La Mercè 2026 will bring 109 concerts to 16 stages in Barcelona

The bill combines familiar names, productions created for the festival and artists who still operate outside the major circuits. Flamenco, jazz, electronic music, folk, copla, psychedelic rock and Latin American sounds will coexist in an edition designed to move from one stage to another and discover unusual offerings.

One of the central projects will be La Barcelona Flamenca, artistically directed by Chicuelo and curated by Luis Troquel. There will also be a special programme by the Vozes orchestra with pianist Marco Mezquida in Nou Barris, as well as performances by Ana Rossi and Joana Queiroz, Carola Ortiz, Pol Batlle and Desacoples.

The announced artists include Nacho Vegas, Luisa Sobral, Maika Makowski, La Paloma, Sabor de Gràcia, Aterciopelados and Azucarillo Kings. They will be joined by projects such as Marina y Su Melao, which will bring Puerto Rican bomba to Barcelona stages.

BAM will have Shanghai as its guest city and will open a window onto its music scene with several groups linked to jazz, traditional music and electronic experimentation. The programme will also include Brama, Sandré, Sandra Monfort, Imarhan, Bia Ferreira, Restinga, Les Testarudes and La Valentina.

Acció Cultura Viva will celebrate its tenth anniversary at Fabra i Coats with a more concentrated format. After receiving more than 500 applications, the series maintains its commitment to local talent, diversity and projects that are difficult to fit into more conventional bills.

Bogatell beach will again host some of the performances with the greatest audience-drawing power. Nit ELS40 will bring together Sexenni, Miki Núñez and Búhos, while La Pegatina, Svetlana and Al·lèrgiques al Pol·len will complete part of a programme that still holds back a headliner.

The edition will have a budget of €183,824 for Mercè Música, €115,784 for BAM and €104,790 for BAM-Acció Cultura Viva. The figure is maintained despite rising costs and makes it necessary to combine large stages with neighbourhood spaces where closeness is part of the concert.

The scene leaves a city connected by music, from Sant Andreu to Nou Barris and the waterfront. For five days, Metro journeys, full squares and improvised stages will mark a Mercè that once again measures its success in the mix of audiences and sounds.