Asked Questions

It all kicks off with the opening ceremony on the afternoon of 23 September. From then on, there will be activities until the festival comes to an end with the Pyromusical fireworks on Monday 26 September

Just like every year, all activities organised by the Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Institute of Culture are free of charge.

The events will start as early as 08:00 and will go on no later than 03:00. Then it will be time for everyone to go home.

There will be many concert venues spread out over various city districts:

Venues with popular culture events
Avinguda de la Catedral
Barri Gòtic
Basílica de la Mercè
El Born CCM
Passeig de Gràcia
Pati Manning
Plaça de Sant Jaume
Plaça dels Àngels
Plaça de la Virreina
Plaça de la Mercè

Mercè Music venues
Avinguda de la Catedral
Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina
Carrer de Martí i Franquès
Jardins Doctor Pla i Armengol
Platja del Bogatell
Ronda de Sant Antoni
Nou Barris District Head Offices
Teatre Grec

BAM venues
Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm
Moll de la Fusta Besòs
Moll de la Fusta Llobregat
Rambla del Raval

Acció Cultura Viva venues
Nau Bostik
Recinte Fabra i Coats

MAC venues
Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm
Castell de Montjuïc
Palauet Albéniz
Parc de l’Aqüeducte
Parc de la Ciutadella
Parc de Joan Miró
Parc de la Trinitat

Light and Fire venues
Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina
Platja de l’Espigó del Gas

Taking part in fire runs (correfocs) requires caution and compliance with minimum safety rules.

For people taking part:

-          Wear cotton clothing, preferably old. Be sure to wear long sleeves and trousers. The more skin you cover, the better.

-          Don’t wear clothing made of synthetic material.

-          If you have to walk in a shower of sparks, wear a hat that covers your whole head and cover the back of your neck with a cotton scarf.

-          Keep your eyes properly protected.

-          Wear suitable footwear (trainers, mountain boots, etc.).

-          Be sure to cover your ears to muffle the noise of pyrotechnic explosions.

-          Follow the instructions provided by public authorities and health officials.

-          Respect the fire figures, their bearers and the musicians.

-          Adopt the right approach towards the devils and do not block their path.

-          Follow the instructions of the organisers at all times.

-          Before a fire run begins, find out the route it will follow and the location of the medical assistance points.

-          In case of danger, follow the instructions of the devils.

-          When attending with children, try to follow the fire run from a safe distance and hold their hands.

-          Don’t throw water during the fire run. This is dangerous.

-          The organisers warn people with hearing problems or sensitivities, particularly elderly people and children, to take precautionary measures at events involving men with blunderbuses (trabucaires).

-          No alcohol or glass. If you are thirsty during the fire run, refrain from drinking alcohol. If you are carrying a drink, do not use a glass or glass bottles. Broken glass is dangerous.

-          If you suffer any burns or feel unwell during the fire run, remember that there are always medical services and ambulances nearby ready to attend to you.

 

For residents and traders:

-          Remove all vehicles from the designated route.

-          Lower metal shutters on buildings that have them.

-          Close windows and lower blinds if you live in a flat overlooking the streets where the fire run passes or if you have a shop in the area.

-          Protect window panes, doors and shop windows with thick cardboard.

-          Roll up all exterior awnings on housing and businesses premises.

-          Don’t throw water onto the participants or spectators of the fire run, as it is dangerous to do so.

La Mercè will have different points for reporting and taking coordinated action in the event of sexual and/or LGBTI-phobic assaults. Professionals will be on hand to provide advice on gender-based violence and cases of sexual harassment, as well as organising routes through the area. This is part of the Barcelona Antimasclista package of measures, which is coordinated with the police and health services.

These points will be located at the following festival venues:

  •  Platja del Bogatell (beach)
  • Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina
  • Carrer de Martí i Franquès

Go to the lamerce.barcelona website, where you will find information on each day’s programme, with event times, venues, types and the district where they will take place. There is also a descriptive page for each event containing more detailed information.

On the La Mercè app, which you can download from the Android and iOS app stores. You will find all the information about the shows, as well as timetables and venue maps.

You will also find information on all the events and possible incidents on our social media: @bcnCultura, @festivalBAM, @culturapopularbcn and @culturavivabcn.

There will be general information relating to La Mercè 2022 on the ground floor of the Palau de la Virreina, Oficinia Ciutadana de la Cultura (City Culture Office) . You can get in touch in the following ways:

• Call 933 161 000

• Send an email to infoicub@bcn.cat

• Call 010. If you are calling from outside the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, you must dial (+34) 931 537 010 and the ordinary rate will be applied.

