Barcelona La Merce Festival 2012
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Every year close to the end of September Barcelona holds its largest street party, the Barcelona La Merce Festival.
La Mercé 2012 will take place Friday 21 September 2012 - Monday 25 September 2012.
This page will give you the low-down on what is probably the highlight of Barcelona's festival calendar.
English Language Program of events for La Merce 2012
The official programme for La Merce 2012 in English is not yet available. View the 2011 program. (in PDF format)
Merce Festival History
Barcelona La Merce lasts for around 5 days and is a festival held in honour of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the Patron Saint of Barcelona.
The festival, which officially first took place in 1902, bids goodbye to the summer with a bang and welcomes in the cooler months of autumn.
This year 2012 there will be hundreds of different activities taking place in the city.
Leave your car!
The streets will be filled with events, parades, fire runs (Correfoc)- and people! So it's highly advisable that you don't consider hiring a car if you intend to use it in the city centre during the time of the festival.
There are hundreds of activities that will be occurring in the Merce Festival this year however there are some "staple events" that are now famous at the festival.
Barcelona La Merce Highlights
Here are the dates and details of some of the major events:
Correfoc - Fire Run
Location: Porta Cambo, Avenida Francesc Cambo, Plaza de Antoni Maura, Via Laietana, Plaza de Antoni Lopez and Consolat de Mar
If you are going to experience the Correfoc it is highly advisable to take protective clothing because often powerful sparkler fireworks are sprayed into the crowds. People should bring hats, protective glasses and thick long sleeved tops that will protect you from the flying sparklers.
There is normally 2 types of Correfoc on the same evening. One of them is for the children and is a lot more tame than the "adult" Correfoc which happens later on in the evening
The Correfoc event takes place at dusk. Normally along and around Via Laietana. The road will be closed off and then opens to "The Devils" . The
Devils are special community groups that dress up like devils and parade the streets during certain festivals in Barcelona. La Merce Festival is one such festival. The devils run up the streets with bangers and hand held fireworks. Lots of bangs and fire is the order of the day. Fire breathing dragons (or at least sparkler-breathing dragons) also roam the streets with Devils skipping along with spiralling fireworks held in their hands.
The "adult" Correfoc takes place after the "junior" Correfoc. The main difference with the adult event is that the crowds are actually sprayed with flames from the sparklers - you can see this in the picture to the left and in the picture below. If you are of a nervous disposition then maybe you should consider standing well back from the Correfoc itself.
Castellers - Human Towers
Location: Placa de Sant Jaume
This event is one of the highlights of the Merce festival and takes place in Placa de Jaume. Thousands of people will pack out the square so it is worth arriving early. The aim of the Castellers is to build a human tower and have a young child climb to the very top of the tower and stand up. It requires a tremendous amount of planning and teamwork to build a human tower and it is quite an amazing sight to see. Click here for more information on the Castellers in Barcelona
Gigantes (Giants Parade)
Location: Plaza de la Mercé, Barcelona Cathedral and Plaza de Sant Jaume
The Giants parade is a very popular event for the whole family. Huge giants with effigies of kings, queens and nobles march through the streets of Barcelona. These huge figures tower above the crowds and spin around and around so the crowds can see them in all their glory. The Parade is often accompanied by small percussion groups that beat out a rhythm on drums as the Giants go by.
The Barcelona La Merce festival will have something for everyone, music, street performances, drama in thousands of venues across the city. Join in the fun with Barcelona's biggest party of the year.