From 23 to 26 September, Barcelona will be celebrating the 2022 La Mercè festivities with dozens of traditional events. Between the opening and closing ceremonies, the city’s biggest festival has lots of ways to get you out on the street and enjoying festive buzz. This year, the festival is back – with all the usual events in the usual locations, plus a few new features. We’re now going to explain everything!

Friday 23 September: La Vigilia, the eve of the festival

The festive atmosphere will start to build on Friday 23, with the Ringing of the Bells (5 pm, the bell tower of the church of Santa Marai del Pi) announcing the imminent arrival of the Festa Major, the city’s biggest festival. At 7 pm, things will really get going with the opening speech from filmmaker Carla Simón at the Saló de Cent at City Hall (subtitled in sign language), and sardana dancing (in Plaça de la Mercè, with the Cobla Sant Jordi – Ciutat de Barcelona) and the inaugural Seguici Popular or People’s Procession (7 pm, Palau de la Virreina). At 7.45 pm, the procession will emerge from City Hall, and the opening ceremony will begin in Plaça Sant Jaume.

With the festival now underway, at 9 pm the Giants Xambanga parade will set out from Plaça dels Àngels, at 10 pm arriving at Plaça Sant Jaume where there’ll be a spectacular finale accompanied by the sound of the xarangues, to mark the 25+1 years of the celebration of this event. Straight afterwards, the doors of City Hall will open to make way for the Nit de la Vigília, the re-enactment of an event that was first documented in 1872, and that today is a nocturnal street parade featuring the Giants of the Ciutat del Pi and Santa Maria del Mar. A new melody has been composed for the occasion, and an exceptional group of musicians will be playing: The Festival Eve Band. The event will come to an end in Plaça Sant Jaume around 11.45 pm with an unusual finale.

And there’ll also be the 23rd International Pyrotechnic Festival, with a display created by Iannotta Fireworks (Naples, Italy).

Saturday 24 September, the day that honours the Mare de Déu de la Mercè, patron saint of Barcelona

As usual, the morning of Dia de la Mercè will begin with gralla music in Plaça de la Mercè (8 am) and the Galejada de Trabucaires (9.15 am, at the Canaletes fountain). At 10 am the Anada a Ofici, will begin, setting off from City Hall and heading for Plaça de la Mercè with the Seguici Popular (People’s Procession) and the authorities.

At 11 am, Plaça Sant Jaume will provide the setting for the Giants dance, and at 11.45 am the Passada de Nans i Gegants will begin, heading for the Pati Manning at the Casa de Caritat. Also at 11 am, Mercè Dansa will be performing Sardana dances at Avinguda de la Catedral accmpanied by the Cobla Sabadell.

At noon, Plaça de la Mercè will be buzzing, with the Ringing of the Bells, the Pilars Castellers human tower performance, and the start of the Seguici de la Mercè parade, which will be stopping off in Plaça Sant Jaume to perform the Balls de l’Àliga i dels Gegants de la Ciutat dances, followed by a human tower performance from local festival groups, with the Castellers de Barcelona, those from Sants, Vila de Gràcia, Poble-sec, Sagrada Família, La Jove, Sarrià and Esquerra de l’Eixample.

In the afternoon, Mercè Dansa will once again be performing in Plaça Sant Jaume, and at 6 pm, the La Mercè procession will begin at the crossroads of C. Pelai and C. Gravina. This year, the procession is entitled ‘Barcelona on the move’, and pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the launch of the first TMB bus line, with historical buses and giants grouped in blocks representing imaginary bus lines. The final block will be dedicated to Rome, this year’s guest city.

At 6.15 pm there’ll be a sardana gathering with the Cobla Marinada music ensemble in Plaça de la Mercè; at 6.30 pm the Galop de la Mercè will take place in Plaça Sant Jaume (this will be the 26th edition of the event, and it will be a tribute to the composer, Jesús Ventura), and at 9 pm there will be the Cobla Sant Jordi – Ciutat de Barcelona Concert (at the la Mercè Basilica), the Carilló Concert (in Plaça Sant Jaume) and the Beasts Parade (whic will set out from Plaça Comercial). At 10 pm Plaça Sant Jaume will be hosting a choral concert organised by the Federació Catalana d’Entitats Corals, which this year will see the participation of two LGBTI+ groups: the Barcelona Gay Men’s Chorus, and the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (UK).

What’s more, at 10 pm, there’ll also be the 23rd International Pyrotechnic Festival with a display created by Morsani (Rome, Italy).

Sunday 25 September

Festival Sunday will kick off with the Display of Esbarts, in Plaça de la Mercè (starting at 10 am, and continuing in the same place from 5 pm onwards). There will also be the Falcons de Barcelona and Falcons de Malla street parade which will be setting out from Plaça Nova at 10.30 am. At 11 am the two groups will be performing in Plaça de Sant Jaume.

At 11 am, Passeig de Gràcia will be celebrating its 200th anniversary with a Modernista giants dance and stick-dance morning. During the course of the morning the 72nd Sardana Dance Groups Competition will take place in Avinguda de la Catedral (11 am), and will come to a close with a sardana gathering accompanied by the Cobla La Mil·lenària de Perpinyà. At noon the Historic Human Tower Performance will begin at Plaça Sant Jaume with the Castellers de Barcelona, the Minyons de Terrassa and the Joves Xiquets de Valls.

The festival will continue in the evening on Passeig de Gràcia with the drum session known as the Tabalada (5 pm), the Children’s Fire Run, the Drums of Hell (8 pm), the Ceptrotada (8.25 pm) and the opening of the Gates of Hell and the start of the Fire Run (8.30pm). There will also be a sardana gathering with the Cobla Lluïsos de Taradell in Plaça Sant Jaume (6 pm) and the Cors de Clavé Concert, ‘Els balls corejats d’en Clavé’ in Plaça Sant Jaume (8 pm).

Monday, 26 September

The Plaça Sant Jaume will be the setting for havaneres (sea shanties) with the Ultramar Trio (6 pm) and La Guingueta (7 pm) on the last evening of the festival. At 8.30 pm the closing ceremony will take place from City Hall to the Palau de la Virreina, where at around 9.30 pm the final dance of the city’s giants will take place.

The festival will come to an end at Avinguda Reina Maria Cristina with a musical firework display organised by Pirotècnia Igual.