This week, 1 of 16
This weekendFestival601 families interested
Chestnut, Pumpkin and Witch Fairs Near Barcelona
- When
- Through Nov 1
- Ages
- All ages
- Price
- Free entry, activities extra
This week, 1 of 16: Chestnut, Pumpkin and Witch Fairs Near Barcelona
La Mercè Weekend: Seaside Games, Acrobats and a Fire Run for Kids
This event has ended
FestivalCiutat VellaBarcelonaNou BarrisSant MartíEixampleSants-MontjuïcSant Andreu741 families interested
Where
Various locations
Ages
All ages
Setting
Outdoors
Plan for
Drop-in, stay as long as kids last
Kids program
Family parks at Glòries (Thu), Montjuïc gardens, Port Olímpic and the Fòrum (Sat and Sun), plus a kids' fire run (Sat 6pm)
Closing event
Piromusical from Nova Icària beach, Sun Sep 27 at 10pm (new spot for 2026)
What you need to know
- Saturday 6pm: the kids' fire run on Passeig de Gràcia, before dark, with smaller flames and a slower pace than the adult correfoc at 8:30pm.
- Sunday noon: the tallest human towers of the festival, three of the strongest teams in Plaça Sant Jaume, after a parade in from La Rambla at 11:30am.
- Weekend family parks, one per outing: Montjuïc gardens for under-6s, Port Olímpic for sea crafts, clowns and circus by the water, the Fòrum for acrobats and 20 wooden games. Plenty needs no Catalan or Spanish.
About
La Mercè is Barcelona's patron-saint festival and the city's biggest street party, when every district turns into a stage. The 2026 guest city is Shanghai, the first from Asia, bringing around 110 artists, from the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe to Chinese dragons dancing alongside Barcelona's gegants. For families, the weekend brings daytime human towers, circus and wooden games in the parks, and a gentler fire run just for kids.
Schedule
Wed, Sep 23
- 7pmOpening procession and Toc d'inicifrom La Rambla to Plaça Sant Jaume with Shanghai's rolling lantern show, while the pregó happens inside City Hall (7pm to 9pm).
Thu, Sep 24
- 10:30am to 8pmAqüeducte per la Pauan all-day clown and circus party by Pallassos Sense Fronteres (Clowns Without Borders) at Parc de l'Aqüeducte in Ciutat Meridiana, with extra morning workshops and a play space just for under-6s.
- 10:30amMatí de la Mercèthe giants line up and dance in Plaça Sant Jaume (10:30 to 11:45am), then the Passada de Nans i Gegants winds through the old town from 11:45am.
- 11am to 7:30pmFamily day at Parc de les Glòries(new this year), back-to-back circus and street theater plus Repte Gaudí, a drop-in play space of building games and visual puzzles inspired by Gaudí (11am to 3pm and 4pm to 7pm, ages 4+).
- 11am, 1:20pm, 5pmSTELI at Parc de l'Estació del Nordfamilies build a giant structure out of wooden poles with Italy's Stalker Teatro and live music, then walk through it (40 minutes, ages 4+, no words needed).
- 1pmDiada Castelleraall eight Barcelona colles build human towers in front of City Hall (1pm to 3pm).
- 5:30pmCavalcada de la Mercègiants, beasts, bands and Shanghai's rolling lanterns parade from Plaça Catalunya down Via Laietana to Plaça Sant Jaume (5:30pm to 8:30pm).
- 9pm and 10pmDrone show over the beach750 drones tell the Barcelona to Shanghai story at Platja de l'Espigó del Gas (Barceloneta), 20 minutes each.
Fri, Sep 25
- 10pmFireworks at Barcelonetanight one of the international fireworks festival at Platja de l'Espigó del Gas, 20 minutes. A second night follows on Saturday at 10pm.
Sat, Sep 26
- 10:30am to 1:30pm, 4:30 to 7pmFamily morning at Jardins de Joan Maragall (Montjuïc)the palace gardens around the Palauet Albéniz, which opens its doors for La Mercè. El pòdcast de Beatrix Potter is a headphone trail of tiny Peter Rabbit scenes hidden in little free libraries. Then puppets at 11am (Sòmion, 45 minutes, ages 4+), a 15-minute dance piece at 12:15pm (Sadnessländ) and a family concert made of body sounds at 12:30pm (Rau-rau, ages 4+). A quiet space is on site.
