At 22.45 h of the 23th september, once night has fallen, the hustle and bustle awakens the City Giants, the Pi and Santa María del Mar giants too, who emerge from City Hall to party with the Barcelonians awaiting them in Plaça de Sant Jaume.

This year, the three giants’ groups have joined forces to revive an event that has been documented on various occasions during the 151-year history of La Mercè. In fact, the first time that it was documented was in 1872, exactly 150 years ago.

Now, the night-time parade will feature a band created expressly for the occasion: the Festival Eve Band. The Band consists of around 20 musicians playing typical Barcelona melodies on traditional instruments: grallas and wind instruments, metal and percussion instruments, in addition to a piece prepared specially for the occasion. The parade will head to the La Mercè Basilica, the epicentre of the following day’s festivities, before ending up again at Plaça de Sant Jaume, where the festivities will finish at around midnight!