People with impaired hearing must call (+34) 933 171 416.

On our social media (@bcnCultura, @festivalBAM, @culturapopularbcn and @cuylturavivabcn), as well as through notifications from the app and the La Mercè website, lamerce.barcelona.

This year, the La Mercè website and app include three new features aimed at improving the personalisation of the information presented to people according to their preferences:

The “Here and now” feature

From 23 to 26 September, you can use the La Mercè app to find out which activities are taking place closest to you at any given time, based on your geolocation details. You can also manually alter your distance radius.

The “Your selection” feature

Personalise the app by selecting the themes, venues, days and/or time slots of the activities that most align with your interests. The activities that correspond to your selection will be the first to be shown when you enter the app.

The “Who is coming this year?” feature

In this section of the website and the app you will be able to quickly consult the artists participating in this year’s Mercè. Search by name or locate them by category and click to view information about the activity.

• There will be an uninterrupted metro service from Friday 23 until Monday 26 September.

• For the Pyromusical on Monday 26 September, there will be increased service on metro lines 1 and 3.

• For confirmed timetables or transport information, consult tmb.cat or lamerce.barcelona.

Service to the Moll de la Fusta wharf

• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned in this area on Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 8 pm until 3 am.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro lines 3 and 4 (Drassanes and Barceloneta stations), regular bus lines (D20, H14, V13, V15, V17, V19, 47 and 59) and the night bus service.

Service to Bogatell beach

• Activities schedule. This year, music concerts will be held on Platja del Bogatell (Bogatell beach) on the nights of Friday 23 and Saturday 24 September between 7 pm and 3 am.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro line 4 (Llacuna station, with trains running non-stop throughout the night of Friday 20 and Saturday 21), regular bus lines (H16, V27, 6, 92, 136, 59, V31, B20, B25) and the night bus service.

Service to the Doctor Pla i Armengol Gardens

• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned in this area for Friday 23 September, from 9 pm until 2 am; for Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 12 pm until 2 am; and for Monday 26 September, from 12 pm until 2 pm.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro line 4 (Guinardó-Hospital de Sant Pau station), regular bus lines (D40, H6, V23, 39, 191 and 192) and the night bus service.

Service at the Teatre Grec

• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned in this area for Friday 23 September, from 9 pm until 2 am; and for Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 12 pm until 2 am.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro lines 1 and 3 (Poble Sec and Espanya stations) and regular bus lines (55 and 150).

Special service to Montjuïc Castle

• Activities schedule. Activities are planned at Castell de Montjuïc (Montjuïc Castle) for Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September, from 11 am to 8 pm.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on bus line 150. Due to the limited transport connections, 5 more articulated buses will be put on for Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September between 11 am and 9 pm, so a bus is expected to pass every 5-6 minutes during these times. During these dates, the entire fleet for the line will be articulated vehicles.

Service to Avinguda Maria Cristina

• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned for Friday 23, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 September, from 7 pm until 3 am.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro lines 1 and 3 (Espanya station).

Service to Les Corts, Carrer Martí i Franquès

• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned for Sunday 25 September, from 7 pm until 3 am.

• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro line 3 (Palau Reial station).

Pyromusical special service

• Activity schedule. The Pyromusical will take place on Monday 26 September between 10.00 and 10.30 pm. on Av. María Cristina.

• Public transport. There are plans to put on extra trains on Metro lines 1 and 3.

All venues used for La Mercè are accessible.

They will also have toilet facilities.

You can find information on possible incidents by checking the website for La Mercè and also our social media: @bcnCultura, @festivalBAM, @culturapopularbcn and @culturavivabcn.

The organisers reserve the right to cancel or change any show in the schedule for technical or meteorological reasons.

The museums and other municipal facilities listed in the + Mercè / Open days section of the website are free to enter. Some of them may offer other activities such as workshops, guided tours or dramatised visits. These additional activities may or may not be free. For more information, please contact the museum or facility directly.

There are various public and private facilities that offer a wide range of activities, discounts and promotions for the La Mercè festival, among other things.  The La Mercè website (+ Mercè section) offers general information on many of these activities.  However, if you need more detailed information on access conditions and benefits, we recommend that you contact each facility directly or through their respective channels.

In general, La Mercè 2022 events have free access. However, some facilities might require advance booking. You can check the conditions on the website of each centre.