La Mercè 2026: Complete Guide to Concerts, Events, and Free Activities in Barcelona
- Barcelona's upcoming La Mercè festival will feature major performances and open-door cultural events from the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC), the Banda Municipal de...
- Both resident ensembles of L’Auditori are scheduled to perform at the plaça Major de Nou Barris during the festival week, as reported by outlets such as Doce Notas...
- The Banda's program also includes Ricard Viladesau’s sardana Cel amunt in a new arrangement for band, alongside scores by Ricardo Dorado, Josep Vicent Egea, Manuel Oltra, and Pep...
Barcelona’s upcoming La Mercè festival will feature major performances and open-door cultural events from the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC), the Banda Municipal de Barcelona, and the Museu de la Música, according to regional reporting. The annual city celebration anchors its musical programming around these prominent local institutions, bringing orchestral and traditional works to public spaces across the Catalan capital.
Banda Municipal and OBC Concerts in Nou Barris
Both resident ensembles of L’Auditori are scheduled to perform at the plaça Major de Nou Barris during the festival week, as reported by outlets such as Doce Notas and El Periódico. The Banda Municipal de Barcelona takes the stage on September 23, 2025, under the direction of conductor José R. Pascual-Vilaplana. According to coverage from auditori.cat, the program commemorates major anniversaries of notable Catalan composers, featuring historical arrangements from the ensemble’s archive such as Eduard Toldrà’s lyric impression La maledicció del Comte Arnau and Enric Morera’s sardana A la plaça.
The Banda’s program also includes Ricard Viladesau’s sardana Cel amunt in a new arrangement for band, alongside scores by Ricardo Dorado, Josep Vicent Egea, Manuel Oltra, and Pep Ventura, as noted by segundamanomusica.com. The performance concludes with the official festival anthem, featuring vocals by composer and singer Gemma Humet. Following tradition, the Banda will also provide musical accompaniment for the authorities’ procession from the Església de la Mercè to Plaça Sant Jaume, where they will perform the Ball de Gegants and Ball de l’Àliga.
The Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC) takes over the Nou Barris venue on September 27, 2025. According to auditori.cat, conductor Diego Martin-Etxebarria will lead a symphonic program featuring Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Español, Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, and Modest Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain. The concert opens with Temps de matinada, composed in 1948 by Leonora Milà when she was six years old, as detailed by segundamanomusica.com.
Museu de la Música Open Doors and Exhibitions
The Museu de la Música joins the festivities by offering free open-door days on September 24 and September 27, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, according to segundamanomusica.com. Visitors can explore the instrument collections alongside special interactive activities connected to temporary exhibitions. These displays include Ara canto per a mi and Cathy Berberian’s Stripsody, with guided commentary offered by Arnau Horta, as noted in source reports.
Additional events surrounding the festival include a free preview performance by the Banda Municipal on September 11, 2025, at the Casino de l’Aliança de Poblenou for the neighborhood’s Festa Major, according to auditori.cat. Weather forecasts for the week are monitored by Meteocat, while city guides published by El Confidencial and Viajes National Geographic outline the broader schedules for popular culture, concerts, and open-door heritage buildings across Barcelona.