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, 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 pregonera 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 gegantona Laia. Trained at the Escola Massana, she has exhibited internationally. She has also worked in playwriting and has collaborated with UNICEF in solidarity campaigns. Her international campaign "WHY?" defends the rights of children. The proclamation will take place on September 20 at the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Hall.
The guest city
Each year Barcelona declares a guest city 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 infused with Casablanca's culture and talent. The Moroccan city will bring a vibrant mix of music and street arts. Events will include gnawa music with flamenco, rap and urban reggae, and Moroccan circus performances. Venues such as Castell de Montjuïc and Parc de la Estació del Nord will witness these performances. Featured artists such as Maalem Hassan Boussou, Raul Rodriguez, Oum, and Colokolo Cirque will participate, offering a unique and diverse cultural experience. This cultural collaboration underscores the connection and exchange between Barcelona and Casablanca.
Traditional La Mercè
La Mercè is, above all, tradition in its purest form. Through the streets and squares of the Ciutat Vella district and some of the Eixample you will 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.
Music
Mercè Music
La Mercè 2024 will offer a rich musical program with more than 140 artists and groups on fourteen stages. From September 20 to 24, the event will be divided between Música Mercè and BAM, with new performance spaces, such as a stage in Plaça de Catalunya and concerts in Menéndez y Pelayo street. The program will include a wide variety of genres, from jazz and folk to pop and electronica, featuring 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 in eight locations, including Teatre Grec and Bogatell Beach.
The BAM (Barcelona Acció Musical)
In addition to the new stage in Plaça de Catalunya, BAM will be held in Rambla del Raval, Plaça Reial, Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm, Plaça de Can Fabra and Fabra i Coats. Barcelona Acció Musical will feature some 40 artists and will address a variety of genres such as tradition revisited, 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 the Can Fabra and Fabra i Coats squares, highlighting a unique program with rhythms and talents from the Barcelona and Catalan scene. Among the artists present will be Cecé & The Soul Kitchen, Las Bajas Pasiones, the electronica of Meli Perea and the techno of Øbsidiaän.
The MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) (2024)
This year's Mercè Arts de Carrer (Mercè Street Arts) will spread throughout the city with performances by 75 companies and two new venues: Port Olímpic and Nova Icària Beach, with innovative proposals in different formats. The Trinitat Park has been restored and the Castell de Montjuïc and the Albéniz Palacete will once again be the venues. The program includes music, theater, dance, circus, visual and sound performances. Among the highlights are the immersive performing arts at the Estació del Nord Park and the Teatros de Campaña proposal at Nova Icària Beach. Casablanca, guest city, participates with circus and urban dance shows. Other highlights include performances by Sol Picó and Vero Cendoya, and inclusive proposals for people with functional diversity.
Light and Fire (2024)
The International Pyrotechnical Festival and the Piromusical
Three days of pyrotechnics. On September 20 and 21 with the International Pyrotechnic Festival and on September 24 with the Piromusical, which every year ends the festivities of La Marcè. The International Pyrotechnic Festival will take place on the Espigó del Gas beach, where Pirotécnia Fantastika from Mexico and Pirotecnia López from Santiago de Compostela promise to create unique and dazzling shows. 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 2024, the Piromusical will feature a soundtrack selected by Rosalía, one of the most influential artists of the moment. Rosalía has chosen the ideal music to accompany the fireworks, light and color show that will light up the sky of Barcelona. Pirotécnica Igual, with more than 120 years of experience in international events, will be in charge of the pyrotechnic show, as it has done in previous occasions. This Piromusical will be one of the most awaited events of Barcelona's Festa Major.
Light
On September 22 and 23, the show "Formas de Barcelona" will transform the night of the city with a show of 300 drones that will illuminate the sky in a choreography of light. This event fuses art and technology, showcasing simple geometric shapes that become iconic symbols of Barcelona's architecture. The visual narrative celebrates the interrelationship between art, architecture and urban space, offering an immersive experience that honors the city's history and culture.
All fireworks and light shows begin at 10:00 pm.
More Mercè (2024)
Earth and Taste
On Friday, September 20, from 20:00 to 22:30 h; and Saturday and Sunday, September 21 and 22, from 12:00 to 22:30 h you can find tastings, showcookings, workshops, prizes, concerts... In its fourth edition, this festival invites us to enjoy music, food and drink in a more conscious way. It is also a space to promote keys to a sustainable future, with fair conditions for farmers and the promotion of local products, for the benefit of people, territories and the planet.
Earth and Taste, the festival of sustainable food awaits you in the Ciutadella Park for a unique sensory experience!
Open doors
Open days at the exhibition "Precursoras: feminisms, camera in hand and archive on the shoulder" at the Filmoteca de Catalunya on Friday September 20 from 10:00 to 14:00 h and from 16:00 to 21:00 h; and Open day at the Arús Public Library on Friday September 20 from 11:00 h to 14:30 h.
Free activities
From September 17 to 24 the Mercès, and one accompanying person, will be able to enter the MNAC free of charge. Every day from 10:00 to 20:00 h except Sunday 22nd which will be from 10:00 to 15:00 h.
Once again this year, the Gran Teatre del Liceu is joining in the celebrations of Barcelona's Fiestas de la Mercè with a free concert for all citizens, which will take place next Sunday, September 22 at 8:45 p.m. in the Plaza Mayor in Nou Barris, Barcelona.
Sports at La Marcè
During the festival there are classic events such as the Mercè Race which, attention, is held on Sunday September 29, but also others such as the International Senior Masters Softball Tournament (September 20), and
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