What To See During The Festes De La Merce
WHAT IS LA MERCÈ FESTIVAL?
La Merce Festival in Barcelona (or Festes de la Merce) is the most important local celebration in Barcelona: it’s our main festival – La Festa Major. Every year it is celebrated during the week around September 24, day of our Lady of Mercy – Patron Saint of Barcelona. If you are visiting Barcelona in September, the weather is still nice and it invites to go out and explore.
The city council organizes lots of activities and shows, and the locals make sure not to miss their favorite, as many of them are traditional celebrations that don’t happen more than a few times a year. Let us show you what you shouldn’t miss! And once you’ve chosen what would you like to attend, you can find where and when in the official website of the Festes de la Merce.
La Mercè, our Lady of Mercy
The festival of La Merce is celebrated every year in Barcelona to honor Our Lady of Mercy, patron saint of the city. There's several stories related to her. One of the oldest explains that in 1218 Our Lady of Mercy appeared to King Jaume I and his knights St. Pere Nolasc and St. Raymond of Penyafort in their dreams. She gave them the mission to rescue the Christians that were being held prisoners by the moors. And that's how the order of the Mercederians, monks and knights at the same time, was created.
Another legend explains that in 1687 the city suffered a locusts plague, and the Council of the Hundred (the medieval city council) agreed on votation to pray to Her asking for help. After the plague was gone, she was declared patron saint of Barcelona (even if it wasn’t reconfirmed by the Pope until almost 200 years later, in 1868). You can visit the Basilica of La Merce in the lower end of the Gothic Quarter, close to the Port Vell.
History of the Festival
The first local festivals dedicated to Our Lady of Mercy are first documented in 1868, offering a combination of religious and traditional celebrations. In 1902 the Barcelona city council got involved and officialized the festivities, programming all kind of traditional performances to rival with the more serious religious acts. The rivalry between secular and Catholic events increased with the years, but the prevalence of the religious aspects of the festival was imposed after the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and the beginning of the Dictatorship of Franco, an ultra-catholic military.
With the death of the dictator and the come back of Democracy, La Merce Festival started being shaped the way we know it today, and during the last couple of decades folklore, music and family activities have filled the program more and more, pushing the official religious events to the background, despite the complaints of the Catholic Church and some conservative sections of the local population. There’s also a tendency to decentralize the activities and involving districts beyond the city center.
La Mercè dates
Or on the contrary, the museums run by the Barcelona City Council are likely to celebrate open doors. Therefore access will be free (but they’ll be more crowded than usual). Note that most museums don’t allow tour guides to conduct tours during their open door hours. Some of these museums are:
- Picasso Museum (free tickets must be booked online from their website)
- Palau Guell (free tickets must be booked online from their website)
- MUHBA (Museum of History of the City)
- MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art)
- Maritime Museum
- Museum of the Music
- Botanical Garden
A special mention deserves the Sagrada Familia Church, which is owned by the Bishopric of Barcelona and is known to celebrate open doors not just on September 24 (afternoons only: the mornings run as usual), but also on some of the days around it. It is worth to keep checking their social media and ticket sales website to learn the exact dates as soon as possible: one cannot just stand in line to get in during their open doors day, but they are given away on a draft a few days earlier. The paid morning tickets on open doors days are also likely to sell out faster than usual.
As for the dates of the actual festival, the celebrations don’t only take place on September 24 (although it’s usually the strongest day), but they usually expand into the closest weekend. The program is usually announced mid-July and you can find it online, but keep checking it regularly because more activities will be added as they get confirmed. You can also download the La Merce App for Apple and Android.
Main festival areas and how to get there
1
Plaça de Catalunya
Plaça Catalunya is the heart of the city, the limit between the Old Town and the Eixample, and the center of the shopping district. In the middle of the plaza stands a large stage where concerts take place at night. During day time it’s a great location to start exploring the many celebrations taking place in the Old Town.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Subway: L1 and L3 lines (although the L2 and L4 are quite close, too)
- FGC: L6, L7, S1, S2
- Rodalies trains: R1, R3, R4
- Many city and suburban buses stop in the area as well, and most of the night buses too.
2
Gothic Quarter
There’s two places in the Gothic Quarter that you need to keep in your radar. One of them is Plaça Sant Jaume, the political center of Barcelona, home to the City Hall and the Generalitat Government building. The other is the square in front of the Cathedral (technically two different squares: Pla de la Seu and Plaça Nova).
In Plaça Sant Jaume take place the human castle performances, start or finish many giants parades, there’s also a stage where concerts take place, and there’s often other folklore events happening through the festival. The opening speech of the Festes de la Merce is usually said from the balcony of the City Hall.
In front of the Cathedral there’s another stage for concerts. Here you’ll find traditional music and dancing, as well as activities for the little ones. It’s a great place to see sardana dancing by professional teams, or spot groups of “bastoners” stick dancers.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Subway: L4 (Jaume I). Or you can walk from Plaça Catalunya, Plaça Urquinaona or La Rambla.
3
Ciutadella Park
The oldest park in Barcelona gets livelier than usual with stalls set up along its main boulevard, concerts, scenic art shows, circus… The fun often extends up Passeig de Lluís Companys all the way to the Arch of Triumph. The vibe in the Ciutadella Park is a mix of kid-friendly and multicultural.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Subway: L1 (Arc de Triomf), L4 (Barceloneta)
- Rodalies trains: R1, R3, R4, R7
4
Montjuic Castle
The Castle that crowns the Hill of Montjuic opens its doors to host concerts, scenic art shows and sometimes even outdoor cinema on the grass of its dry moat.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Teleferic de Montjuic cablecar
- 150 Bus
- Expect huge crowds at the cable car and the bus. You might want to consider walking from the top station of the Funicular de Montjuic that connects with the L2 and L3 subway lines in Paral·lel station.
5
Forum and beaches
The beaches and their breakwaters are the best vantage point to enjoy the fireworks and drone shows during the nights of the La Merce Festival. The beaches and the Forum also often house vibrant outdoor concerts during the city festivities.
HOW TO GET THERE
- Several stations of the L4 subway line.
Best La Mercè events
1
Correfoc
2
Castellers
3
Giants and beast parades
The Giants are often accompanied by “capgrossos” (shorter characters where only the head is made of papier maché that someone puts on) as well as “beasts“: cardboard dragons, lions, eagles and a variety of monsters that also dance to the music. Some of the beasts also participate in the Correfoc fireruns at night – but during daytime they don’t spit fire but carry bouquets on their mouths instead.
4
Traditional dancing
5
BAM
6
Fireworks
During the nights of the La Merce Festival you must head to the beach to enjoy the espectacular fireworks offered by award-winning international pyrotechnic teams. Then the Festes de la Merce will be officially over with the Piromusical, a wonderful water, music and fireworks show that takes place in Plaça Espanya. Make sure to get there a few hours before it starts, or you might not be able to find a good spot from where to watch!
7
Cursa de la Merce
Will you be in Barcelona during the Festes de la Merce?
Marta
Marta is the founder of ForeverBarcelona. She is a passionate tour guide that loves Barcelona and loves writing too. She is the main author of our Blog, and is committed to sharing her knowledge about Barcelona and her best tips with our readers.
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