Barcelona's 2025 Mercè Festival: Program and Everything You Need to Know
There are festivals that fill the streets. And then there's La Mercè, which fills the heart of an entire city. From September 23rd to 28th, Barcelona transforms into a grand open stage, where tradition, art, music, and popular celebrations come together to celebrate its Fiesta Mayor (Greater Festival). If you haven't already scheduled it, 2025 is the perfect time to let yourself go. And we'll tell you why.
What is La Mercè?
Mercè is Barcelona's grand festival, a celebration that fills the city with culture, music, and tradition every September. Its origins date back to the 13th century, when, according to legend, the Virgin of Mercy appeared to Pedro Nolasco, founder of the Order of Mercy.
Many centuries later, in 1687, the people of Barcelona proclaimed her the patron saint of the city after attributing to her the miracle of warding off a plague of locusts. Over time, religious devotion transformed into a popular festival, and starting in 1868, the City Council promoted La Mercè as the great civic celebration.
Today, Mercè is much more than a festival: it's an explosion of Catalan popular culture and contemporary artistic expression. Giants and big-headed figures, human towers, devils, and correfocs (fire runs) coexist with concerts, dance performances, and street arts, many of them with an international touch thanks to the presence of a "guest city" each year.
A program that has it all (and much more!)
La Mercè 2025 isn't just a celebration; it's an explosion of artistic and popular expression that transforms the city into a continuous festival. Free activities spread across every neighborhood, designed for all audiences.
This year, Mercè has a very special accent: the guest city is Manchester, and with it come its iconic bees, symbols of a working-class, creative, and vibrant city. The "beas" have been swept away by Barcelona's festive spirit and are going out to celebrate, adapting surprisingly to local traditions.
The intersection of cultures takes shape thanks to the Global Grooves project, which has brought together Catalan and English artisans and popular culture groups to create two unique figures: a giant Bee and a Bee Beast. With them, the festive imagery of Manchester merges with that of Barcelona, allowing the bees to participate in such iconic moments as the Parade and the Beasts of Fire parade.
Emma Vilarasau, Town Crier
The opening signal will be given by Emma Vilarasau, a beloved actress with an impeccable career. Her opening speech promises to be a moving tribute to the city, the arts, and the people who make Barcelona tick every day.
The event will take place, as is tradition, in the Saló de Cent of the Town Hall, and can be followed live on television and screens located in Plaça Sant Jaume.
A poster that is touched, lived and experienced
In 2025, the Mercè poster is not just an image: it's a physical art installation, constructed of wood and metal, designed by Lluís Danés.
The work can be visited and experienced, allowing the celebration to begin long before the performances hit the streets. A bold attempt to transform the symbol of the festival into a living, participatory, and emotional piece.
BAM and Música Mercè: rhythms for everyone
Music lovers have an unmissable event. BAM (Barcelona Acció Musical) brings the most alternative and emerging offerings to venues like Rambla del Raval and Moll de la Fusta.
On the other hand, the Música Mercè series fills various locations in the city with classical and modern stages, offering concerts of all styles. This year, the stages span spaces such as Plaza Catalunya, the Plaza Mayor in Nou Barris, Avenida de la Catedral, and the Doctor Pla and Armengol Gardens. All of them offer free admission and high-quality performances.
MAC: circus, dance and street arts
The MAC (Mercè Arts de Carrer) continues to establish itself as one of the main hubs of the festival.
This year's Mercè Arts de Carrer also has a Mancunian accent. The program includes performances by Manchester artists who bring energy and creativity to the Barcelona scene. Among them are the Stopgap Dance Company and Cambodian artist Nadenh Poan, who will captivate the audience with his wheelchair dance (Ro-Tes); a particularly interesting workshop for wheelchair users is also being added.
There will also be immersive experiences, such as the soundscapes of Oxford Contemporary Music's Warning Notes installation, or the surprising tour of a spectacular Fire Garden created by Manchester-based Walk the Plank, in collaboration with local artists. An absolute must-see!
Open doors, open city
On September 24th, the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy, many museums and heritage sites hold open days: the MNAC, the MACBA, the Picasso Museum, the Born CCM, the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site, and many more offer free admission to bring culture to everyone.
It's the ideal day for cultural tourism without spending a fortune, and discovering or rediscovering the city's treasures.
The Carrera de la Merced: get moving and participate
On Sunday, September 21st, just a few days before the official start of the festival, the Cursa de la Mercè (Mercy Race) takes place: a 10-km run through the city center with thousands of participants. It's an ideal way to combine sport, the city, and solidarity (registration has a nominal fee allocated to social projects). The atmosphere is festive and family-friendly, and you don't have to be an athlete to feel part of the movement.
Piromusical: farewell with fire, music and emotion
La Mercè 2025 closes, as every year, with a unique spectacle of light, fire, and music: the Piromusical de autor (Signature Piromusical). For several years now, this format has given the soundtrack to renowned creators. While in 2023 it was the Sónar festival and in 2024 Rosalía, this year the people in charge of choosing the music are David and José Muñoz, Estopa, one of Catalonia's most iconic groups.
The event is on September 28th at 10 p.m. on Avenida Maria Cristina, at the foot of Montjuïc. Thousands of people will gather to bid farewell to Barcelona's Fiesta Mayor with a fireworks display interspersed with a musical selection that reflects Estopa's intimate universe, combining their own songs with those of other artists.
With the power of rumba, pop, and rock, Estopa's cultural heritage will merge with the pyrotechnic art of Pirotecnia Igual, turning the night into an emotionally charged collective experience. An unforgettable finale that no one will want to miss.
Why can't you miss it?
Because no other city in the world celebrates its Fiesta Mayor like Barcelona. Because Mercè is tradition, but also innovation. It's family and nightlife. It's shared emotion and living culture. It's a city that opens wide and invites everyone to be part of it.
If you want to truly experience Barcelona, you have a date with La Mercè 2025 this September.
