Hanging tomatoes, the Greek and the cathedral: this is the poster for La Mercè 2026

BarcelonaAntoni Falgueras, master vintner, will be the herald of Mercè 2026. This was announced this Wednesday by the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, during the presentation of the first novelties of the city's main festival. Collboni highlighted Falgueras' career as a benchmark figure in wine culture and his roots in Barcelona. The master vintner will be in charge of kicking off a festival that will be reflected in a poster designed by visual artist Cinta Vidal.

Antoni Falgueras (Barcelona, 1948) represents the fourth generation at the helm of Celler de Gelida, the emblematic establishment on Vallespir street founded in 1895. Since then, the family business has specialized in the selection and sale of wines, cavas, and spirits from all over the world. Falgueras received the Medal of Agricultural Merit from France in 2008 and the Alimentos de España award, granted by the Ministry of Agriculture. He is also a founding member of Mestres Cellerers de Catalunya and the Catalan Association of Sommeliers, a member of the Tastavins Sant Humbert Academy and all Catalan brotherhoods, as well as an honorary member of the Confraria del Cava. In addition, he is part of the French brotherhoods Clos de Vougeot, Armagnac, and Champagne, as well as the brotherhood of Northern Catalonia.

During the event, which took place at Palauet Albéniz, the poster for La Mercè 2026 was also presented, which Collboni explained would "also be a mural". The author is the visual artist Cinta Vidal, who has created a work that incorporates emblematic spaces of Barcelona from an innovative perspective to represent a city made of connections and discoveries. Collboni described the mural poster as "a nod to the city" and assured that it is a "representation of the richness of our city", with the ten districts of Barcelona present in the composition.

33 sqm of tributes in the Catalan capital

As the author explains, the work "demands a second look, and a third and a fourth" due to the large number of details hidden in this 33 m² composition. On a first level, where all the action takes place, some of Barcelona's most emblematic buildings are represented, such as the Grec Theatre, the cathedral, the Venetian Towers, or the sculpture Dona i ocell, located in Parc de Joan Miró, next to Plaça d'Espanya.

This urban panorama is complemented by a second layer formed by objects and symbols linked to Catalan culture and Barcelona's main festival. It features running shoes, in reference to the Mercè Race; a cruet and tomatoes, evoking the Terra i Gust fair, held during the festivities in Parc de la Ciutadella; the setting of Plaça de la Catedral, and espadrilles and castellers, as a tribute to the popular culture program.

Visibly moved, Antoni Falgueras stated that being the pregoner for La Mercè is "an unimaginable honor" and he advocated for the role of local businesses, of which Celler de Gelida is a benchmark. "What this business has is that our clients end up being friends," he stated, before defining Barcelona as "a great open-air market" and defending the need to support the neighborhood's commercial fabric. In the same vein, his daughter and sommelier Meritxell Falgueras highlighted the family business's adaptability over the decades and advanced that the pregoner speech will also serve to reflect on "how we have transformed" and on the progressive disappearance of local businesses, one of the key elements of the speech his father will deliver.

Shanghai, the main guest at the festival

The city of Shanghai has been one of the main protagonists of the presentation of the new edition of La Mercè. It will be the first Asian city invited as guest of honor, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the twinning with Barcelona. Beyond institutional recognition, this prominence will translate into an extensive cultural program with the participation of nearly 110 artists from Shanghai. "Mainly circus, dance, drone shows, pyrotechnics, and Chinese dragons that we will see at the Fòrum," detailed Collboni, who remarked that "Chinese culture will shine this Mercè."

The Consul General of China in Barcelona, Meng Yuhong, wanted to thank, in Catalan and Spanish, the trust and invitation from Barcelona City Council. The diplomat highlighted that La Mercè, "guided by a spirit of inclusivity, openness, and innovation," contributes to making Barcelona "an even more vibrant city."

Among the new features of this edition, also noteworthy are the program of festive activities in the ten districts of the city; the premiere of the new Porta de l'Infern, which will become the starting point of the correfoc; an exhibition that will bring together all the posters of La Mercè since 1979, and a show at Parc Güell that will combine music and traditional dances, in collaboration with the Department of Culture, to commemorate the Gaudí Year. All this programming will take place on the usual festival stages, to which new spaces will be added such as Plaça de les Glòries, Plaça de Sarrià, and Plaça de Comas.