Barcelona was beset by a plague of locusts in 1687. The city placed itself in the hands of Our Lady of Mercy, La Mercè, and when the plague subsided the city’s governing body, the Consell de Cent, proclaimed her the patron saint of the city. Since well before that occasion 333 years ago, and through to the present day, the festivities and traditions have helped people to overcome fears, celebrate, learn and share, to explain to us who we are and what we want to be like.

Through culture and celebrations, reflection and sharing, today we talk about our role on Earth, about the need for a liveable Barcelona, a liveable world, not just compatible with nature but also promoting its protection and our sustainable relationship with it.

There is nobody better than those who will inhabit the world we are leaving behind us today to invite us to replace fear with determination: that threatening locust today becomes the insect shown to us by a girl, and through this contemporary Mercè we speak of nature as something not to be feared, but rather to be looked after, and our co-existence with nature in the urban sphere to be appropriate.

This year’s poster, created by Reskate, therefore features squirrels, swifts, bees, gecko lizards and hoopoes. These are the local residents inviting us to reflect on the city’s biodiversity.