From the 21st until the 24th of September, it is La Mercè in Barcelona. What is it, you ask? The celebration of the patron saint of the city, Virgin of Grace. It means then a full weekend of celebration all over the city and we couldn’t be more excited! Discover the Catalan celebrations and the different activities close to our family hotel in Paral-lel. This year guest city is Lisbon, with which Barcelona share its love of culture.
Let’s start with some traditional celebrations you can find, to really get into the Catalan culture. You will find most of these activities in the Gothic Quarter.
Friday 21:
7pm, opening dance (sardana) on the Avinguda Catedral
7.45pm, official start of the festivities with the Gegants Nous (New Giants) parade.
Saturday 22:
10.30am, dance and parade, starting from Plaça Sant Jaume and circling around to the Cathedral of Barcelona. Follow by traditional dances all afternoon (until 6pm).
6.30, on the Via Laietana, the young dragons with their fireworks will parade.
Tip: to enjoy the parade safely, make sure to wear long cotton sleeves, to avoid burns.
Sunday 23: you can see different parades and dancing on that day.
10.30am is the parade of the Falcons of Barcelona and Vilanova,
11.00am, the 68th dancing competition (Sardana) on the Catedral avenue
9pm, Giants’ parade, starting from the portal Santa Mardona.
You will find then other activities for the whole family, to spend a day or few hours.
Montjuïc Castle
From Saturday until Monday, from noon until 8pm, go up to that classic monument of Barcelona to see some great circus shows and concert. Different circus companies from Europe come here to perform.
To go there: go to Paral-lel station (L2 or L3) and then take the funicular of Montjuic to the top. You can also reach Plaça Espanya and take the bus 150 to the top (need to walk a bit more though).
Palauet Albéniz
Located near the Olimpic Ring of Montjuic and Fundació Joan Miró, this former palace opens its door for the celebrations. Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 10pm and Monday, from 11am until 8pm, see some puppet, circus and dance show or participate to games with the whole family. Artists from Catalonia, Italy and Lisbon will be performing.
To go there, you can take the Montjuic funicular from Paral-lel or, if you are willing to walk, start from Hotel Grums and go up. Count 30 min either way.
To close La Mercè, on Monday night, go on the Maria Cristina Avenue (in front of the MNAC and before the Magic Fountains of Montjuic) and go see the unique Piromusical, the musical firework show.
You can also along the weekend see fireworks on the Barceloneta beach and projections on the City Hall (Plaça St Jaume).
You have some activities for all your family during La Mercè, but if you want to find some more, find here the full program. Enjoy your stay at our family hotel in Montjuic!
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