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| La Mercè Festival Barcelona - Highlights of Mercè Festival 2024 |
 La Mercè Festival Barcelona 2024Top Events at Mercè FestivalThe article is in process of being updated for 2024. Dates La Mercè festival 2024 are 20th to 24th September. Visit the official Mercè festival page for more information about Mercè festival this year. See festival programme Barcelona once again gears up in 2024 for its annual city festival, a celebration of traditions, street arts, circus, dance, music and film. La Mercè festival 2024 presents over 500 activities and over 1,000 artists in many areas of the city. La Mercè events will take place in Ciutat Vella, Eixample, Sants-Montjuic, Horta-Guinardó, Nou Barris, Sant Andreu and Sant Martí districts of the city. La Mercè welcomes Casablanca as the 2024 guest city .....................................  Guide in English what to see and do at Mercè Festival 2024. La Mercè is Barcelona's biggest annual festival and often called the "Festival of festivals." Mercè is called Les Festes de la Mercè in the Catalan language and in the Spanish language it is called Fiestas de la Mercè. The Mercè festival usually includes a music festival, a wine festival, local Catalan traditions, parades, concerts, fireworks, a 10km run and many more events in Barcelona at many locations. The Mercè public holiday is on 24th September. The feast day has been an official city holiday since 1871, when Barcelona first organized a program of special activities to observe the Roman Catholic feast day of Our Lady of Mercy also called the Virgin of Grace, and called La Mare de Déu de la Mercè in the Catalan language. The La Mercè celebrations honor the Virgin Mercè, who is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Barcelona, and the co-patroness - alongside Saint Eulàlia - of the city of Barcelona. In the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, you can visit the Mercè basilica, dedicated to the Mercè Virgin, where the wooden image of La Mercè is venerated. ............................... ADVERTISMENT Article continues below ad:  ............................... Scroll down this page for Mercè highlights.Mercè 2024 programme, maps and highlightsThe Mercè Festival is Barcelona's biggest festival of the year and known as la festa major de Barcelona. All districts of the city take part in the celebrations. Scroll down this page to find top things to do at Barcelona Mercè Festival including concerts, fireruns, fireworks, human towers and much more. Full program 2024 Merce BAM24 programme Pictures Mercè Festival Map locations Mercè events Hashtag #Mercè24 Metro/bus times Mercè 24 Mercè Festival AppsMercè Festival Iphone App Mercè festival Android App Mercè transport & strikesThe Barcelona metro is open all night during the Mercè festival. FGC trains, Barcelona trams and Barcelona Bicing city bikes (residents only) are usually open 24 hours a day during Mercè or have extended hours during the Mercè festival. Some of the Mercè activities have special buses. See Mercè festival metro/bus timetables.Map Mercè festival locationsView FULLSCREEN Mercè mapOrigins of Mercè nameBarcelona's biggest annual festival is the Mercè Festival - 'Les Festes de la Mercè.' This is the celebration of the Patron Saint of Barcelona, the Virgin Mary, who is called 'María de las Mercèdes', meaning 'Mary of Mercies.' She is also called 'La Mare de Deu de la Mercè,' meaning 'Mother of God of Mercy' in Catalan - or 'Virgin de La Mercè' - Virgin of Mercy - or 'Nuestra Señora de la Mercèd' (Spanish) which means Our Lady of Mercy - or La Mercè for short. The words 'Mercè' in Catalan and 'Mercèd' in Spanish mean mercy in English.Legend of La MercèAccording to legend on the night of 2nd August 1218 the Virgin Mary appeared to St Pere Nolasc. At the time Nolasc was in Barcelona and involved in the ransoming of Christians, who had been captured by Moorish pirates during the wars of the crusades and during the ongoing conflict between the Christian kingdoms of Spain and the Muslim kingdoms of North Africa and southern Spain.The Virgin Mary asked Nolasc to form a sacred order of monks in her name. Nolasc did as she asked and formed the Order of Mercèd, which was dedicated to ransoming Christians captives. Pere Nolasc had already been ransoming Christians since 1202 some 15 years before the Virgin appeared to him, but he constantly prayed for help and divine intervention. This help came in the form of his Marian experience in the year 1218 and The Order of Mercy was established on August 10th 1218 with the help of Nolasc's confessor at Barcelona