In the last ten days of September, the La Merce festival takes place in Barcelona, which marks the end of summer and the onset of autumn. This bright, extraordinary event has been uniting residents and guests of the capital of Catalonia for several centuries in a single emotional outburst of unbridled fun. Anyone can join the folk festivities. Most events take place outdoors, on city streets and squares. Entry to them is absolutely free, which is also quite nice.
Origins of the annual festival
If you believe the legend, then at the end of the 17th century Holy Mother of God saved Barcelona from a merciless invasion of hordes of locusts. In this regard, the rulers of Catalonia chose the Virgin Mary as the patroness of their capital. The Roman Pontiff approved this decision of the city Council of Elders only a couple of centuries later. And already in 1868 the end of September was marked festive events in honor of the Patron Saint of Barcelona. The prototype of the modern festival was the fiesta, which took place in September 1902.
Another version says that the festival goes back to earlier times and has a different rationale: the city residents say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn. The first Christian patroness of the Catalan capital was the Holy Great Martyr Eulalia. And the unfaithful Barcelonans betrayed their patroness by giving this honorary title to the Virgin Mary. It is with the tears of resentment of the first against the unfaithful inhabitants of the city that legend explains the beginning of the rainy season.
Festival today
During the First and Second World Wars, as well as during the reign of the fascist regime of General Franco, the festival suffered pressure from the authorities. It was not possible to celebrate the birthday of the city’s patroness on a grand Spanish scale. But everything changed with the advent of democracy. La Mercè has truly acquired people's love and popularity.
The majority of public organizations in the city are now sponsors of the holiday, and almost the entire city and its environs are the venue for the festival.
The celebration program is focused on Mediterranean culture. It includes not only traditional Catalan events, but also the participation of guests invited from other countries. In less than a week different parts Barcelona hosts many events at the same time. This makes it difficult to choose between street arts and processions, concerts and traditional dances.
Traditions
The festival is based on the Catalan love for hometown and his patroness, Saint Mercedes. The patroness's name day falls on September 24, so this day becomes especially important. Barcelonans call it the Great Day. And that is what he is. The holiday is grandiose due to the enthusiasm of the people, the scope of carnival processions, light, laser and pyrotechnic performances, original performances, folk dances, and mass celebrations. The atmosphere is filled with joy and fun, music sounds everywhere. Residents and guests of Barcelona dress in bright festive outfits and national clothes. Houses and street spaces are decorated with striped Catalan flags and flowers.
“From past to future” is the unspoken motto of the Merse festival. Traditions have always been and remain one of the pillars of the Fest. However, everywhere you can feel the symbiosis of Catalan originality and the latest achievements of technology. La Mercè is always growing and developing. By absorbing new trends from the world around him, he allows them to influence his identity.
Barcelona is an open city, a meeting place, a melting pot of cultures, origins and beliefs that have left their mark on the history of all of Spain. "La Mercè" embraces the "City of Guests" program, aimed at bringing Barcelona residents closer to different cultures with which they coexist. Thanks to this parallel program, the invited city has the opportunity to present its culture and the best creative achievements of its people.
Mercè festival program of events
Festa is a holiday that dates back more than two hundred years. This means that it is not surprising that La Mercè conveys the character of Barcelona itself, which continues to renew itself and open up to the world. The festival program can be divided into two equally important components: elements of traditional culture and folklore, reworked with modern elements, reflecting the cultural trends of modern Catalonia.
The first includes the parade of giants, the competition of castellers (castles made of people), the mass dance of the sardana, the fire dragon marathon and the procession with trumpets. The second is represented by laser and light shows, concerts by local stars and guests from abroad. Barcelona has always been a city with a wide and diverse musical culture, resulting in music playing an important role during la Mercè. Musical events are divided, on the one hand, into a program of concerts of popular and rock music for a general audience, and on the other, into the independent music festival BaM (Barcelona acció Musical).
When going to the festival in Barcelona, you should listen to the recommendations of travelers who have visited there in previous years. Among other parting words, the following suggestions are mentioned:
- It is worth choosing a hotel in advance. It is possible not in the center, which will allow you to save a lot, but it is desirable that there is a good transport interchange nearby;
- Since the festival program is very extensive and you will have to walk a lot, you need to take comfortable shoes with you;
- There will be many vivid impressions from what you see, which means you will need additional memory cards for the camera;
- when going to an enchanting show of fire-breathing dragons, it would be prudent to wear old clothes With long sleeves and a hood. Safety glasses will also come in handy. It must be taken into account that sparks from the flame can burn your body and burn holes as a souvenir. Particular attention should be paid to eye protection;
- Usually the festival ends by September 25, so during the festival you need to have time to visit Barcelona museums for free;
- As part of the festival, you can try traditional pies and new wine, which are sold for just 5 euros almost everywhere.
