From 22 to 25 September. It all begins on 22 September with the opening speech. From then on, there will be activities until the festival comes to an end with the Pyromusical fireworks on Monday, 25 September.
Just like every year, all activities organised by Barcelona City Council and the Barcelona Institute of Culture are free of charge.
The festival activities never start before 8.00 am and finish no later than 3.00 am. That’s when it’s time for everyone to head home.
There are a large number of venues and spaces where the activities are being held, and they are distributed across the city’s districts:
Spaces where Popular Culture activities are being held
Avinguda de la Catedral
Barri Gòtic
Basílica de la Mercè
El Born CCM
Passeig de Gràcia
Pati Manning
Plaça de Sant Jaume
Passatge del Palau la Virreina
Plaça de la Mercè
Música Mercè Venues
Avinguda de la Catedral
Carrer Menéndez y Pelayo
Jardins Doctor Pla i Armengol
Bogatell Beach
Passeig dels Til·lers (Parc de la Ciutadella)
Nou Barris District Headquarters
Teatre Grec
BAM Venues
Antiga Fàbrica Estrella Damm
Moll de la Fusta
Plaça Reial
Rambla del Raval
Acció Cultura Viva Venues
Nau Bostik
Recinte Fabra i Coats
Plaça Can Fabra
MAC Venues
Montjuïc Castle
Consell de Cent (between c. Comte Urgell and c.Entença)
Marina del Prat Vermell
Palauet Albéniz
Plaça de Sarrià
Parc de l’Aqüeducte
Parc de l’Estació del Nord
Parc de Joan Miró
Sortida Metro Trinitat
Llum i Foc Venues
Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina
Platja de l’Espigó del Gas Beach
Cinema
Former headquarters of Editorial Gustavo Gili
Taking part in fire runs (correfocs) requires caution and compliance with minimum safety rules.
For people taking part:
- Wear cotton, preferably old, clothing. Be sure to wear long sleeves and trousers. The more skin you cover, the better.
- Do not wear clothes made from synthetic material.
- If you have to walk through the sparks, wear a hat that covers your whole head and cover your neck with a cotton scarf.
- Protect your eyes.
- Wear suitable footwear (trainers, walking boots, etc.)
- Make sure you cover your ears to dampen the sound of the pyrotechnic explosions.
- Follow all public order and health guidelines.
- Respect the fire figures, the people carrying them and the musicians.
- Maintain a good attitude towards the devils and do not put obstacles in their way.
- Follow the organisers’ instructions at all times.
- Before the start of the Fire Run, make sure you know the route and where the health assistance points are located.
- In the event of danger, follow the instructions given by the devils.
- With children, follow the fire run from a safe distance and make sure you hold their hands.
- Do not throw water during the Fire Run, as this is dangerous.
- The organisers advise people with hearing impairments or hearing sensitivity, particularly older people and children, to take precautions when attending events in which the Trabucaires are taking part.
- No alcohol or glass: if you are thirsty during the Fire Run, avoid alcohol. If you are carrying a drink, do not use a glass or glass bottles. Broken glass is dangerous.
- If you get burnt, or you don’t feel well during the celebration, remember that there are always medical services and ambulances ready to attend to you in the area.
For residents and traders:
- Remove all vehicles from the route.
- Close all metal roller shutters on the doors and windows of buildings that have these.
- Close windows and lower the shutters if you live in a building on a street that the Fire Run passes through or if you have a shop in the area.
- Protect the glass of windows, doors and shop fronts with thick cardboard.
- Retract all exterior awnings on residential buildings and business establishments.
- Do not throw water at participants or spectators of the Fire Run as this is dangerous.
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:
- Bogatell Beach
- Carrer de Menéndez y Pelayo
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 can be downloaded to Android and iOS devices, you’ll find all the information on the shows,, as well as the time schedules and maps of the venues.
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 2023 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.
On our social media (@bcnCultura, @festivalBAM, @culturapopularbcn and @cuylturavivabcn), as well as through notifications from the app and the La Mercè website, lamerce.barcelona.
The Mercè website and app include three functionalities aimed at improving the personalisation of the information presented based on individual preferences:
“Aquí i ara” [Here and now]
From 22 to 25 September, the Mercè app will tell you the activities taking place closest to where you are, according to your geolocation. You can also manually alter your distance radius.
“Els meus interessos” [My interests]
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.
“Artistes” [Artists]
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.
• The metro service will run uninterrupted from Friday, 22, through Saturday, 23 and Sunday, 24 September. On Monday, 25 September, a public holiday, the metro will run until midnight, as a weekday holiday.
