The moment Barcelona gets going. The opening address launches La Mercè and the streets pick up the pulse of the festival. 🥁🏮

It all happens at once: while the address is delivered in the Saló de Cent, the Popular Parade makes its way down La Rambla towards the City Hall for the Toc d'Inici.

🥁 OPENING ADDRESS AND INAUGURAL PARADE

📅 Wednesday 23 September 2026

🕐 7.00 pm

📍 Saló de Cent and Plaça de Sant Jaume, Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission

📖 The opening address

This year it is given by Antoni Falgueras, master wine merchant at the Celler de Gelida, the shop on Carrer Vallespir founded in 1895 by his great-grandfather. He is the fourth generation to run it. He is joined by his daughter, sommelier and broadcaster Meritxell Falgueras.

The ceremony includes sign language interpretation and on-screen transcription, and is broadcast by betevé for anyone who prefers to follow it from home.

🏮 The parade and the Toc d'Inici

The route runs from Palau de la Virreina along La Rambla, Ferran, the Ensenyança passage and Plaça de Sant Miquel to Plaça de Sant Jaume. The Eagle, the giants, the bestiary and the dance and fire groups perform their ceremonial dances along the way.

Once in the square, with the address over, every figure dances in the traditional Toc d'Inici, to music from the Ministrils del Camí Ral, an ensemble that plays only at this moment of the year.

Shanghai, this year's guest city, appears from the very first minute with the Rolling Lantern Show: a dance inspired by the work of fishermen, with latticed spheres lit from within.

ℹ️ Good to know: the address is delivered in Catalan. The square fills up early, so arrive in good time. Open air, no booking needed.

✨ The exact instant the city's festival begins.

For five days Barcelona unfolds into a city of routes, perspectives and discoveries. La Mercè, the city's main festival, is here. 🥁🎆

More than five hundred activities, the vast majority of them free, spread music, popular culture, circus, dance and street arts across squares, parks, beaches and avenues all over the city.

🥁 LA MERCÈ 2026

📅 Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 September 2026

📍 Venues across Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission to the vast majority of activities

📖 What to expect

The festival opens on Wednesday 23 with the opening address by master wine merchant Antoni Falgueras at the Saló de Cent, the inaugural parade along La Rambla and the Toc d'Inici in Plaça de Sant Jaume.

Thursday 24, the feast day itself, is the big one: early-morning gralla players, the Mercè parade, the Castellers Festival at midday in Plaça de Sant Jaume and the Mercè Cavalcade in the afternoon from Plaça de Catalunya.

Saturday 26 brings the fire, with the children's correfoc and the Ceptrotada and Correfoc de La Mercè along Passeig de Gràcia. Sunday 27 says goodbye with the Historic Castellers Day and the Piromusical, this year on Nova Icària beach.

🎶 Music and street arts

In between, over a hundred free concerts across BAM Barcelona Acció Musical and Música Mercè, with stages in Plaça de Catalunya, Moll de la Fusta, Rambla del Raval, the Teatre Grec and Avinguda de la Catedral. Plus MAC, Mercè Arts de Carrer, filling the city's big parks with circus, dance and installations.

🏮 Shanghai, guest city

This year's guest city is Shanghai, marking twenty-five years of twinning with Barcelona. More than a hundred artists bring traditional Chinese dance, music, a Chinese dragon joining Barcelona's bestiary and a drone show over the beach.

ℹ️ Good to know: most events are held in Catalan and Spanish, draw large crowds and need no booking. Arrive early and use public transport. The full programme by day and theme is on the City Council website.

✨ Five days to discover Barcelona unfolded.

La Mercè's independent music festival. Five nights of free concerts in central Barcelona, running into the early hours. 🎶🌙

BAM is where the city's festival looks forward: emerging scenes, world music and acts that rarely fit the conventional circuits.

🎶 BAM BARCELONA ACCIÓ MUSICAL

📅 Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 September 2026

🕐 From 7 pm until the early hours

📍 Plaça de Catalunya, Moll de la Fusta and Rambla del Raval, Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission

📖 What you will hear

Art rock, punk-pop, rap, reggae, rumba, e-jazz, desert blues, electronica and psychedelic rock across three open-air stages. Among this edition's names: Brama, Bia Ferreira, Imarhan, Sunflowers, La 126, Kiw & Mourad Belouadi, Juventude and Maria Reis.

The SONA 9 showcase opens Wednesday's programme in Plaça de Catalunya with this year's selected emerging bands: Orella d'Ós, Beni Dolores, Pla Moguda and Cloe Riembau.

🏮 Shanghai at BAM

The guest city is heard too, with the Shanghai Restoration Project featuring Angelo Manhenzane and Abdul Basit, and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Jazz Ensemble.

ℹ️ Good to know: open-air concerts, free and with no booking, many of them after midnight. The stages are within walking distance of one another, so you can hop between them. Check the daily timetable online, as each concert has its own time and stage.

✨ Five nights of new music in the heart of the city.