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.

Eight castellers teams from Barcelona, a packed square and the sound of the gralles. At midday on the feast of La Mercè, Plaça de Sant Jaume becomes a human-tower square. 🎪🥁

It is one of the most anticipated dates in the Barcelona castellers calendar, and one of the images that best sums up the city's festival.

🎪 CASTELLERS FESTIVAL OF LA MERCÈ

📅 Thursday 24 September 2026

🕐 1.00 pm to 3.00 pm

📍 Plaça de Sant Jaume, Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission

📖 How it unfolds

It starts with a spontaneous castellers parade setting off from Plaça Reial and ending in Plaça de Sant Jaume, celebrating on the move a tradition recognised as intangible heritage of humanity.

In front of the City Hall, at 1 pm and once the dances of the Giants and the City Eagle are over, the Castellers Festival itself begins.

🏛️ The teams

Taking part are Castellers de Barcelona, Castellers de Sants, Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, Castellers del Poble-sec, Castellers de la Sagrada Família, Colla Castellera Jove de Barcelona, Castellers de Sarrià and Esquerdats Colla Castellera de l'Esquerra de l'Eixample.

All of them raise their best castells, towers and pillars in Barcelona's castellers square par excellence. Pure tradition, and two hours of sustained tension.

ℹ️ Good to know: outdoors, no booking, suitable for all ages. Announcements are in Catalan. The square fills up early, so arrive before 12.30 pm for a good view. Metro Jaume I (L4) or Liceu (L3).

✨ The big day for Barcelona's castellers.

Every giant-figure team in Barcelona, their figures and a festival on the move crossing the city centre. The Cavalcade is one of the great moments of La Mercè. 🎪🏮

And this year, among the local popular culture groups, elements arriving from Shanghai, the guest city, join in.

🎪 LA MERCÈ CAVALCADE + ROLLING LANTERN SHOW

📅 Thursday 24 September 2026

🕐 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm

📍 Plaça de Catalunya, Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission

📖 The route

Plaça de Catalunya, Fontanella, Via Laietana, Jaume I, Plaça de Sant Jaume and inside the City Hall. Just before setting off, all the giant-figure teams gather in Plaça de Catalunya: a good moment to see the giants up close before they start moving.

🏮 Shanghai in the cavalcade

Watch closely, because Chinese elements from the guest city slip in among the Barcelona groups. The Rolling Lantern Show joins the procession with its dance of illuminated spheres, inspired by the work of fishermen and associated with protection, community strength and good fortune.

👨‍👩‍👧 Going with family

This is one of the best events to attend with children: three hours of giants, bestiary, music and colour at walking pace, with plenty of spots along the route where you can watch in comfort.

ℹ️ Good to know: outdoors, free and no booking needed. Commentary and announcements are in Catalan. Plaça de Catalunya and Plaça de Sant Jaume are the busiest stretches; Via Laietana is usually clearer.

✨ Barcelona's popular culture, on the move through the city centre.

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.

Contemporary circus, dance, physical theatre and interactive installations in Barcelona's big parks. Four days, more than two hundred performances, all of them free. 🎪🤸

MAC is La Mercè's street arts festival, and one of the largest of its kind in Europe.

🎪 MAC - MERCÈ STREET ARTS

📅 Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 September 2026

🕐 From 11 am until late into the night

📍 Parc de l'Estació del Nord, Parc de les Glòries, Parc de la Trinitat, Parc dels Auditoris and Moll de la Fusta, Barcelona

🎟️ Free admission

📖 What you will see

Contemporary circus from companies such as Cia. Lanördika, Truca Circus and Circ Bover; dance with L'Émerveillée and Kernel Dance Theatre; street theatre with Kabuts and Cia. Jordi Font; interactive installations by Stalker Teatro; roaming parades, workshops and music on the move with the Always Drinking Marching Band.

The programme runs in morning, afternoon and evening sessions, so you can settle into one park and watch show after show for hours.

🏮 Shanghai in the parks

The guest city is present at MAC too, with the Shanghai Dance School and activities by the Confucius Institute of Barcelona in Parc de l'Estació del Nord.

ℹ️ Good to know: much of the programme is family-friendly, with age guidance per show. Most pieces are non-verbal or performed in Catalan. There are accessible spaces and signposted quiet areas. Check the daily timetable online, as each show has its own time and park.

✨ Four days turning Barcelona's parks into a stage.