Manchester will become the first English “guest city” at Barcelona’s famous La Mercè cultural festival next year.
Manchester and Barcelona’s city councils have teamed up to curate the programme for the 2025 festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors into Barcelona each year.
Tthe festival traditionally showcases Catalan culture, outdoor arts and music but will now also feature a programme of Mancunian-born productions, Manchester City Council said.
It follows a recent visit to Barcelona by council leader Bev Craig and deputy leader Garry Bridges, who met Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni.
