Manchester, Guest City: Music, Street Arts, and Bees

You’ve most likely grown up listening to some musician from Manchester (in the image, Festival Square at MIF17. Photo: Tarnish Vision), because it is one of the British cities with the liveliest music scene and has been the cradle of many well-known artists. With an industrial past that dates back to the 18th century, the city is today a powerful artistic and higher education hub that has focused on culture as one of the values that are born in the city and make it shine with its own light.

This commitment to culture and a shared industrial past (Poblenou, which came to be known as “the Catalan Manchester,” began to industrialize in the first third of the 19th century) have led to Manchester being proposed as the guest city for Barcelona’s Festa Major. You’ll see its imprint in the programming—first, in the form of concerts from Música Mercè and the BAM Festival, where you’ll find a sampling of the most current sounds from Manchester’s scene.

So, Música Mercè will feature a concert by Queralt Lahoz with Manchester multi-instrumentalist and producer Werkha; a jazz pop and folk performance by Ríoghnach Connolly & Honeyfeet; the dance music of Porij and the socially engaged songs of Chloe Slater.

Want to discover a sound you don’t know yet? Come to BAM and listen to Children of Zeus, one of the most respected soul and hip-hop duos from Manchester, and Space Afrika, two artists specializing in electronic ambient sounds.

Mercè Arts de Carrer also fills with artists from Manchester. You’ll see performers like the Stopgap Dance Company and Cambodian artist Nadenh Poan, who will fascinate you dancing with a wheelchair (Ro-Tes; there’s also a workshop—great if you use a wheelchair); soundscapes like the Warning Notes installation by Oxford Contemporary Music; or the chance to stroll through a spectacular Fire Garden created for you by Manchester company Walk the Plank (a must!) in collaboration with local artists.

Among the many guests from Manchester, you’ll find a fascinating mix of New Orleans sounds with ‘90s club culture (Mr. Wilson’s Second Liners); the empowerment of Black female bodies by Joseph Tonga in Born to Protest; the unique bee hives by Artizani (Bees! The Colony); the competitive Family Catwalk Extravaganza by Ghetto Fabulous; the choreography Umbra by Company Chameleon, who also present a second show, The Ultimate Players Handbook, with Lisard Tranis and Clémentine Telesford; Damae Dance with Irma; and Motionhouse, who explore our relationship with nature through the languages of circus and dance.

But you cannot go home without seeing one of the emblematic projects of this Mercè with a Mancunian flavor, which unites the tradition of the bestiari de foc (beasts of fire) and the festive imagery of Barcelona with the imagination (and the upcoming big celebration) of Manchester. Because bees—hard-working—are the symbol of Manchester’s industrial and working-class past, which today is proudly claimed in the image that represents the city. For this reason, as part of the joint project between Manchester and Barcelona, local artisans and groups from both Catalan and English popular culture have collaborated in designing and creating two new festive figures: the Geganta Bee and the Bèstia Bee. They will be christened during the festival and will take part in major moments of the traditional Mercè.

Manchester in the streets of Barcelona. A Festa Major with an English accent—or a “Mancunian accent,” or simply “Manc,” as they say themselves. Don’t miss it!

More information at the Mercè 2025 website.