cathedral, Saint Ramón de Penyafort, and with support from King Jaume 1 of Aragon. The details of the foundation of the Order of Mercy can be seen to this day in the Crown of Aragon archives in Barcelona. Pere Nolasc was canonized as a saint in 1628. Centuries later, in 1687, the Virgin of La Mercè came to the aid of Barcelona by making a plague of locusts disappear. After the locust plague the city council chose La Mercè as co-patron saint of Barcelona although she was not officially canonised as a patron saint of Barcelona until 1868 by Pope Pius IX. Barcelona has celebrated La Mercè festival every year since 1687 and never been plagued by locusts since then. La Mercè was also briefly appointed supreme commander of the army during the war of Spanish succession in 1714, when Barcelona was under siege from French troops. The Virgin of La Mercè had more success fighting locusts than she did fighting French soldiers because Barcelona lost the battle in 1714 and the city was captured by the French on 11th September 1714. This defeat is now commemorated every September 11th as La Diada - which is the Catalunya national day. Basilica La MercèBasilica La Mercè is on the square Plaça de la Mercè in the Gothic area of Barcelona near Barcelona's Port Vell harbour and quite close to Las Ramblas. This is the only church in Barcelona with a baroque façade and you can see a sculpture of La Mercè Virgin Mary on top of the church.The first church on this location was built in 1267 and has later been reformed several times. Between 1765 and 1775 the architect Josep Mas renovated the present day Mercè church. The building at the opposite end of the plaza was formerly a convent called 'Convent of the Mercè', and is a military building. The fountain on the Mercè plaza of Neptune is the Greek god of the sea in Roman mythology. Inside the church you can see the magnificent gothic wooden effigy of the Mercè Virgin and Child from 1361 attributed to the artist Pere Moragues. Highlights Les Festes de la Mercè 2024Les Festes de la Mercè 2024 will have hundreds of events to showcase popular Catalan and Mediterranean cultural activities. You can see the most popular events below. The 24th September is always a public holiday in Barcelona in honour of the city's patron saint La Mercè. Some events like the 10k Mercè run take place before or after the main festival. Mercè concerts & music festivals Mercè BAM music festivalBAM dates 20th to 24th of September 2024. The Mercè 2024 BAM music festival (Barcelona Acción Musica) is an annual indie music festival which takes place as part of the Mercè Festival in Barcelona. All BAM concerts are outdoor and free. See BAM23 programme and main BAM concert venues below:Plaça Reial - Gothic area Map Link Moll de la Fusta - Port Vell - Map Link Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm - Eixample area Map link Rambla de Raval - in Raval area - Map link Mercè Parades & Traditional events Date: Friday 22 September 2023 Activity: Opening ceremony procession 'Seguici Inaugural' / 'Toc d’Inici' Time: 7pm - 19:00 Where: Starts at Palau de la Virreina on La Rambla 99, down la Rambla, Ferran street and finishes Plaça de Sant Miquel What is it? Seguici Inaugural and Toc d’Inici (starting touch). The Seguici Inaugural featuring medieval mythical figures of bestiari de Barcelona: the City Eagle, the Lion, the Mule, the Ox, the Wyvern, the Dragon, the Tarasca, the Pi Giants, the capgrossos Macers, the Cavallets Cotoners, the Santa Maria del Mar Giants, the Falcons de Barcelona and the stick dancers known as the Ball de Bastons del Seguici, accompanied by the Trabucaires d’en Perot Rocaguinarda, the city’s devils’ groups and the Ministrers del Camí Ral folk minstrels who provide the music for this festive procession. This year’s Seguici Inaugural also features Olga and Volodymyr, the pair of giants gifted to Barcelona by the 2023 festival guest city of Kyiv. These figures and the rest of the participants in the Seguici Inaugural will gather in the foyer of the Palau de la Virreina on La Rambla number 99 behind closed doors. At 7 pm exactly the doors of the building will open and the ceremony begins, with a parade of the different groups, the devils’ groups bringing up the rear. Fire, fun, colour and music to get the city’s big annual festival under way. Date: Friday 22 September 2023 Activity: Passejada de bèsties - Parade Fire-Breathing Dragons and Beasts Time: 10pm - 22:00 Where: Starts at Plaça Comercial, Comerç, Princesa, Montcada, Sombrerers, Santa Maria del Mar, Santa Maria, Passeig del Born to finish at Pl. Comercial. What is it? Parade of fire-breathing