Tag: La Merce

September in Barcelona is one of the best months of the year (if we do say so ourselves). Compared to a sweatier, stickier – and sometimes stormier – August, many locals look forward to the cooler evenings, while still enjoying their daily dose of sunshine.  The city is still buzzing and BarcelonaTours has some great tips on what to do in Barcelona in September. Barcelona's September Street Festivals Barcelona is famous for its street parties which take place throughout the summer until the end of September. You may have heard of the Fiestas de Gracia which take place mid-August and feature incredible street decorations. But many of these festivals are just the warm-ups for the Mother of all fiestas: La Mercè. If you’ve never heard of this week-long celebration of all things Barcelona, then don't worry. This blog is here to guide you through. By the end of this article, you’ll have everything you need to enjoy the La Mercè celebrations like a local – and enjoy your Barcelona holiday in September. When does La Mercè take place this year? La Mercè is celebrated from September 23-26, 2022, with Monday September 26 being a citywide holiday. That’s right, just the city of Barcelona! What is La Mercè all about? This annual festival is the main festival of the city of Barcelona – and the biggest street fiesta of the year. Acknowledged by the government as a local holiday since the 1870s, La Mercè has actually been celebrated since the 1680s! Like many of the local celebrations, La Mercè has religious roots. It was traditionally a time to revere the “Virgin of Grace”, who supposedly relieved the city of a plague of locusts in 1687. The Virgin was then declared a patron saint of Barcelona, alongside Santa Eulalia, to whom to the Cathedral