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The Festival of La Mercè is the main festival of the city of Barcelona. It has been celebrated for more than a century and holds the name of the Barcelona district's saint guardian – Mare de Deu de la Mercè or Virgin of Grace. The festival includes is a mix of different traditions and is an official city holiday, taking place at the end of September. It marks the end of the summer and the beginning of autumn, so it is the perfect ending of the hot days. The festival has a few spotlights that need to be mentioned. One of them is the Castellers – the human towers that emerge in different places in Barcelona, in particular in Placa de Jaume 1. They have different size, some including more than 20 people, with their peak often taken by a child. Another tradition in the festival is the Giants – or the Gigantes, statues carried by people who “wear them” and dance on percussion orchestra rhythms. The fire-breathing dragons – or Correfocs, who are accompanied by large bangs and fireworks at nightfall, are another traditional sight. The usual place to see this is via Laietana on the way to Barceloneta. Just make sure you don't wear clothes that can easily be ruined by the many sparks of that come at you. Anyway there are similar events also for children, that are less dangerous. Finally, a recent tradition is the wine and cava (the famous Catalan sparkling wine) fairs held in different locations and the fountain-fireworks show on the base of Montjuic. The celebration itself is full of all kind of other events – sport, music, cinema, outdoor markets, dances, parades, etc. It is all around the city and especially in the centre where most streets are occupied day and night. Hence, if you are moving around with a car – be aware that the centre is virtually inaccessible, but the surrounding neighbourhoods may not be pleasant ride as well. This is mainly because of the fact that the festival is so huge due to the networking and support between the districts of Barcelona. Thus, truly, all Barca neighbourhoods are engaged and host some sort of events. It is, after all, Barcelona's main city celebration. If you happen to be in Barcelona at the end of September and want to rent the best transport to explore the annual Festival de la Mercè, or you want to offer a discount or an interesting event during the days of the festival, go to hereBarcelona.
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