dragons and beasts Date: Sunday 22 September 2024 Activity: Parade 'La Xambanga de Gegants'- Giants’ Xambanga Time: 9 pm to 10pm - 21:00 to 22:00 Where: Parade start at Plaça dels Àngels in Raval area. Finish at Plaça de Sant Jaume Route: Plaça dels Àngels then streets Àngels, Pintor Fortuny, la Rambla, Ferran to finish at Plaça de Sant Jaume What is it? The Xambanga de Gegants is a 'dancing' giants parade. The 'giants' are from many Barcelona districts and neighbourhoods. Both the groups and giants dance to traditional drums and pipes and even to pop music. This event is especially fun because giants and groups dress up in fancy dress costumes. Date: Sunday 24th September 2023 Activity: La Mercè Parade 'Cavalcada de la Mercè' - also called 'La Gran Cavalcada de la Mercè' Time: 6pm to 8pm - 18:00 to 20:00 Start: Carrer de Pelai, 12 near Plaza Catalunya, then Pl. de Catalunya, la Rambla, Ferran to finish at Plaça de Sant Jaume Finish: Plaça de Sant Jaume in Gothic area Map: Map parade route The procession starts from Pelai street near Plaza Catalunya, then down La Rambla street, turns at Ferran street to finish at Plaça de Sant Jaume Nearest Metro station: Barceloneta metro station yellow L4 What is it? Mercè's BIGGEST parade called 'Cavalcada de la Mercè'. This procession features many of the city 'gegants' - giants and is led by the Barcelona 'giants' called 'Jaume I' and 'Violant d´Hongria'. This parade also features groups of street artists, dancers and other traditional Catalan figures and traditions. Worth seeing. About Gegants & Capgrossos Mercè Sardanes dancing Date: Friday 22nd September 2023 Activity: Sardanes inaugurals Time: 7pm to 8.40pm Where: Av. de la Cathedral in front of Barcelona Cathedral Nearest metro station:Jaume I station on yellow line L4 What is it? Sardanes is the traditional folk dancing of Catalonia region of Spain. The 'cobla' is the band that accompanies for the sardana. Traditionally sardanistes wear special dancing shoes called espardenyes which are made of esparto grass fabric and have two long strips of fabric to tie them Date: Sunday 24th September 2023 Activity: 73è Concurs de Colles Sardanistes – Sardanes dancing competition Time: 11:00 Where: Av. de la Cathedral in front of Barcelona Cathedral Nearest metro station: Jaume I station on yellow line L4 What is it? Annual sardanes dance competition. Lovely to watch with many dance groups competing. About Sardanes dancing Pictures Sardanes dancing Mercè Correfocs - Fire runs Date: Saturday 23 September 2023 Activity: Firerun - Cercavila de foc dels diables petits - Correfoc infantil - Children's Correfoc Time: 18:00 - 6 pm Where: Pg. de Gràcia / Consell de Cent to Pg. de Gràcia / Mallorca - Provença Nearest Metro station: Passeig de Gracia What is it? 'Correfoc infantil dels petits diables' is the special children's correfoc firerun with fireworks and firecrackers that are less noisy and scary for kids. Date: Saturday 23 September 2023 Activity: Firerun - Correfoc de la Mercè - Porta de l´Infern Time: 20.00 - 8 pm Where: Passeig de Gràcia/Provença until junction Passeig de Gràcia/Consell de Cent Nearest Metro station: Diagonal What is it? The Correfoc de la Mercè is one of the most popular events of La Mercè anc can have up to 70.000 spectators. About forty groups of 'colles de diables' - 'groups of devils' from in and around Barcelona, as well as dragons and other 'bestiari de foc' - fire beasts - take part in this festival of fire. The gates of hell open at around 7.45 with "Tabalada infernal" drum display. Around 8.25 there is a "Ceptrotada" dance for "Lucifer" from each group of diables and the correfoc firerun itself starts at 8.30 The legend of correfoc is that the Mascle Cabró (Catalan) or Macho Cabrón in Spanish - a male goat or ram in English - hears the arrival of the 'diables' devils. He commands his armies to cross through the gates of hell called 'Porta de l´Infern' which separates the real world from hell. At the end of the correfoc firerun the devils are sent back into hell. About 80.000 firecrackers are used during the Mercè correfoc so it is a good idea to take some basic correfoc safety precautions about practical clothes to wear for a correfoc. Ear plugs are a very good idea or put some tissue paper in your ears, because it's very noisy. Mercè Castellers - Human Tower building
