La Mercè 2026

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Save the date! Barcelona celebrates its patron saint from September 23rd to the 27th this year. The program hasn't be set yet, but you can check out last year's details below for an idea of what's to come!

Barcelona celebrates its grand festival in honor of its patron saint every September with a program chock-full of activities planned for all, with music, dance, circus acts, street arts and don't forget the traditional gegants (giants), dragons, fire beasts, human towers and sardana dancing groups! 

La Mercè is also a festival of street arts with the MAC festival, Mercè Street Arts, a showcase of new creations, and a meeting place for many artists, both from the city and overseas. 

Music fills the streets with the BAM music festival, showcasing emerging music from the Catalan, Spanish and international music scenes with shows at four different locations in Barcelona: Moll de la Fusta, Rambla del Raval, Plaça Reial and the Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm.

And of course, Música Mercè will entertain with dance music and experimental music from established artists and emerging talent. Offerings from our shores and beyond, from Chile to Israel, Angola, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and Ukraine. 

Manchester Was the Guest City for La Mercè 2025

The bees, the symbol of Manchester are flying in for Barcelona's Festa Major! You'll se them throughout the festival at the parade and the fire beasts procession, two new figures have been crafted for this year’s festival through a collaboration between local artisans and Catalan and English folk culture groups as part of the Global Grooves project. These are the giant figure Bee and a mythical Bee creature, merging Manchester’s festive imagination with Barcelona’s own traditions. 

Manchester bring with it a taste of its vibrant music scene, with concerts by Manchester-based artists featured in Música Mercè, including a special performance by Queralt Lahoz with multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ Tom Werkha; the jazz-pop-folk fusion of Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet; the danceable beats of Porij; and the socially engaged songs of Chloe Slater. Fancy discovering a sound you’ve never heard before? Come along to BAM to hear Children of Zeus and Space Afrika.

And don't forget to spot by the Mercè Arts de Carrer—it will be brimming with talent from Manchester!

What to Do for La Mercè

Celebrated in the days surrounding September 24th, the La Mercè festival program is packed with things to do and see. From parades and exhibits filled with gegants (giants), capgrossos (bigheads) and fire-breathing beasts to giant castells (human towers), traditional dances, correfocs (fire runs), drone light shows, fireworks displays and free concerts, you're sure to find something to delight and amaze you.

But if all the festivities of La Mercè get to be a bit too much, why not take a culture break? Many of the city’s museums observe the holiday with a jornada de portes obertes (open doors). To make the most of your time, take a look at our interactive map with all the locations that are throwing open their doors for free: Map of Barcelona Museums with Free Entry for La Mercè.

See our Guide to La Mercè for a list of the festival's events and discover the story behind one of the biggest celebrations on Barcelona's calendar and the many traditions that make this beloved Catalan holiday so special.

For more events during the Festes de la Mercè check our online events calendar.