Additional Information
In 2019, the celebration in Barcelona will take place from September 20 to 24. You can get more information about the La Merce festival from social networks:
as well as on the city’s official website: http://lameva.barcelona.cat/merce/es
1. Car or public transport? A real dilemma in Barcelona
If you come to Barcelona, we offer you. We offer renovated and equipped apartments in any area of the city.
Considering that Public transport in Barcelona is excellent, we recommend don't go by car. The main problem is finding a parking space that is safe and not exorbitantly priced. If, of course, it is important for you to come to the festival in your own car, then the alternative is to leave the house long before the festival starts in order to have time to grab a free parking space.
2. Buy entrance tickets in advance and online
Never, ever expect to be able to buy festival tickets on the same day as the festival. Most concerts launch ticket pre-sale, during which all tickets are sold out. To make sure you attend your favorite festival, we recommend joining the crowd of people who buy tickets in the first days of pre-sale. Faster, easier and perhaps cheaper, will buy online on official websites.
3. Dress code
It's better to choose comfortable clothing style, in which you will be comfortable to move and dance. If the festival is in style "openair", then take care of sun protection in the form of special creams, glasses and hats. Fun is fun, but health comes first. Also consider clothing in case of rain, just in case. A raincoat will be a very stylish accessory.
4. Rescue technologies
For example, portable charger for mobile phone. How could we even live before this without this miracle?
5. Research the venue in advance
Sometimes getting to your destination turns into a real quest, after which you lose all your mood and desire to enjoy music. To prevent this from happening, do not forget to study the location in advance. Maps and GPS navigators will greatly facilitate this task.
6. Have fun and don't overuse selfies.
Very often the main purpose of a trip is the desire to do a bunch of "selfie" against the backdrop of your favorite DJ as a keepsake. But... Isn't it better to capture this atmosphere in your memory and enjoy the moment to the fullest? The last piece of advice: forget about your phone for a while (unless there is a need to localize your friends) and have fun already.
All festivals in Barcelona
1. Rock festivals
Primavera Sound
Rock Fest
This, in in this case, an ideal holiday for lovers of pure rock and hard rock, because this event will feature bands such as Iron Maiden, Amon Amarth, Slayer, Alice Cooper and many others. This event will take place in Can Zam, and there will also be food stalls, various stands where you can buy records and tents, where various shows will be held and after all this it will be possible to arrange a slam - favorite hobby during a concert for all rockers. Rock and roll is alive!
2. Festival of techno music and electronics
Sonar
Sonar is an experimental electronic music festival that has been taking place in Barcelona since 1994 and is celebrated over three days and two nights in June. This is the biggest event currently on the electronic scene. Like Primavera Sound, Sonar also does not include camping options. But the festival takes place in different places in Barcelona, during the day (Sonar de Día) and at night (Sonar de Noche), so you can stay directly in the city.
Excursions in Barcelona
Our friends - the Tripster team - offer exciting and exciting excursions from locals in different parts of the world. The guys are sure that no one can tell about all the mysteries and charms of the city better than those who live there. We invite you to familiarize yourself with possible excursions and tours on their website:
DGTL Festival
El DGTL Barcelona is the Spanish prototype of the famous techno music festival that is held annually in the Netherlands. With a techno musical background, he brought together youth from all over the world in one place. It aims to create an almost entirely environmentally sustainable festival. Don't miss this event!
Barcelona Beach Festival
There is no doubt about visiting this festival. Barcelona loves techno music and the Barcelona Beach Festival brings the best music of this style to the city. This is a real event, one of the newcomers on the summer music scene and takes place in two places: Forum Beaches and Parque Pau de Sant Adria del Besos, which is a short walk from the sea. Do you need more motivation to show up? This festival will be attended by Armin Van Buuren, Axwell, Dimitri Vegas, Hardwell, Martin Garrix and many others. Not bad, right?
Unite with Tomorrowland Barcellona
Who hasn't heard of the famous Tomorrowland? Tomorrowlandis one of the most impressive and exciting festivals in the world, which takes place every year in Belgium with the participation of more than 300,000 people. So, in 2017, organizers announced plans to organize several events taking place simultaneously in many parts of the world, and Barcelona was chosen to represent Spain. Every year, leading DJs in the genre of electronic and commercial music participate in this event, such as Axwell, Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta and Steve Aoki. What should you not forget at home? The desire to dance until dawn.