 Date: Sunday 24th September 2023 Activity: Diada castellera de la Mercè - human towers What is it? Human towers display with invited towers groups - Diada castellera amb les colles locals Time: 13:00 to 15:00 Where: Plaça de Sant Jaume in Gothic area Nearest Metro station: Jaume I on yellow line L4 Date: Sunday 25th September 2022 Activity: Diada castellera històrica de la Mercè - human towers Time: 12:00 Where: Plaça de Sant Jaume in the Gothic quarter Nearest metro station: Jaume I station on yellow line L4 What it is? Castellers display by Barcelona local human tower groups on Plaça de Sant Jaume, Barcelona at 12.00. Features Castellers de Barcelona, Castellers de la Sagrada Família, Castellers de la Vila de Gràcia, Castellers de Sants and Castellers del Poble-Sec. Date: Saturday 23 September 2023 Activity: Matí de falcons - Falcons style human towers display Time: 11:00 tower building on Pl de Sant Jaume. Where: Plaça de Sant Jaume Nearest Metro station: Jaume I station on yellow line L4 What is it? Falcons human towers display. Falcon style tower building on Pl de Sant Jaume. Falcon human Tower building display by Colla Falcons de Barcelona. This is another kind of human tower building called the 'falcon' discipline named after a Czech tradition called Sökol, which means falcon in Czech language. Falcon structures were popular in Catalonia at the beginning of the 20th century, but then this kind of structure fell out of favour. In Barcelona a young group called the Barcelona Falcons revived this tradition of falcon human towers and performed first at the Saint Eulalia festivities in 2003. Mercè sports eventsThere are many sports events during La Mercè including popular annual 10k run Cursa de la Mercè on Sunday 17 September 2023.Mercè pirotècnic fireworks festivalInternational Pyrotechnic Festival, part of 'The Mercè festival of light and fire'Dates: Friday 22 September 2023 Activity: fireworks display on the beach Time: 10pm - 22:00 Admission: Free Location: Platja de la Barceloneta - by 'Espigó del Gas' breakwater Nearest metro station: Ciutadella Vila Olimpica L4 - or Barceloneta L4 What is it? A spectacular firework display at 10pm on the beach of Barceloneta at the Platja de la Barceloneta by the 'Espigó del Gas' which is the name of the first breakwater south of Port Olimpic. Piromusical de la MercèMusic, fireworks, light and water display at Magic FountainDate: Tues 24th September 2024 Activity: Music, fireworks, light and water display Time: 10pm - 22:00 Admission: Free Location: Av Reina Maria Cristina by the Magic Fountain Nearest metro station: Espanya L1 on metro red line 1 What is it? The Piromusical de la Mercè is the grand finale of the Mercè Festival and is always at the Magic Fountain at the foot of Montjuic hill near Plaza Espanya with the Palau Nacional in the background. The Mercè Piromusical is a fantastic music, water, fireworks and laser light display centred around the Magic Fountain at Montjuic hill with music and light themes change from year to year. Spectators fill the entire length of the Maria Cristina avenue starting at the twin Venetian towers. There is no seating and we recommend that you get there around 21.00 / 9pm to get a good standing place. This is a charming and fun event for all ages and truly a treasured tradition and highlight of the Mercè festival. You can see this event live on Catalan TV channel TV3. Mercè Museums Open DayDate: Friday 22 September 2023Activity: Museums Open Day - Free entrance to many city museums Where: Many top museums in Barcelona What is it? Jornada de Portes Obertes Mercè. Many museums and Barcelona landmarks take part in the Mercè festival by opening their doors to the public for free on certain days of the Mercè festival. This is called 'Jornada de Portes Obertes' - day of open doors. Some theatres in Barcelona offer half price tickets during Mercè festival. Mercè - Parc de la CiutadellaThere are usually many activities for children during Mercè Festival at the Parc de la Ciutadella....................................................................... La Mercè Festival organisers: Institut de Cultura de Barcelona - Oficina de premsa Address: La Rambla, 99 08002 Barcelona Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: +34 933161069 ...................................................................... © Copyright Barcelonayellow.com. Do not copy text or images on this page without permission. All rights reserved. ..................................................................... This page is sponsored by  Stepbac - a simple way to take back control of health and happiness - www.stepbac.com and by  Photomemoirs - a fun and easy way to write memoirs - www.photomemoirs.co |
| Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 September 2024 10:20 |
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Thursday, 12 September 2024
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