You may have seen a big lit up sign reading ‘Gran Fira de Valencia’ when walking through Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The great festival of Valencia takes place during the month of July and has taken place every year since 1871. In classic Spanish style, finding new ways to celebrate almost every occasion, Gran Fira de Valencia symbolises the beginning of the summer season, a season where its citizens come together and also embrace travellers from abroad.
After a hundred and fifty years, the festival has gradually grown larger and more diverse in its offer of events. There are four main themes shaping the festival on the weekends – Nit a la Mar, next to the sea; the Gran Nit, in the historical centre; Nit de la Punxa, taking place just before the Battle of the Flowers, and the Folk Nights which connect its audience to traditional music.
The Battle of the Flowers, ‘Batalla de Flors’, is one of the main feats of the line-up. The parade, as you’d rightly expect, incorporates flowers in a parade around Valencia that concludes the festival. The Alameda is filled with colour and festivity, incorporating the exotic and the mythical. According to Gran Fira de Valencia’s official website, ‘the ‘crews’ on the floats include the falleres of València, the regina (Queen) of the Jocs Florals, the representatives of the Federation of Regional Associations, the Queen of Poetry, the falleres majors of other falles groups, as well as the candidates to falleres majors, Maids of Honour and the Court, and other festa and civic groups’. So, you can expect an abundance of floats and figures on show.
Jardins del Palau and Concerts de Vivers act as the festival’s two traditional venues. The cooperation between the venues with the festival enable the vast variety of performances that take place. Musical acts to look out for include the Crystal Fighters this coming Friday 22nd, concluding with Simple Minds and Venturi on Sunday 24th.
To make your lives a little bit easier, 24/7 Valencia has composed a list of all of the events available over the next few days (of which there are many). For more information on the following week, please visit the full schedule here: https://granfiravalencia.com/en/what-to-do-in-valencia-july-summer#dia=20220718&programa=programa
Programme
Monday 18th
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament, Cabanyal beach
21.00 – Truc and Parcheesi Championship of the Junta Central Fallera, Jardins del Palau
22.00 – Sample of Valencian dances and songs with Escola de Tabal and Dolcaina Russafa-fa, Grup de Danses de la Societat Musical d’Alboraia and Amaltea Quadre de Balls, Jardins del Palau
Tuesday 19th
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
19.00 – Duo Brillantina, The Great Ball of the Fair, Jardins del Palau
21.30 – Rigoberta Bandini, Vivers Gardens
22.00 – Aretha y los Franklin, Jardins del Palau
Wednesday 20th
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
20.00 – Nino Costrini
21.30 – Rigoberta Bandini, Vivers Gardens
22.00 – Truc and Parcheesi Final of the Championship of the Junta Cental Fallera, Jardins del Palau
Thursday 21st
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
11.30 – Butoni Fest screenings, Valencia International Culture Festival, MuVIM Assembly Hall
20.00 – Las Nocturnas de Verano, Planetary live sessions with music, L’Hemisferic
Correfira in Nou Moles
20.00 – Plastic-Tic-Tic. El Triangulista, Pl. Roma
22.00 – Pepa Cases and Maria Zamora, Pl. Roma
22.00 – La comedia de la vida. Theater, Jardins del Palau
22.00 – Vanessa Martin, Vivers Gardens
Friday 22nd
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
11.30 – Butoni Fest screenings, MuVIM Assembly Hall
Correfira in La Creu del Grau
20.00 – Patricia Ferroro (magician), Gas Lebon: c/ Vincent Beltran Grimal
22.00 – The fifth Beatle (Jesus F. Manzano and The Blisters), Gas Lebon: c/ Vincent Beltran Grimal
21.00 to 01.00 – Carribean night opening, Cabanyal Beach
22.00 – VIPA Festival, Centre del Carme
22.00 – Falleras preelections (El Pla del Real – Benimaclet), Jardins del Palau
22.00 – Crystal Fighters, Vivers Gardens
Saturday 23rd
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
11.00 – Sociedades agricolas y ganaderas de la prehistoria y la edad de los metals, Prehistory Museum
11.30 – Butoni Fest screenings, MuVIM Assembly Hall
18.00 – Zanele Muholi Exhibition, IVAM
18.00 – CCCContest (storyteller), Centre del Carme
18.00 – Dance group Alimara (Llavors de la Terra Cycle), Centre Cultural La Beneficencia, Alfons el Magnanim Room
18.30 – Guided visit to the exhibition ’25 Years of Peace? The image clean-up of Francoism in 1964’, MuVUM Alfons Roig Room
20.00 – Las Nocturnas de Verano (Planetary live sessions with music), L’Hemisferic
20.30 – Recordem cantant I la magia per davant (Carlos Chova), Anfiteatro Parc Lineal
21.15 – Los Planetas, Vivers Gardens
22.00 – Monolegs in Love (stand-up comedy), Anfiteatro Parc Lineal
22.00 – VIPA Festival, Centre del Carme
For La Gran Vit and El Carmen’s full schedule, please see here for further information: https://granfiravalencia.com/en/what-to-do-in-valencia-july-summer#dia=20220718&programa=programa
Sunday 24th
25 International City of Valencia Footvolley tournament
11.00 – ‘Sociedades agricolas y ganaderas de la prehistoria y la edad de los metales’, Prehistory Museum
11.30 – Obriguen pas als aneguets, Centre Cultural la Beneficencia
11.30 to 12.45 – Guided visit for ‘Discover L’ETNO’, Museo d’Etnologia
12.00 – Visit to the exhibition ‘Pinazo in public space’, IVAM
12.00 – CCCContest (storyteller), Centre del Carme
12.00 – Guided visit to the exhibition ’25 Years of Peace? The image clean-up of Francoism in 1964’, MuVUM Alfons Roig Room
12.30 – Workshop in family, ‘The hidden city’, L’ETNO
20.30 – Simple Minds and Venturi, Viveros Gardens
22.00 – Falleras preelections, Jardins del Palau
Report by Anusha Vasudeva
Photo copyright Anusha Vasudeva / ’24/7 Valencia’
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