09/24/2026
BARCELONA & SHANGHAI: CONNECTED BY A RED THREAD
Tonight, Barcelona looked east. As part of La Mercè 2026, 750 drones filled the night sky above the Mediterranean for The Red Thread: From Barcelona to Shanghai, creating an extraordinary sequence of images celebrating the relationship between two of the world’s great international cities. The performance was inspired by the East Asian legend of the red thread of destiny, an invisible thread connecting people and places that are meant to meet.
This year marks 25 years since Barcelona and Shanghai formalised their sister-city relationship in 2001, although official links between the two cities stretch back to 1988. Shanghai is also making history as the first Asian guest city of La Mercè, bringing more than 100 Shanghai artists to Barcelona for performances across the festival.
And what a weekend to experience Barcelona. La Mercè, the city's Festa Major, runs from September 23–27, celebrating Barcelona's patron saint with castellers, giants, music, dance, street theatre, fire and hundreds of events across the city. Tonight, however, the Mediterranean sky belonged to Barcelona and Shanghai: two cities thousands of kilometres apart, connected for a few remarkable minutes by light.
Photographed tonight in Barcelona.
