Opening Ceremony

Toc d'Inici

After the proclamation is read and the Opening Parade is held, it's time for the Toc d’Inici, one of the hallmarks of La Mercè. This year, the ritual that kicks off the festival will feature exceptional guests, Olga and Volodymyr, members of the royal family of the former kingdom of Kyiv, a pair of giants who are joining the city's People’s Parade on an exceptional basis.

During this event, the participants in this parade (the City Giants, Pi giants and Santa Maria del Mar giants; the Capgrossos Macers big heads; the historical beasts: theÀliga de la Ciutat (City Eagle), the Cavallets Cotoners (cotton merchants' hobby horses), the Lion, the Mule, the Bull, the Víbria (Dragon), the Dragon and the Tarasca (Carnival Dragon); the Falcons of Barcelona and the Ball de Bastons (Stick Dance) of the Parade), as well as a representation of free-time groups and groups of devils from the city, will do their dances to the sound of the music of the Ministrils del Camí Ral, a band led by Eduard Casals which only plays once a year to open La Mercè. And to celebrate the arrival of the giants from Kyiv, the Ministrils will perform a Cossack March with traditional Catalan instruments: the gralla (pipe), the pan pipe, the flageolet, the bugle, the tuba and the tabal (a cylindrical percussion instrument) will be just some of the instruments we’ll hear in the Toc d’inici.