This weekend, Barcelona is buzzing with public and free proposals! And it is that we are in full celebration of our Major Festival: La Mercè 2026. Open-air concerts, circus shows, the return of La Fura dels Baus, acrobats from Shanghai or gastronomic proposals will be part of the streets, squares and parks of this weekend in the city.
But, apart from the festival activities, theaters, shopping centers and art galleries also offer very interesting proposals to fill our agenda and not stop at home.
La Mercè 2026 Festivities
From September 23 to 27 in various spaces of the city
This week is Barcelona's week because La Mercè arrives. There will be five intense days of popular celebration, culture and open-air music. The musical program offers more than 100 free concerts spread across 14 stages throughout the city: from the Teatre Grec to Bogatell beach. Local artists and from more than 20 different countries will set the rhythm for Barcelona nights with artists such as Love of Lesbian, La Pegatina, Els Catarres, Buhos or Enol.
But Mercè Arts de Carrer (MAC) transforms the city into a great stage for performing arts. The MAC will occupy seven spaces and, this year, adds a new space: the Parc de les Glòries. In addition, the Plaça de la Natura of Park Güell will bring together more than 50 artists in Decostumari, a traditional music and dance show that pays homage to Antoni Gaudí. The major festival is completed with Catalan traditions such as the correfoc, casteller days and an open day at more than 50 museums and cultural facilities in the capital.
Aida at the Gran Teatre del Liceu
All weekend
The Liceu hosts Aida, the classic by Giuseppe Verdi in a co-production originated at the Salzburg Festival. The proposal features the stage direction of Iranian artist Shirin Neshat, who opts for a show that shies away from grandiloquence to delve into a universe of great symbolic and poetic force. The work transforms the secret love story between the enslaved Ethiopian princess and the Egyptian captain Radamés into a version that speaks about contemporary tensions.
Doing 'La bella Helena' at the Teatre Lliure de Gràcia
All weekend
Miquel Mas Fiol writes and directs this comedy at the Lliure de Gràcia that reflects on the value of collective work and cultural resistance in a world dominated by the immediacy and individualism of social networks. The show features a young cast made up of Sergi Boqué, Jordi Cornudella, Gerard Franch, Carme Milán and Lluís Oliver, and follows the adventures of a theater company that takes on the challenge of bringing back to the stage La bella Helena, the historic production that the Teatre Lliure itself premiered in 1979.
The Catalan Book Week
All weekend long at Passeig Lluís Companys
Passeig Lluís Companys is the showcase for Catalan literature with the celebration of the 44th edition of The Catalan Book Week. The event brings together dozens of publishers, bookstores, authors, and readers in a great celebration of letters that combines the sale of new releases with an agenda of activities. The program for this weekend includes conversations and signings with renowned writers such as Albert Om, Regina Rodríguez-Sirvent, or Empar Moliner, as well as the presence of prominent international voices such as Adania Shibli.
Jurassic Days at Arenas de Barcelona
All weekend long
The Arenas shopping center offers us a journey back in time to prehistory with the return of Jurassic Days, a free and perfect proposal to enjoy with the whole family and the little ones. The activity allows you to get up close with some of the best-known dinosaurs of the prehistoric era through different entries organized every afternoon at 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 8:00 p.m.; on Saturday, September 26, there is an extraordinary morning entry at 1:00 p.m.
Terra i Gust, the Sustainable Food Festival
From September 25 to 27 at Ciutadella Park
Within the framework of La Mercè, the Passeig dels Til·lers hosts a new edition of Terra i Gust. This fair brings the pleasure of good food through culinary proposals from local establishments made exclusively with organic and seasonal products. The restaurant area allows you to taste a wide variety of high-quality small dishes at an accessible price of €5 and local drinks for €2.50. Beyond food, the event features an agenda of activities for all audiences, including culinary demonstrations, exhibitions, family workshops, and informative talks.