3. Jazz and flamenco festivals
Voll Damn Barcelona Jazz Festival
Do you like jazz? Then you can't miss the Jazz Festival, which will take place in Barcelona this fall. The history of this festival began in 1966, it is one of the largest in the world and strives to spread quality jazz. Between October and December, Barcelona turns into a venue for jazz concerts that take place in various parts of the city. But that is not all. Since 2006, the festival program has included a series of flamenco concerts, in which real giants such as Paco de Lucía, Los Farruco o Estrella and Enrique Morente took part. Festival for gourmets!
Mas i Mas
Always focused on blues and jazz, festival Mas i Mas started its history in 2003 with the aim of offering an attractive cultural program during the summer months when there are not many activities. What started out as a simple music series organized by the Mas i Mas group and the San Miguel beer brand quickly became one of Barcelona's traditional August events. In addition to jazz, Mas i Mas also offers the opportunity to attend flamenco and listen to Caribbean music.
4. Festivals with different music genres
Suite Festival
The most outstanding thing about this festival is undoubtedly its location: Liceo theater building. And the musical genre? Artists from different genres take part in this festival. Some, like Bertin Osborne, Steve Hackett or Umberto Tozzi. Are you ready to take part and live a unique experience in an ideal location, next to Las Ramblas?
This festival is the perfect place for those who don't want to focus on one genre of music. The Cruilla festival, which means "cross", continues to maintain its crossover based music format, combination musical groups with absolutely different styles . This year, for example, you can see rock, blues and reggae concerts, all in a beautiful location in the Parc del Forum, on the seafront. What else is needed for happiness?
BAM Festival
BAM is a music festival organized on the occasion of the Fiestas de la Merce, a landmark day for Barcelona. This is an alternative music festival. Styles range from dubstep to hard rock. Concerts take place at various points in the city center, but the main ones are those that take place on the territory of the old Estrella Dammy factory. All concerts BAM are held in the open
Festival de la Guitarra
More than just a music event, the Barcelona Guitar Festival is a celebration of the guitar! The concerts are held over four months, starting from the end of January until June. Covers many musical styles. Different genres of music in different places, in fact, the guitar festival takes place in places like Palau de la Música Catalana, la Sala Apolo, Razzmatazz, el Sant Jordi Club. Choose your favorite artist and hurry to buy tickets!
Beaches, sunny weather and luxurious cuisine are not all the advantages Barcelona. At any time of the year, you can be in the thick of things here and discover in a new way the flavor of traditional and modern Catalonia by visiting one of the many festivals. This summer and autumn you definitely have something to recommend to tourists who go to Barcelona. Tips - in our selection top cultural events of the city.
Open air film festival Sala Montjuïc
When: July August
Where: Montjuic Fortress
Three days a week throughout July and August, the area around the Montjuic hill fortress turns into cinema hall under open air . They show a nice mix of film classics and new independent works. Before the “session” starts, you can have a picnic on the grass or listen to live jazz music, getting in the right mood.
Festa de Sant Roc
When: mid-August
Where: Plaza Nova, Gothic Quarter
The street festival of the Gothic Quarter has been celebrated annually since 1589. For lovers of Catalan traditions, come here. The festival program includes processions of giants, sardana (a popular local dance), ancient street games and fireworks. In short, a real mix of Catalan flavor.
Festa Major de Gracia
Where: Gràcia district
Gracia– a very interesting area of Barcelona. Until the end of the 19th century, it was an independent city, and even more than a century later, local residents do not forget about this and cultivate a special “community spirit”. You can watch the local flavor in all its glory at the Festa Major festival. Its main highlight is the competition in street decoration. Usually more than two dozen teams participate in it, and they take this task very, very seriously! By the end of the “creative work” the area is completely transformed.
For several days (this year – a whole week) festive program, which includes a number of cultural events, entertainment for children and, of course, tasting of local dishes and drinks.
Hipnotik Festival
When: mid September
Where: Center modern culture Barcelona
– one of the benchmark festivals of contemporary music and culture in Spain. It is not surprising that it is held in Barcelona, a progressive and open city to the world. Festival visitors can expect a promising musical line-up, dance and graffiti competitions, exhibitions and lectures.
La Mercè
Where: locations throughout the city
Barcelona's largest traditional festival is dedicated to the city's patroness, Merca (Our Lady of Mercy), who, according to legend, saved Barcelona from a locust invasion many centuries ago.
Over the course of several days, the festival includes favorite Catalan entertainments (towers of people, processions of giants, fire races, sardana, theatrical performances and concerts), as well as performances related to contemporary street art. The main events of the festival take place in the Gothic Quarter, the Ciutadella Park, the Montjuic Fortress and Plaza de España.
