Which plan fits my kids' age?

Under 4: the Glòries family park, where you can come and go as you like, plus the free design museum next door. Skip the human towers, the crowd is too thick. Ages 4 to 8: giants at 10:30am, then STELI or Glòries in the afternoon, then the 9pm drones. Ages 9 and up: giants, the human towers at 1pm, CosmoCaixa in the afternoon and the Cavalcada at dusk.

Can small kids see the giants and the human towers?

The giants, yes: they are tall and they move around the square, so even kids at the back get a look. Arrive by 10am and stand at the edges. The human towers are harder. The square packs tight and everyone looks up at once, so with kids under 5 it is better to watch the giants and leave before 1pm. The towers come back on Sunday at noon if you want a second try.

Where should we watch the drones?

The drones fly over Platja de l'Espigó del Gas, at the Barceloneta end of the seafront. The best spot is Somorrostro beach by Hospital del Mar, and the beaches further along (Barceloneta, Sant Miquel and Sant Sebastià) work too. With kids, pick the 9pm show and get there by 8:30pm. The metro stops closest are Barceloneta (L4) and Ciutadella-Vila Olímpica (L4).

We can't make Thursday. What about the weekend?

The kids' fire run on Saturday at 6pm on Passeig de Gràcia, the tallest human towers of the festival on Sunday at noon, and the closing fireworks to music on Sunday at 10pm from Nova Icària beach. Family parks run both mornings at Montjuïc, Port Olímpic and the Fòrum. It's all on our main La Mercè page.

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Event ended

Festival461 families interested

No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids

Name: No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids
Start: 2026-09-24
End: 2026-09-24

When: Through Sep 24
Ages: All ages
Price: Free

No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids photo 2

No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids photo 3

No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids photo 4

No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids photo 5

This event has ended

FestivalCiutat VellaNou BarrisSant MartíEixample461 families interested

Where

Various locations

Ages

All ages

Setting

Indoors/outdoors

Plan for

Full day, with a break at midday

School

Thursday Sep 24 is a city holiday, no school

Free museums

40 museums and monuments free and walk-in

After dark

Drone show over Barceloneta, two shows

What you need to know

Morning: giants dance in Plaça Sant Jaume, then walk a few minutes to a free museum (Chocolate Museum, Picasso, El Born) before the human towers at lunchtime.
Midday: pick one side of the city. The Glòries family park for little ones, CosmoCaixa's indoor rainforest for curious kids, or Montjuïc's castle and gardens for runners.
Night: 750 drones over Barceloneta, 20 minutes. The first show is early enough for most kids.

About

La Mercè day is the fullest day of the festival for families: giants, human towers, free museums, a family park at Glòries, a dusk parade and drones after dark. The trick is not to try it all. Do the giants in the morning, pick one part of the city for the middle of the day, and decide at dinner whether the kids have a drone show left in them.

Schedule

Thu, Sep 24

10am to 8pm
40 museums free, walk-in
CosmoCaixa (indoor rainforest), Museu Blau (whale skeleton), Maritime Museum, Montjuïc Castle and more. Full list and closing times on our free museums page.
10am to 2:30pm
Chocolate Museum
(Carrer del Comerç 36), free, last entry 2:30pm. A 10-minute walk from Plaça Sant Jaume.
Museu de la XocolataMaps ↗
10:30am to 8pm
Aqüeducte per la Pau
an all-day clown and circus party by Clowns Without Borders at Parc de l'Aqüeducte (Ciutat Meridiana), with a play space just for under-6s. Far from the center, closest for families in Nou Barris.
Parc de l'AqüeducteMaps ↗
10:30am
Giants dance in Plaça Sant Jaume
(10:30 to 11:45am). Arrive 30 minutes early to get near the front.
Plaça Sant JaumeMaps ↗
11am to 7:30pm
Family park at Parc de les Glòries
(new this year): circus and street theater back to back, plus Repte Gaudí, a drop-in play space of building games (11am to 3pm and 4pm to 7pm, ages 4+). The Disseny Hub design museum next door is free too.
Parc de les GlòriesMaps ↗
11am, 1:20pm, 5pm
STELI at Parc de l'Estació del Nord
families build a giant structure out of wooden poles, then walk through it (40 minutes, ages 4+, no words needed).
Parc de l'Estació del NordMaps ↗
11:45am
Passada de Nans i Gegants
the giants and big-heads leave the square and parade through the old town streets.
Plaça Sant JaumeMaps ↗
1pm
Human towers (Diada Castellera)
in Plaça Sant Jaume, all eight Barcelona teams (1pm to 3pm). The most crowded moment of the day.
Plaça Sant JaumeMaps ↗
5:30pm
Cavalcada de la Mercè
giants, fire beasts, bands and Shanghai's rolling lanterns parade from Plaça Catalunya down Via Laietana to Plaça Sant Jaume (5:30pm to 8:30pm).
Plaça Catalunya → Plaça Sant JaumeRoute ↗
9pm and 10pm
Drone show over the beach
750 drones tell the Barcelona to Shanghai story over Platja de l'Espigó del Gas (Barceloneta), 20 minutes each.
Platja de l'Espigó del GasMaps ↗