- 11am to 1:45pm, 4:30 to 7:30pmMarea de les Arts at Port Olímpicsea-craft workshops with La Jarra Azul (Tallers marins, 11am to 1pm and 4:30 to 7pm, ages 4+) and Iceberg de guix, a walk-in plaster iceberg kids are invited to draw on (11am to 1:30pm and 4:30 to 7pm, best for ages 2 to 4). Shows: two clowns in a lifeboat waiting for the flood at 11:15am (Banaba Flup, 1 hour, ages 6+), sail-and-rope circus from Mallorca's Circ Bover at 12:15pm and 5pm (SERENA, ages 6+), juggling stowaways at 6pm (Naufragio, ages 6+) and the tiny roaming Diminuts at 7pm (ages 2 to 4).
- 11am, 1:20pm, 5pmSTELI at Parc de l'Estació del Nordthe build-it-together pole structure returns (40 minutes, ages 4+).
- 11:30am to 6:30pmToc de fusta at Parc dels Auditoris (Fòrum)about 20 handmade wooden games, puzzles and automata by the sea, free play for all ages with no instructions needed. Same hours on Sunday.
- 12:30pm and 4:45pmBeyond at Parc dels Auditoris (Fòrum)six Belgian acrobats turn ladders into bridges, arches and spinning cranes (50 minutes, ages 6+). Each show ends 10 minutes before the Shanghai acrobats start on the next stage.
- 1:30pm and 5:45pmShanghai Acrobatic Troupeat Parc dels Auditoris (Fòrum), 45 minutes, all ages.
- 5pmDance with Swagger at Parc de la TrinitatKorea's A-Run Crew and a DJ get kids and parents dancing along (40 minutes, ages 4+, no words). Their acrobatic show Wazac plays the same park at 11am.
- 6pmCorrefoc dels Petitsthe kids' fire run on Passeig de Gràcia from Provença to Consell de Cent (6pm to 7:45pm), drums warm up from 4:45pm.
- 8:30pmAdult Correfocwith the new Porta de l'Infern, Passeig de Gràcia (8:30pm to 11pm), for older kids who like noise and sparks.
Sun, Sep 27
- 10:30am to 1:30pm, 4:30 to 7pmFamily morning at Jardins de Joan Maragall (Montjuïc)same lineup as Saturday: Beatrix Potter headphone trail all session, Sòmion puppets at 11am, Sadnessländ at 12:15pm, Rau-rau concert at 12:30pm.
- 11am to 2pm onlyMarea de les Arts at Port Olímpicmornings only on Sunday: Tallers marins crafts 11am to 1pm, the Iceberg de guix to draw on 11am to 1:30pm, Banaba Flup clowns at 11:15am, SERENA circus at 12:15pm.
- 11am, 1:20pm, 5pmSTELI at Parc de l'Estació del Nordlast day to build the giant pole structure (40 minutes, ages 4+).
- 12pmGuest castellers dayin Plaça Sant Jaume: Castellers de Barcelona, Minyons de Terrassa and Joves de Valls, three of the strongest colles, go for the tallest towers of the festival. The colles parade in from Palau de la Virreina at 11:30am.
- 12:30pm and 4:45pmBeyondladder circus at Parc dels Auditoris (Fòrum), followed by the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe at 1:30pm and 5:45pm.
- 5pmDance with Swagger at Parc de la Trinitatlast dance-along with A-Run Crew (40 minutes, ages 4+). Wazac at 11am.
- 8:30pm
- 10pmPiromusicalfrom Nova Icària beach, 30 minutes of fireworks set to music picked by Oques Grasses' Josep Montero, visible along the whole seafront.
We recommend
Through Sep 24
No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids
Today packs the most in: giants in the morning, drones after dark. In the afternoon, there are lots of options depending on which side of the city you're traveling from.
Through Sep 27
46 Museums and Monuments Open Free for La Mercè
Today is the day nearly all of them open at once, no booking. One has a full-size royal galley, and a few close by mid-afternoon, which catches families out.
Where it is
- Various locations
Loading map…
15 spots on the map
Nearby playgrounds
Resources
- Event websiteOfficial page from the organizer.
- No School Thursday planOur plan for Thursday Sep 24, the day off school: giants, free museums, drones.
- Free museums during La MercèOur list of the 46 museums and monuments open free, with our picks for kids.
- Traditional festivities programOfficial day-by-day list of giants, castellers, correfocs and the piromusical, with a family-audience filter.
- Street arts program (MAC)Circus, theater and play spaces by park and day; filter by family audience and age.
- Complete concert scheduleThe full 2026 concert cartell by day, time, and stage, all 109 free concerts (in Catalan).
- La Mercè AppReal-time updates, nearby activity finder, and personalized favorites list for the festival.
Common questions
More this weekend
See all events →More family picks, Friday to Sunday.
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Halloween Parties for Babies and Little Kids at Kids&Kafé
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