bogatell beach.

The BAM (Barcelona Acció Musical)

In addition to the new stage in Plaça de Catalunya, BAM will take place on the Rambla del Raval, Plaça Reial, the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm, Plaça de Can Fabra and Fabra i Coats. Barcelona Acció Musical will feature around 40 artists and will cover a variety of genres such as revisited tradition, new urban and contemporary music. Highlights include performances by Cheb Runner, Sodamantina, Chill Mafia, Los Ganglios, Magalí Datzira, PUTOCHINOMARICÓN, Las Ninyas del Corro, Lucia Fumero and Futuroa.

ACV (Acción Cultural Viva)

As part of BAM Acció Cultura Viva, the Sant Andreu concerts will take place in Plaça de Can Fabra and Fabra i Coats, highlighting a unique programme with rhythms and talents from the Barcelona and Catalan scene. Among the artists present will be Cecé & The Soul Kitchen, Las Bajas Pasiones, the electronic music of Meli Perea and the techno of Øbsidiaän.

The MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) (2024)

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The MAC 2023, Barcelona's festival of theater, circus and outdoor performance installations, will take place in several emblematic venues in the city. The Estació del Norr, Palacete Albéniz, Montjuïc Castle, and other venues will host a varied program that will include contemporary dance, new technologies, puppetry, street theater and more. The festival will feature local and international artists such as Carla Sisteré, UnaiUna, Lali Ayguadé, and renowned companies such as the Kyiv Academic Theater "Berehynia" from Ukraine, offering a unique cultural experience during four days of celebration.

The Ciutadella Park will not be available this year due to ongoing works.

Light and Fire (2023)

The International Pyrotechnical Festival and the Pyromusical

Three days of pyrotechnics. On September 22 and 23 with the International Pyrotechnic Festival and on September 25 with the Piromusical, which every year ends the festivities of La Marcè. The International Pyrotechnic Festival will take place on the beach of Barceloneta, where AlBahiya Palace promises to create a unique and dazzling spectacle involving the latest technology. It will be an explosion of colors and special effects in the sky.

Fireworks will once again take center stage during the Piromusical, one of the most important events of La Mercè. There will be a fireworks launch from Montjuïc and a big party for the citizens on the Reina Maria Cristina Avenue. The Piromusical is an emblematic festival of Barcelona that combines fireworks and synchronized music. In this edition of La Mercè 2023, the festival will feature a soundtrack by Sonar to celebrate its 30 years of existence. Pirotecnia Igual, a Catalan company with a long tradition in the manufacture of fireworks, will be in charge of lighting up the sky of Barcelona with an innovative proposal. This collaboration between Piromusical and Sonar promises to be an unforgettable event.

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All fireworks shows start at 10:00 pm.

More Mercè (2023)

Discounts and paid activities

During this year's La Mercè you will be able to enjoy two special guided tours to the Amatller House and the Palau Baró de Quadrastwo jewels of modernism in Barcelona.

Open doors

On September 22, 23 and 24 at 4:00 p.m. the Sagrada Familia organizes open days. You can also visit for free the Santa Monica art center and the Arús Public Library.

Free activities

From September 19 to 24 the Mercès, and a companion, will be able to enter free of charge to the MNAC. Remember also that the Antiquarian and Modern Second-hand Book Fair is held within the framework of La Mercè.

Sports at La Marcè

During the festival there are classic events such as the Mercè Race, which, attention, is held on Sunday September 17, but there will also be the festival of extreme sports Extreme Barcelona (September 17), an International Senior Masters Softball Tournament (September 22), the Open Water TICB - Barcelona Port Crossing and Aquathlon (September 23), the Inclusive Fitness Festival (September 24), and other sporting events.

Program