Deserves special mention Mostra de Vins i Caves de Catalunya– event within La Mercè . This is a traditional street fair for wine and cava, which will feature more than 400 types of wine, including Torres, Freixenet, Codorníu, Pinord and Mont Marçal.
International Jazz Festival Voll-Damm
Barcelona can safely be called one of the jazz capitals: this year the annual jazz festival will be held here for the 47th time. At one time, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Count Basie performed on the Barcelona jazz scene. If these names don’t mean anything to you, don’t worry: it’s never too late to discover the luxury of jazz. Throughout the festival, there are performances by both stars and newcomers to the genre, exhibitions, lectures and meetings with jazzmen are held. This year's festival will be opened by Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall.
Festa Major de la Barceloneta
When: end of September – beginning of October
Where: Barceloneta
The close-knit seaside community of Barceloneta knows how to celebrate with flair. The festival opens with fireworks on the beach, followed by a 24-hour football tournament, acrobat performances and Sardan dancing, tastings of traditional Coca pie and Muscatel wine, processions, music, film screenings and much more. The celebration of life and unbridled fun lasts ten days.
International Contemporary Art Fair Swab Barcelona
Where: Fira de Barcelona exhibition center
Swab is a unique fair, designed to dispel the atmosphere of elitism and closedness that often surrounds contemporary art. This is a launching pad for young artists and galleries: here they interact with each other and meet connoisseurs of good contemporary work.
Catalan Fantastic Film Festival in Sitges
Where: Sitges, province of Barcelona
Sitges is a resort town located 40-45 minutes drive from Barcelona. You can get to it by train, bus or taxi. It’s still worth “exchanging” Barcelona for Sitges for at least a couple of days: a fantastic film festival has been held here since the late sixties (by the way, the first in the world...). Initially it was called “The First International Week of Science Fiction and Horror Films,” and “horror films” are still the festival’s strong point. Every year, Spanish and foreign actors and directors gather here, and all sorts of events are organized in the spirit of the holiday. For example, zombie march! And, of course, chilling film screenings.
Open House Barcelona
When: second half of October
Where: locations throughout the city
The two-day event is part of the international Open House program, which brings together more than thirty cities around the world. Its goal is to provide tourists and local residents with access to the greatest architectural heritage. Days in Barcelona open doors"will take place in 150 different locations - from Roman ruins, Catalan Gothic, neoclassical to modernism and modern buildings. Visitors will be able to learn more about architectural monuments and the history of the city in general.
Barcelona is preparing for a musical invasion
The coming week promises to be hot for the capital of Catalonia: from May 30 to June 3, the annual music festival Primavera Sound Festival, one of the main music festivals in the world, will be held here. Since its inception in 2001, it has gained popularity as an event that attracts the leading stars of contemporary electronic and alternative music. Aspiring musicians consider it a great honor to perform on the same stage with the “monsters of the stage.” The festival organizers are trying to support highest level technical preparation of equipment, as well as quality of sound and light.
The Forum exhibition space, located almost on the seashore, was chosen as the venue for the Barcelona music festival: the stage area is a promontory of land with a pier, so the participants and guests of the event are surrounded by the sea, which gives the event an excellent Mediterranean atmosphere.
This grand festival of music is distinguished by a wide variety of musical groups and annually attracts a huge number of listeners. Typically, the festival is attended by more than 100,000 guests. The Primavera Sound Festival features bands representing alternative, dance, electronic, indie, pop, hip-hop, folk, jazz, metal, as well as experimental music groups.
Music festival in Barcelona Music festival in Barcelona In addition to the headliners, new names on the musical horizon “light up” at the festival: they are pioneers and experimenters. The organizers pride themselves on promoting new sounds, new voices, new directions. 
This year, music lovers can expect performances from a number of bright stars - the group Arctic Monkeys, rockers The National and The Waron Drugs, pop star Lorde, hip-hoppers Migos and ASAP Rocky; Jane Birkin; singer and composer Bjork will present her new album “Utopia”; rock veteran Nick Cave will perform “Skeleton Tree”; 
the best DJs in the world and many, many others. There are about 200 performers in total.
It is interesting to note that Primavera Sound Festival is an environmentally oriented event, focusing on global global problems, for example, climate change, melting glaciers, littering the world's oceans, etc. 
Therefore, the festival holds a number of events to raise awareness among young people about methods of preserving the environment (sorting waste, using environmentally friendly materials, etc.). For example, among festival guests, the abandonment of cars in favor of bicycles and walking, the use of reusable dishes, and saving water are promoted.
