From blues to Afrobeat, from classical music to rumba: the festival’s 8th edition embraces a diversity of styles. The MUV! Música Urbana València festival has announced the full programme for its 8th edition, which will take place throughout February, with its main events on February 27 and 28. Concerts and activities will be held in various locations throughout the Poblados Marítimos.

The 2026 programme combines local, national, and international artists and explores a wide range of musical styles, from blues, soul, and jazz to Afrobeat, classical music, rumba, electronic music, and contemporary fusions, using the neighbourhood as a stage and meeting point open to the entire city. The concerts and activities will take place in cultural and social spaces such as La Fábrica de Hielo, La Batisfera, Burning House, Stonecastle Brewery, the Sociedad Musical Poblados Marítimos, the Teatre El Musical (TEM), the Centre Cultural Reina 121, and the Centre Cultural Escorxador del Cabanyal, as well as in local businesses throughout the neighborhood.

This mix of styles and formats sets the pace for an edition that begins with intimate offerings and builds towards a weekend of intense and diverse programming on February 27 and 28. The festival will open on February 5 at the Centre Cultural Reina 121 with the inauguration of a group exhibition featuring 24 artists, who offer their interpretation of Celia Cruz’s phrase, “Las penas se van cantando” (Sorrows fade away with song). The event will be accompanied by a concert by Lili del Sol and Aliya Cycon, a performance that connects Arabic and Latin American sounds from a sensitive and contemporary perspective.

Music will take centre stage in local businesses on Saturday, February 14th, with a mini-series of four concerts at various establishments in the neighborhood, in collaboration with SDMA (Open Mic Sessions) and ACIPMAR (Association of Merchants, Industrialists, and Professionals of the Maritime District). The programme will feature prominent artists from recent sessions and will be complemented by urban art interventions from graffiti artists Lamat and Kaos, who will paint the shutters of two businesses in the Maritime District.

The festival’s official opening will take place on February 19th at the Teatre El Musical, with Maria Carbonell Blues Mood, one of the most promising blues and rhythm & blues bands in Spain. On February 21st, MUV! The festival will take place at La Pérgola de la Marina with two acts that have become part of its history: Helen Helen, the Valencia-based rock, country, and punk duo with American roots, will share the stage with Aurora & The Betrayers, a Madrid-based soul and R&B band known for its analog sound, energetic live performances, and the charismatic voice of Aurora García.

The main days of the festival will kick off on Friday, February 27, with simultaneous concerts reflecting its stylistic diversity. Anna Dukke will perform at Burning House with her blend of blues, soul, and roots music. The Martín i Soler Philharmonic Orchestra of Valencia will bring classical music to La Fábrica de Hielo. The Sociedad Musical Poblados Marítimos will host the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, a pioneering group in the fusion of ska and jazz, who will bring their energetic and danceable live show from New York. After their concert, the night will continue with a Baodub (Dub to Jungle Set) session. Meanwhile, Valencian musician and composer Andrés Belmonte will present his fusion project between Valencian music and Arab and Mediterranean traditions at the Teatre El Musical, featuring composer and multi-instrumentalist Efrén López and Palestinian musician and percussionist Omran Adrah.

Saturday, February 28, will combine daytime and evening programming, expanding the range of offerings. The Escorxador Cultural Center will host the illustration fair “A dos pasos,” accompanied in the morning by the groove and gypsy jazz of the trio LUQ, while the Reina 121 Cultural Center will host a musical composition workshop based on the body as an instrument. The Ice Factory will host the Raízes children’s batucada project, while the Poblados Marítimos Musical Society will bring together the Big Band Session of the Sedajazz school, a Valencian musical collective founded in 1991 and a leading name in Spanish jazz, with the participation of the Barret Jazz Big Band, Kaos Big Band, and the UPV Jazz Ensemble.

In the afternoon and evening, the musical journey continues at La Batisfera, Stonecastle Brewery, Burning House, and the Sociedad Musical Poblados Marítimos, with performances in various styles: Umpah!, a fusion quartet blending Indian classical music, jazz, and funk; Le Grand Miércoles, with its fusion of surf, western, and Jamaican roots; La Fiesta de la Rumba, a Valencian collective project designed for dancing and celebration; Looping Greis, a solo show combining electronic music, vocals, beatboxing, and body percussion; and Migue De La Rosa and Yaíma Orozco, with the participation of Jonás Estefen, who will create a dialogue between Cuban song, bolero, son, and jazz.

There will also be projects paying tribute to artists of the past, such as the Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute by the trio Triple Trouble, one of the leading musicians on the city’s rock and blues scene, and Blackbird Trio, with covers and reinterpretations of R&B, neo-soul, and fusion. The festival will close with a performance by Ogún Afrobeat, an eight-piece band and a leading name in Spanish Afrobeat, who will perform at the Sociedad Musical Poblados Marítimos.

The festival is made possible through the collaboration of cultural entities of the Valencia City Council, neighborhood associations, and local businesses, as well as the support of Caixa Popular, ACIPMAR, and the Valencian brands Tyris Beer and La Fantástica Soda. With this eighth edition, MUV! reinforces its model as a festival rooted in the Poblados Marítimos district and open to the entire city, inviting the public to discover, throughout February, a diverse program that transforms the neighbourhood into a musical meeting point without labels.

 Report by Will McCarthy

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

More info and link to tickets: https://www.muvfest.com/