When summer starts to pack up and the Mediterranean breeze becomes a little gentler in the city, Barcelona knows it’s time to hit the streets. The La Mercè Festival always has an ace up its sleeve for those transitional days, and this year, the most talked-about mystery of the music lineup finally has a name: the legendary Catalan band Love of Lesbian.
The band led by Santi Balmes will perform on the night of Saturday, September 26, on the massive stage at Bogatell Beach. The confirmation, which puts an end to speculation about the lineup’s surprise slot, marks a deeply emotional milestone for the music scene, as this free concert is part of the year in which the band is retiring from the stage for good.
The mystery is solved with the signing of a contract
The secret behind this highly anticipated performance wasn’t revealed through a major announcement, but rather by digging through the documents of the Public Procurement Platform. According to documents published by the Barcelona Institute of Culture (ICUB), securing this exciting headliner for the city has a stipulated value of 125,000 euros, plus 21% VAT.
On the sands of Bogatell Beach, the band will take the opportunity to perform songs from their latest album, *Ejército de Salvación*, treating Barcelonans to one last memorable night by the sea before their final farewell to the stage.
Schedule for a night of nonstop beach fun
Saturday’s evening is part of what’s been dubbed Estrella Damm’s “Mediterràniament” night, which promises to be one of the most crowded nights of the entire festival, with a nonstop lineup that will keep your feet moving nonstop.
The music will start playing as the sun sets. Here are the confirmed schedules for the Bogatell stage:
- 8:00 p.m.: Al·lèrgiques al Pol·len will warm up the crowd to kick off the evening.
- 9:30 p.m.: The festive beats of La Pegatina will take over to get the beach rocking.
- 11:00 p.m.: The main event and grand finale will kick off with Love of Lesbian.
- 1:30 a.m.: The band Svetlana will bring the night to a spectacular close until the early hours of the morning.
100 free concerts for La Mercè
Beyond the big beach event, from September 23 to 27, Barcelona will become an open-air festival with 109 free concerts spread across 16 stages, from Avenida Maria Cristina to charming spots like the Teatre Grec, the Antiga Fàbrica, and the Jardins del Doctor Pla i Armengol.
The musical lineup will feature big names such as Els Catarres, Maria Jaume, Els Amics de les Arts, Nacho Vegas, Maika Makovski, Miki Núñez, and Sexenni. In addition , this year’s festival is making a strong commitment to local talent with five local productions, including La Barcelona Flamenca, Carola Ortiz’s project, and the collaboration between Vozes and pianist Marco Mezquida. All of this is complemented by the 39 concerts of the BAM Festival, which will feature innovative acts such as Sandra Montfort’s.
To round out the experience, popular culture will take over the streets thanks to the poster designed by illustrator Cinta Vidal. Her work depicts several iconic spots in the city, and anyone who visits at least three of these illustrated locations during the festival will be able to take home a free poster as a souvenir.