Gracia Festival- one of the most popular street festivals in Barcelona, which every summer thousands of tourists from different countries. Every year in August, for a week, seventeen streets and squares in the Gracia district of Barcelona are dressed up in fantastic outfits. amazingly transforming the barrio.
La Fiesta de Gracia is one of the most anticipated events, firstly by the local residents themselves, and secondly, by tourists. It can be said that this is one of the most beloved Spanish extravaganzas in Barcelona's packed holiday schedule. If you are planning to visit Barcelona in August, we recommend visiting the Gracia district to attend the absolutely amazing Gracia event and see how true Catalans customarily relax.
The Gracia district is located on the outskirts of the city of Barcelona - this is the place where Spanish bohemia prefer to settle; a measured life reigns here, people stroll through beautiful squares, look into colorful tapas bars and cafes. In essence, the Gracia festival is a festival-competition during which each street in the area tries to outdo the other in its decorative design. A prize is awarded to the most intricately decorated street. It must be said that the residents of Gracia approach the decoration of the streets very responsibly and with imagination: they independently determine the theme of the decor, for example, it can be on the theme of the jungle, the ocean world, and so on. Tourists walking along the streets of the Gràcia quarter during this festival in Barcelona never cease to be amazed by the flight of fantasy and the originality of the Spaniards' approach. After several months of preparing decorations with their own hands and several days of work by local residents to hang, decorate and decorate everything, the streets turn into real fairy-tale towns.
For decoration, all kinds of available materials are used: tin cans, bicycle and car wheels, newspapers from which papier-mâché crafts are created, film, aluminum baking dishes, cellophane bags, plastic bottles, foam and so on. And why should we be surprised at the fact that ordinary household waste is used in decorations, because even the Spanish genius Antonio Gaudi himself did not disdain to use fragments of broken tiles, bottles, and dishes when decorating his masterpieces. And his architectural masterpieces became famous throughout the world! Of course, the street decorations at the festival in Barcelona change every year, so tourists who have already visited this summer festival will be no less interested next year, because something new awaits them.
But the celebration is not limited to just decorating the streets, because as we all know, just give the Spaniards the freedom to have fun and take a walk. During the week of the festival, various parades, shows, concerts, and exciting performances take place on the decorated streets and squares. Long tables are placed everywhere, on which local residents set out various treats and drinks, traditional Spanish food - paella - is prepared on huge frying pans, wine and beer flow like a river, people dance, sing and have fun. And everything goes very cordially and friendly, without swearing or drunken brawls. On some streets the holiday is more intimate and family-oriented, on others, on the contrary, it is democratic and open.
The annual summer street festival Gracia in Barcelona is completely free and free for tourists and travelers. All celebrations take place on the streets of the area, so you don’t need to buy tickets to get there, just walk from street to street and join the fun of local residents who are always happy to join the company. Most often, on the first day of the festival, moving around the Gracia district is problematic, since a huge number of people flock here, but on other days the streets become freer.
The Spanish Gracia Festival in Barcelona offers a new and exciting program every year, with half a thousand large and small events for both children and adults. There are many very tasty events here: wine tasting, jamon, competition for the best homemade dessert. No one will be bored!
Tourists will be able to attend dozens of free concerts, attend a fire procession, parades, admire the unusual decorations of the streets of the Gràcia district, buy a T-shirt with the logo of this Barcelona summer festival, taste amazing Spanish treats and attend the award ceremony.
In addition to the main winner, there are other equally honorable nominations and awards for each of the streets participating in the festival. There are streets that every year take honorary prizes, we recommend that you definitely take a look at them: “Juan Blanques Street” - “Carrer de Joan Blanques” and “Verdi Street” - “Carrer de Verdi”. But, no matter where you appear during the festive week of the festival in Barcelona - Gracia, we can confidently say that a lot of emotions, bright photographs and just a great mood await you.
In 2017, the Gracia Festival will be held in Barcelona from the fifteenth to the twenty-first of August, so tourists still have time to book plane tickets and hotel rooms in Barcelona for these dates. As always, a busy program is expected. Every day in the evening there will be concerts in the squares of the Gracia district. During daylight hours, in the Manuel Torrente Gardens there will be culinary competitions throughout the day, in which visitors will be able to taste all the presented treats. On the evening of the eighteenth of August there will be a tasting of the best wines of Catalonia, and the next evening, on the nineteenth of August, there will be a competition for the best homemade ice cream. On the last evening - the twenty-first of August - the solemn fire procession of Correfoc will begin, it starts from Gran de Gracia street and ends at Plaza de la Vila.
You can get to the Gracia district in Barcelona, where the Gracia summer festival will be held, by metro. You need to get off at Fontana station, located in the very center of this barrio.
