La Merce

Barcelona Festival - Festes de la Merce

The stunning festival of La Merce is as always full of fun and activities which as well as being free are great fun for everyone. Les Festes de la Mercè normally has around 500 events all focusing on popular Catalan and Mediterranean culture and traditions.

Mercè Festival

La Merce ( La Mare de Déu de la Mercè - The Virgin of Mercy)

This is the biggest and most important festival of Barcelona. It's held every year in the month of September and is the final celebration of the summer before autumn sets in.

The day of the actual festival is on the 24 September but the highlight is on the eve of 24 September.

Celebrations include the popular procession of dragons and devils called 'Correfoc' (Fire Run) on 26 September from 20.30 to 22.30 and there's also a spectacular firework display with more events on the weekend of the 27 and 28 September.

This year's opening speech will be made at Plaça de Sant Jaume by popular actresses Montserrat Carulla and Vicky Peña who are mother and daughter.

Traditional Celebrations

Early in the day of Merce on 24 September in the Gothic Quarter behind Barcelona Cathedral you may get a shock to hear the most amazingly loud gunfire which makes you feel like you travelled back in time to the French Revolution. Very loud so keep your ears covered!

The festival includes the tradition giants (gegants i capgrossos in Catalan) and castellers (human tower), correfoc ("fire-runners" - late night entertainment with dragons and devils accompanied by fireworks), passacaglias (processions which are a speciality of Barcelona) - sardana dance, theatre, circus acts, concerts and three nights of Pyrotechnic Festival.

The entire city joins in the fun with celebrations on the waterfront and harbour, on Montjuïc and in the Parc de la Ciutadella (next to El Born) with open air cinema, jazz concerts and celebrations for the festival of Ramadan.

Mercedes, Patron Saint of Barcelona

The legend goes that on the night of 24 September 1218, the Virgin appeared simultaneously to King Jaume I in St. Peter Nolasco and St. Raymond of Peñafort. All three asked that a sacred order of monks be created in her name.

Centuries later, in 1687, Barcelona suffered a plague of locusts and when the plague left the city the Virgin of La Mercè was credited with banishing the plague. The City Council named her the patron saint of Barcelona but the Pope did not ratify this decision until two centuries later, in 1868.

After Pope Pius IX declared the Virgen of Mercè the patron saint of the city, Barcelona started to celebrate the festival in September.

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Mercè Festival Program 2009

Merce

Festival Program

The Popular Castellers of Barcelona

Don't miss this wonderful cultural phenomenon which consist of erecting human towers in the form of a castle - hence the word castellers.

This tradition originated at the end of the 18th century in Valls, Tarragona, when rival groups of people called colles, began to compete in constructing the different kinds of human towers that we recognise nowadays - [Read More...]

Times & Maps for the Castellers

Thursday 24th September 2009 at 12.30

Sunday 29th September 2009 at 12.00

The Party of the Sky

A party for all the ages, with the Air Festival...

Festival Music

Music continues to be one of the Festival’s main attractions so don’t miss the (BAM) if you want to listen to new sounds such as The Hives, Billie The Vision & The Dancers, Manel or Estanislau Verdet.

And visit the other music stages to hear fascinating artists such as the urban poet Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band (who visits Barcelona for the first time), James Hunter or Joe Bataan & Los Fulanos, a small sample of the extensive and exciting sound-track of the Mercè’09 Festival.

Parc de la Ciutadella

A program full of family shows, open-air cinema, jazz concerts and the Asia Festival...

Sports

This year La Merce will be more sportive than ever. To the great classics (Career, Travessa Nedant in the Port) contests of new modalities are added to it.

Favor in the Sea

The Museum Marítim and the Gardens of the Bastion are incorporated into the program with shows for all the family with typical Mediterranean concerts.

Istambul Guest City

This year Barcelona has invited Istanbul to offer the people of Barcelona a taste of Turkish culture. And not only the most traditional elements, best represented perhaps by the whirling dance of the dervish Akin Çakmut (Maritime Museum), but also by the newest.

Among other events, we will see an exhibition of contemporary artists from Barcelona and Istanbul (La Capella), we will hear the Eastern dub of the Baba Zula, a group that combines the purest oriental tradition with electronic sounds, and we will see the shadow theatre of Gengiz Ozek (Maritime Museum), a renovator of the tradition of what is called karagöz. Nights of Ramadan: Mercè is part of these nights.

Montjuïc Circus & Piromusical

From the 24 - 27 September 2009 the castle of Montjuïc is transformed into a huge circus where you'll be able to spend the day enjoying shows. With 3 nights of Pyrotechnic Festivals and on the 27th the amazing Piromusical. A spectacular display of synchronized fireworks, water fountains and music at the foot of Montjuïc.

Greek Theater

A show at the Teatre Grec on Montjuïc has been put on in memory of the folklore expert Joan Amades. The theatre debuts at the Mercè this year and will accommodate family shows and a great show of Los Vivancos dance.

Merce Festival