Street Party - Barcelona

It’s the time of year in Barcelona where you can find a clown on every corner and some kind of musician, acrobat or magic show literally everyday. La Mercè, a weeklong celebration commemorating Mare del Deu de la Mercè (Barcelona’s patron saint), is the weeklong street party of 1.6 million Catalonians who call it home and thousands of who come to visit.

The Plaça de Catalunya is one of the nerve centers of the city. The Mercè scene really comes alive in the evening and night, when the nocturnal Spanish festivities are in full swing. Be sure to watch your pockets and purses. The human traffic can be as bad as New York City rush hour but exhibitions are well worth it. Saturday’s shows consisted of Uruguayan cumbia bands, African drum ensembles and acrobatic theatre each taking place in a circle of white tents, each promoting some kind of charitable organization from Amnesty International to Catalonians with muscular dystrophy.

Saturday brought one of the most notable exhibitions of Catalonian culture, the castells, a human castle-building exhibition dating back to the eighteenth century. The feat traditionally happens only a few times a year and is a must-see for the Mercè tourist. It involves a troupe of trained civilians climbing on top each other’s shoulders and heads to form different structures. A set of burly men making up the base and children as young as 5 years old top off the structure which can get as high as nine people.

Stay for a bit longer in the city’s barrio gótico (Gothic Quarter) and you might just get sprayed by firework-spewing devils and dragons during the correfoc (fire dance) where “devils” draped in black and red capes armed with sparkler-spewing pitchforks and firecrackers parade the streets. These demons don’t fear the gawking tourist in their way and spray anything in their path. Long-sleeved shirts and protective glasses are advised. If you fear fire consider watching from a distance.

If your night’s not over yet consider heading to the picturesque Castell de Montjüic, a castle built in 1640 on a looming hill just above the port of Barcelona, one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean. The location, once used to hold prisoners of the Franco era, was the scene of big bands and carnival rides from morning till nearly midnight. If you need a break take in the scenic overlook of the city atop the castle walls.

Sunday’s celebration comes to a close with a bang above Barceloneta beach –literally. Nearly a half-hour’s worth of fireworks shoot off with the back drop of the Mediterranean Sea while tourists and locals gather to watch.

The Mercè celebration ends on Wednesday, when the Spanish observe a city-wide holiday so this party is far from over.