• 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 IN HIGHLIGHTED PLACES
Service to the Moll de la Fusta Wharf
• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned in this area on Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, from 8 pm until 3 am.
• Public transport. This route will be covered by the services 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 the pyrotechnic festival will take place at the Espigó del Gas (between Barceloneta Beach and Somorrostro Beach) on the night of Friday, 22 September and Saturday, 23 September, from 10 pm to 11 pm. The drone show will take place at the same place and time on Sunday, 23 September.
• Public transport. The public transport covering this route is principally metro line 4 (Barceloneta and Ciutadella/Vila Olímpica stations) and the regular bus lines (lines H16, V27, 6, 59, V23, V25) , and the night bus service (N6; N8; N28).
Service to the Doctor Pla i Armengol Gardens
• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned in this area for Friday, 22 September, from 9 pm until 1 am; for Saturday, 23 and Sunday, 24 September, from 12 pm until 1 am; and for Monday, 25 September, from 12 pm until 2 pm.
• Public transport. This route is served by 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 scheduled to take place in this area on Friday, 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday, 24 September, from 9.30 pm to 1 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 scheduled to take place at Montjuïc Castle on Saturday, 23, Sunday, 24 and Monday, 25 September, from 11.30 am to 8 pm. Unlike last year, there will also be activities on Monday at the Castle.
• Public transport. The main public transport service for this route is the 150 bus line, which will be stepped up with 5 additional articulated buses on Saturday, 23, Sunday, 24 and Monday, 25 September between 10.30 am and 9 pm, which service frequency on these days between 5 and 6 minutes. During these dates, the entire fleet for the line will be articulated vehicles.
We are waiting to hear what day and time F.C. Barcelona will be playing at the Olympic Stadium against Celta (between Friday 22 and Monday 25). On this occasion, line 150 will be subject to a diversion, and the service will be affected by the large number of people heading to the match. On the days that F.C. Barcelona is playing at the Olympic Stadium, a service consisting of two shuttle buses will be in operation (one from pl. Espanya to the Stadium, and the other from the Fira Gran Via car park to the Stadium) starting two hours before kick-off and ending one and a half hours after the end of the match, and there will also be additional services on the Metro and Montjuïc funicular railway.
Service to Les Corts, Carrer Martí i Franquès
• Activities schedule. Music concerts are planned for Friday 22, Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September, from 7 pm until 2 am.
• Public transport. This service is mainly based on Metro line 3 (Palau Reial station).
Special service for the Fire Run
• Activity schedule. The Fire Run will take place on Saturday, 23 September, from 4 pm to 10 pm on Passeig de Gràcia.
• Public transport. The services covering this route are metro lines 2, 3 and 4 (Passeig de Gràcia station L2, L3 and L4).
Pyromusical special service
• Activity schedule. The Pyromusical will take place on Monday, 25 September, between 10 and 10.30 pm. on Av. María Cristina.
• Public transport. Additional services will be running on all Metro lines, particularly lines 1 and 3.
All venues used for La Mercè are accessible.
They will also have toilet facilities.
The activity space in Parc de Joan Miró for La Mercè has been conceived as a space with activities and shows for young children, suitable for all audiences. The only exception is the show by Farrés Brothers i Cia. (El silenci d’Hamelín), aimed at children aged from 8 upwards.
Work has also gone into making this a friendly space for children with autistic spectrum disorders. To this end, three new measures have been introduced:
WRISTBANDS
Blue wristbands will be issued to give priority access to children with autistic spectrum disorders, the idea being to minimise waiting times.
These wristbands will be valid on 23, 24 and 25 September. Users are recommended to keep the wristbands if they wish to visit the space on more than one day.
Families can collect wristbands at the information point, indicated on the map with an i.
To get the wristband users will need to show a recognised disability certificate or the card accrediting their disability.
Wearing the wristband will help organisational staff in the Parc de Joan Miró to be more aware of wearers’ needs, and means that these children won’t have to queue and can be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
RELAXATION SPACE
A space is being set up where these children can relax if they feel overstimulated. The area has a low fence and is set slightly apart, with children able to draw and paint there.
LOWER-THAN-USUAL DECIBEL LEVELS
Noise levels in the park will be taken into account.
Information on any possible incidents will be available on the Mercè festival website and app ,and also on social networks: @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 found in the section + Mercè / Portes obertes [Open days] of the website will be offering free admission. 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. On the La Mercè website (in the section + Mercè), there is 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.
The activities for La Mercè 2023 are free to access. However, some venues may require you to book in advance. You can check the conditions on the website of each centre.