Barcelona Hotel Bar Week 2026
All weekend long in 30 hotels in the city
The second edition of the Barcelona Hotel Bar Week returns for La Mercè. Throughout the weekend, 30 hotel establishments offer the perfect excuse to cross their lobby and enjoy a special program full of gastronomic proposals, parties, the presence of international bartenders, and cocktails created exclusively for the occasion. The agenda includes experiences such as the BHBW Hub & Garden Party, which fills the Mimosa garden of the Mandarin Oriental Barcelona with tastings, DJ sessions, and seminars dedicated to mixology.
El pesimismo alegre (Mi suicidio) at Sala Beckett
All weekend
The Sala Beckett welcomes actor and director Mario Gas to step into the shoes of the Belgian anarchist educator and mathematician Henri Roorda (1870-1925) in a monologue adapted and directed by Fernando Bernués (Tanttaka Teatroa). The proposal is based on the text the author wrote on the eve of his own death and avoids any tragic or mournful tone to offer a defense of the beauty of existence. Roorda's libertarian thought and intellectual sharpness merge with humor, pleasure, love, work, and the value of the small things of everyday life.
Dalí Boulevard Cibernètic at Centre d'Art Amatller
All weekend
The Centre d'Art Amatller hosts Dalí Cibernètic, an immersive journey of 1,200 m² that presents the figure of Salvador Dalí from his most complete facet as a painter, scientist, designer, and visionary. The exhibition shows the Empordà genius's fascination with science, physics, and technology through state-of-the-art audiovisual projects and an interactive metaverse in virtual reality. The proposal takes on a symbolic meaning on Passeig de Gràcia, the avenue where Dalí held his first individual exhibition exactly a century ago, at the Galeria Dalmau in November 1925.
Fitness Festival on Av. de la Reina Maria Cristina
Thursday, September 24 at 10:00 h
Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina will be the main stage for the 13th edition of the Fitness Festival, a morning outdoor event dedicated to sport, health, and accessible fun for all citizens. The event, completely free, begins with 30 minutes of warm-up, followed by a great 45-minute guided fitness class of gentle intensity. The event is part of the Barcelona Esport Inclou program and, this year, the technical team has adapted all choreographies so that people with reduced mobility or functional diversity can follow the activity without barriers.
Mamma Mia! The Musical at Teatre Tívoli
From September 26 to December 20
The Teatre Tívoli hosts this weekend one of the most anticipated premieres of the season: Mamma Mia! The Musical. After triumphing in Madrid before more than 800,000 spectators, the new production by ATG Entertainment lands in Barcelona endorsed by the Award for Best Choreography at the Premios Teatro Musical. The show pays homage to the great hits of ABBA to present a comedy set on a Greek island. More than 65 million people worldwide have already enjoyed this theatrical phenomenon that returns to the Barcelona billboard.
San Miguel Biergarten at Poble Espanyol
All weekend
Barcelona gets ahead of Oktoberfest with the San Miguel Biergarten, an event at Poble Espanyol that will transform into a beer festival. An event that invites you to enjoy varieties of beer and a gastronomic offer featuring the most typical products of Germany, from pork knuckles to frankfurters and artisan pretzels. It also features a wide variety of activities for all audiences, with tasting workshops led by experts, live musical performances, and the popular frankfurter eating contests.
NUDO, Festival of Untied Poetry
From September 26 to October 4 in various spaces
A new edition of NUDO, the annual poetic gathering that celebrates the links between beings, things, ideas, and forms, arrives. The festival is born from the idea of an art that is not content and wants more: more emotion, more presence, and more community. This essential impulse translates into a program that extends through different cultural spaces in the city, such as C.C. Pati Llimona, CASA CUPRA Raval, C.C. Convent de Sant Agustí, Casa Amèrica Catalunya, BCN School of Creativity, Bar Trampolí, and espai RAI.
Piromusical de La Mercè 2026
Sunday, September 27 at 10:00 PM on Nova Icària Beach
The closing of the Festa Major arrives with the Piromusical de La Mercè, the traditional show of light, color, and gunpowder that this year will have a historic change of location: Nova Icària Beach. The soundtrack for this edition has been exclusively designed by Josep Montero, singer and leader of the renowned group Oques Grasses, who has prepared a musical journey designed to move and make thousands of Barcelona residents dance.
Add The New Barcelona Post as your preferred Google source for free
Stay informed with the latest news.
