diff --git a/repos/spack_repo/builtin/packages/mercury/package.py b/repos/spack_repo/builtin/packages/mercury/package.py
index fe0e2aad47a..29fb0db8b60 100644
--- a/repos/spack_repo/builtin/packages/mercury/package.py
+++ b/repos/spack_repo/builtin/packages/mercury/package.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ class Mercury(CMakePackage):
     variant(
         "hwloc", default=False, when="@2.2.0:", description="Use hwloc to retrieve NIC information"
     )
+    variant("perf", default=True, when="@2.3.0:", description="Build performance tests")
 
     depends_on("c", type="build")  # generated
     depends_on("cxx", type="build")  # generated
@@ -90,10 +91,12 @@ def cmake_args(self):
         spec = self.spec
         define = self.define
         define_from_variant = self.define_from_variant
+        build_tests = self.run_tests or self.spec.satisfies("@2.3.0:+perf")
         parallel_tests = "+mpi" in spec and self.run_tests
 
         cmake_args = [
             define_from_variant("BUILD_SHARED_LIBS", "shared"),
+            define("BUILD_TESTING", build_tests),
             define("MERCURY_USE_BOOST_PP", True),
             define_from_variant("MERCURY_USE_CHECKSUMS", "checksum"),
             define("MERCURY_USE_SYSTEM_MCHECKSUM", False),
@@ -105,6 +108,7 @@ def cmake_args(self):
 
         if "@2.3.0:" in spec:
             cmake_args.append(define("BUILD_TESTING_UNIT", self.run_tests))
+            cmake_args.append(define_from_variant("BUILD_TESTING_PERF", "perf"))
 
         if "@2.2.0:" in spec:
             cmake_args.extend(