The Story Behind the 2026 La Mercè Poster

This year’s choice is a statement in urbanism.

Every year Barcelona goes through an elaborate process to choose a poster for the La Mercè Festival, the annual end-of-summer event. Along with castellers, drum clubs and wild fire parades, the poster is one of the festival’s endearing traditions, celebrating the work of local artists.

This year’s poster, created by Barcelona muralist and visual artist Cinta Vidal, is entitled, “Barcelona unfolded: a city of perspectives, routes and discoveries.” After controversies over previous posters, it was approved by “virtually unanimous approval from residents,” according to local residents.

In many ways, the result is a salute to Barcelona’s legacy of people-focused urbanism. The poster includes recognizable landmarks such as the cathedral, Plaça del Rei and Parc de la Ciutadella, but they are stacked on top of each other and all are pointing in different directions. People inhabit the abstract spaces. Oversized elements of Barcelona culture are embedded in the scenes, including espadrilles, an oil cruet and a baritone horn.

“Just like Barcelona, the poster cannot be understood from just a single perspective,” the city notes in its description.

The city’s site describes the poster as “an open scene full of possible routes which encourage viewers to participate.” Vidal’s work will live on as a permanent large-scale mural in the Francesc Candel Library.

“I wanted to depict a city that cannot be seen from just a single place but is discovered by walking it, a Barcelona made of diverse connections, encounters and perspectives which is transformed into a huge shared space during La Mercè,” Vidal says.

Barcelona does a great job of chronicling the creation of the poster and mural.

You can find past posters here:

La Mercè is always at the end of September and starts this year on Sept. 23. One less endearing tradition: they never release the final program until days before the festival, apparently in an attempt to limit international tourists. You can find info as it becomes available here.