La Mercè Barcelona is the city’s biggest festival taking place once a year, with a range of arts and cultural events spread across the entire city. It’s been an official city holiday for over 150 years, dating back to 1871 when the first La Mercè festival was organised by the local government to observe the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy.
It’s not surprising then that the celebration of La Mercè has religious origins, honoring the Virgin of Grace (Mare de Déu de la Mercè) who is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Barcelona. If you pass through the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, you may find the basilica dedicated to the Virgin of Grace…she’s a big deal in this city!
To find the Basílica de la Mercè, head to Plaza de la Mercè in the Gothic Quarter close to the harbour.
During the Spanish Civil War, the festival was banned by the Francoist government. However, it was revived after the war, and it has continued to grow in popularity ever since.
These days, La Mercè is the biggest festival in Barcelona. Over 2 million visitors from across the globe join the celebrations each year for a wide variety of events, including traditional Catalan dances, music, theatre, street performances, and fireworks.
When is La Mercè?
The dates for La Mercè vary a little each year, but it always take place for around 5 days towards the end of September. As the festival is to honour the Virgin of Grace, whose feast day is the 24th, the festival always coincides with that date.
La Mercè dates 2024: 20th – 24th September.
Where Does La Mercè Take Place?
The festival covers the city of Barcelona, with multiple stages popping up across the city and other venues being repurposed. Many places have ‘open houses’ which means you can visit inside places that during the rest of the year you may not be able to.
The festival takes place in the streets of Barcelona, on stages that pop up across the city and the expansive Parc de la Ciutadella, in repurposed event venues, in the squares, on the beach…everywhere!
What Happens During La Mercè?
Well, what doesn’t happen might be an easier question to answer!
Highlights not to be missed are:
- Castellers: The infamous human towers! There’s a ton of history behind this tradition, but even without knowing that, it’s fascinating to watch. Head to Placa de Sant Jaume for the big, crowded display from the different neighbourhood teams, each competing to build the tallest towers of people, sometimes 6 people high, before sending a child up to the top and back down again.
Top tip: Arrive in the square at least 30 minutes before the start to be sure to get a space. If you’re able to, grab a spot in the shade near a wall or somewhere you can step up without blocking the view of others. It gets busy, and on a sunny day there’s no chance for shade or relief from the heat of the crowd in the afternoon sun.
Come prepared with drinks, snacks and a hat for shade.
- Correfoc: A fire fun! People dress up as devils and run through the streets with fireworks on sticks, spraying the sparks into the crowd. Giant mascots are paraded through the streets too, with fireworks attached. It’s an exhilarating experience, and some people choose to run through the devils and dance in the sparks.
Long sleeves and trousers are recommended if you want to be close, and sometimes you won’t have a choice as they run close to the crowd. There are family-friendly correfocs run earlier in the evening than the lively adult version.
- Fireworks: It wouldn’t be La Mercè without fireworks! Usually there’ll be a few displays during the festival itself, often at the beach, with a final breathtaking display over Montjuic magic fountain on the last evening. Placa d’Espanya and the road to the fountain fills with people, which in itself if is a sight to see. Definitely one not to be missed!
- Music: It’s a festival of culture, art and music, so it’s only right that music plays out across the city at various stages and at all times of day and night. No matter what your taste, you’re sure to find something you like, whether it’s hardcore dance music to rave at or soft classical music to be enjoyed in the park.
- Giants parade: Probably one more for the families but as an adult, I also enjoy seeing the giant figures being paraded through the streets. You can catch the parades several times over the festival, or visit the stationary giants on display to see who they are and what their significance is.
- Sardana: A traditional Catalan dance performed by a group in a circle. The music changes tempo and the teams competing have to adjust their dance to maintain time with the music. It’s a slow dance but interesting to see all the teams competing in the square in front of Barcelona Cathedral.
Who Can Go to the Celebrations?
Anyone and everyone. Residents, visitors, tourists, Auntie Barbara’s neighbour’s cousin…everyone is welcome!
The joy of La Merce being in Barcelona is that the city itself is very open minded and although they might not love the amount of tourists that visit, people are very welcoming to people of all walks of life. Barcelona really is a city where you can be yourself and no-one will really bat an eyelid.
While some festivals are targeted at a certain age range or group of people, La Merce has something for everyone. There are different events happening through the day, from morning to late at night, catering for families with young children, young adults, older adults, solo travellers…everyone!
Where to Stay for La Mercè
As the festival spans across the whole city, there are plenty of areas to stay in Barcelona that would ensure you have good access to a lot of the festivities.
My go to location in Barcelona is around Plaça de Catalunya or Urquinaona. These areas are central and well connected by foot and public transport to the airport, beach and spaces across the city. There are plenty of budget friendly options, as well as places to splurge and treat yourself to a luxury stay here.
My go to hostel in the area is St Christopher’s Inn, while my favourite hotel for a more luxurious stay is Olivia Plaza. There are lots of options in this neighbourhood, but these two I have tried, tested and loved!
If you want to be in the middle of a lot of the hustle and bustle during La Mercè, opt for somewhere close to Placa de Sant Jaume. But just be aware, the crowds will be extensive, and there’s a gun salute to kick things off the first morning of the festival which is sure to wake you with a bang!
La Mercè festival finishes with an impressive fireworks display in Placa d’Espanya. It’s an easy place to walk to – personal mobility permitting – but if you are hoping to catch the firework display from the comfort of your hotel, check out Hotel Catalonia Barcelona Plaza. It’s right on the busy intersection giving you great transport connections to the airport and the rest of the city, as well as a prime view of the closing fireworks display from the rooftop terrace.
What to Wear to La Mercè
There isn’t a dress code for the festival and Barcelona is a very accepting city so you could probably get away with anything and no-one would give a second look. However, for certain events like the correfoc fire run, there is advice given to cover your skin a bit. This is purely from a safety perspective, as there are essentially fireworks being sprayed into the crowd.
The advised dress for a correfoc / fire run is long sleeves, trousers or legs covered and, depending how close you want to get, a hat and glasses. For the family-friendly correfoc, the crowd is kept at a safe distance from the massive sparklers that spray sparks as the devils pass by. For the adult fire run, pretty much anything goes and the sparks being sprayed into the crowd are likely to get you.
Don’t wear clothing that is easily flammable, minimise the hairspray
and be prepared that any skin on show may get burnt.
I have been caught by the fireworks at the fire run and while it stings for a bit, I had no lasting damage. If you are planning to run in the correfoc, you really should cover up.
La Mercè for Families
While most festivals probably aren’t suitable for families and young children, La Mercè really does have something to offer everyone. There is plenty going on through the day in terms of arts and music, plus family-focussed activities like character parades early in the day.
Come evening, the more raucous activities like the correfoc – fire run – have a family friendly version earlier in the evening. While it’s not an activity I would initially think about taking a child to, the kid’s version is a lot more tame and safer than the adult’s version which takes place a couple of hours after.
La Mercè for Solo Travellers
Something that I thought about before my first visit to La Mercè was whether it would be fun to visit as a solo traveller. I quickly realised that yes, it is still incredibly fun to go to alone if you’re already used to travelling solo.
The range of displays, parades, art and music shows can be easily enjoyed on your own, but if you’d prefer to go with someone you could always ask around in the hostel as I’ve often found my roommates will be going to something that is part of the festival.
Is La Mercè in Barcelona Worth Visiting?
Absolutely yes! Barcelona’s biggest festival has so much going on with the cultural events, music, art, fireworks, open houses. Aside from being incredibly fun to visit, it’s also an excellent excuse to spend some time seeing the sights and city of Barcelona!
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