The Merce Festival Tour  >>

The main day of La Mercè is always 24 September, but the start and finish dates of the festival change from year to year.

La Mercè de Barcelona lasts 4 days and is a festival that takes place in honor of the Mare de Deu de la Mercè (Mother of God of Mercy), the patron saint of Barcelona.A multitude of activities will be organized across Barcelona, among them many Catalan traditions. The Mercè festival is an opportunity to dive headfirst into Catalan culture by participating in activities and events designed for all audiences.

The significance of the date is that according to a legend on 24 September, the Virgin simultaneously appeared to King James I of Aragon, Saint Peter Nolasco and Saint Raymond of Penyafort. This was during the Crusades. It's told that she asked them to create an order of monks to save Christians imprisoned by Muslim Moors. Peter Nolesco founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy in 1218 to negotiate war ransoms to free prisoners.