Mercè Arts de Carrer: street art comes out for a party
Over 270 performances by 75 companies fill this year's Mercè Arts de Carrer with circus, theatre, music and a variety of stage proposals.
No matter what neighbourhood or area of the city you live in, you’re sure to be close to some of the stages that, in this edition of the Mercè Arts de Carrer festival, will be part of the Festa Major. The festival has more than two hundred and fifty performances throughout Barcelona.
The Mercè Arts de Carrer is a festival dedicated to street arts that brings together international performances (including some from Casablanca, this year’s guest city), but also many proposals from great local creators who take advantage of the Festa Major, at the beginning of the school year, to showcase their latest creations.
It is all part of the programme of La Mercè 2024, a great Barcelona festival that takes activities from the mountains to the sea, and which recovers old festive spaces, finds new ones and repeats some of the great classics. Thus, in the framework of the Cultural Regatta that accompanies the America’s Cup, the Mercè Arts de Carrer is opening two new venues: the Olympic Port (Mestral Mill) and the Nova Icària Beach, which host innovative proposals in small and large format. This year the Parc de la Trinitat, a fun and participatory space for all ages, is back, and there will again be celebrations in classic venues such as the Castell de Montjuïc and the Palauet Albéniz.
The programme includes music, theatre, dance and circus, as well as visual and sound performances. From the sea of proposals, don’t miss activities such as those programmed by Jordi Duran at the Parc de l’Estació del Nord and the Parc de la Trinitat, with a combination of performing arts, workshops and immersive experiences that invite participation. Platja de la Nova Icària will be transformed into a stage space with Teatres de Campanya’s proposal. What if the city were a music score?
Jordi Querol, in charge of programming at Castell de Montjuïc, shows the best international circus at the venue, while Cristina Cazorla has taken charge of the new space at Olympic Port, where you will find an offer designed for the whole family. Sergi Ots programmes an intimate and multidisciplinary experience at Palauet Albéniz. And at Parc de l’Aqüeducte, Pallassos Sense Fronteres and Tortell Poltrona present the show El riure, una arma de construcció massiva.
As you will remember, Casablanca is the guest city of La Mercè, so there will be plenty of artists to see at the Festa Major, including choreographers Kader Attou and Mourad Merzouki, with Danser Casa (Parc de l’Estació del Nord), a demonstration of the talent of eight young Moroccan dancers dedicated to urban dances. At Castell de Montjuïc, pay attention to Colokolo Cirque, a company that performs a theatrical circus with a Moroccan identity. Expect juggling, lots of acrobatics, a bit of dance and high flying.
New performances such as Carrer 024, by the dancer and choreographer Sol Picó (Port Olímpic), the visual and sound show by Marc Salicrú Interferència 01, at the Platja de la Nova Icària, Cicatrius, by the choreographer Vero Cendoya or a Palauet Albéniz with areas adapted for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and accessible shows for people with functional diversity are some of the other proposals that deserve special attention.
If you don’t want to miss this great showcase of the latest productions of the street arts scene that is the MAC, come and celebrate the Festa Major in some of the programmed venues, but first check the website of La Mercè for all the information about it.
