This week, 1 of 16
UpcomingFestival
No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids
- When
- Thu Sep 24
- Ages
- All ages (best for 2–12)
- Price
- Free
This week, 1 of 16: No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids
No School Thursday: Your La Mercè Day with Kids
FestivalCiutat Vella
Where
Ciutat Vella, Plaça de Sant Jaume & citywide
Ages
All ages (best for 2–12)
Duration
All day
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.
- All free and walk-in. No tickets for any of it, and the forecast is sunny and warm.
About
Thursday, September 24 is La Mercè day, a city holiday with no school, and the fullest day of the whole festival for families. Barcelona's giants dance in Plaça Sant Jaume in the morning, the city's human tower teams build in the same square at lunchtime, and 40 museums let you walk in for free. In the afternoon a new family park at Glòries fills with circus and building games, the giants parade back through the center as the light goes, and 750 drones draw pictures in the sky over Barceloneta 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 8pm40 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 2:30pmChocolate Museum (Carrer del Comerç 36), free, last entry 2:30pm. A 10-minute walk from Plaça Sant Jaume.
- 10:30am to 8pmAqüeducte 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.
- 10:30amGiants dance in Plaça Sant Jaume (10:30 to 11:45am). Arrive 30 minutes early to get near the front.
- 11am to 7:30pmFamily 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.
Related events from La Mercè Weekend: Seaside Games, Acrobats and a Fire Run for Kids
Where it is
Plaça de Sant Jaume & citywide
Plaça de Sant Jaume, 08002 Barcelona
Nearby playgrounds
Resources
- Free museums during La MercèOur list of every museum open free on Thursday, with closing times and the ones kids love most.
- La Mercè weekend with kidsOur plan for Saturday and Sunday: seaside games, acrobats, the kids' fire run and fireworks from the new beach.
- Street arts program (official)Circus, theater and play spaces by park and day.
- La Mercè appThe city's app, with live changes and a nearby-activity finder.
Common questions
What else is on this weekend
See all events →More family picks, Friday to Sunday.
Performance
Pinocchio Tells His Own Story with Puppets and Shadows
Multiple Dates Sep-Oct · €14 (advance €12.44)
Festival
La Mercè Weekend: Seaside Games, Acrobats and a Fire Run for Kids
Wed-Sun Sep 23-27 · Free
Performance
Cirque du Soleil's Steampunk Circus Under the Big Top
Through Oct 18 · €45+
Festival
Catalan Book Week: Our English-Speaker Picks
Through Sep 27 · Free
Movie
Forgotten Island in English at 4pm
Multiple Dates Sep-Oct · €8-10