This weekend is the 111th annual La Merce festival in Barcelona. This 5 day long free festival fills the streets of Barcelona with music, parties, street performances and art.
The opening ceremony is a fantastic parade full of giants, dwarves, dragons and other weird and wonderful mythical creatures that should give you a good idea of the whole spirit of the festival. The true creative nature of Barcelona is on show here, not just the city but also the people who make it what it is.
La Merce is spread across 17 venues throughout the city including Rambla del Raval, Plaça Reial, Castell de Montjuïc, Plaça dels Àngels, Avinguda de la Catedral and Plaça Reial .
There are so many events going on every single day that we couldn’t possibly include them all into one blog post, but these are our top two things to see during your visit to this hub of activity.
Castellers (Human Towers), this unbelievable display of skill and strength held in Plaça de Jaume is one that really has to be seen to be believed. The aim of the event is to construct the tallest human tower and to have a small child stand up at the very top of it for just a short moment. Bear in mind that the square fills up very quickly so make sure you turn up early to get the best view.
Correfoc (Fire Run), which quite scarily is exactly what it sounds like. The roads around Via Laietana are closed and opened to ‘The Devils’ who are a community group that dress up in capes with pitchforks holding onto hand held sparkelers and firecrackers, aiming them at passersby. It’s not for the feint of heart to get involved with, but plenty of fun to watch from a distance.
The La Merce festival also includes the Barcelona BAM music festival which is in it's infancy and showcases the finest musical talent that Catalonia has to offer as well as other acts from all around the world. Each year a guest city is invited to show off their culture and top artistic proposals at La Merce. Previous years have included Medellin, Quito, Istanbul, Dakar, Saint Petersburg and Montreal, this year is the turn of history and culturally rich Vienna.
Over 2,000,000 people are expected to attend over the whole five days of the festival. No ticket is required to attend any of the celebrations, just turn up over the weekend and immerse yourself in the festivities. For a full programme and details of all the events that are taking place, visit the official La Merce website.
Our Barcelona travel guide app is due to come out before the end of the month, so keep your eyes peeled. Right now though you can see our full list of travel guide app destinations here
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