The confit artichoke from the Ateneu restaurant wins the first ‘Millor Tapa’ competition, judged by a professional jury. Under the slogan ‘Més Poble que Mai’, the event brought together more than 4,000 people over the weekend. Alaquàs (Valencia), February 2025. This year, under the slogan ‘Més poble que mai’, Alaquàs joined together in an act of brotherhood and enthusiastically celebrated its 8th Festa de la Carxofa, an event that has established itself as an essential date in the gastronomic and cultural calendar of the municipality. As a novelty, the festival had an extra day and started on Thursday, which allowed the programme to be extended and offered even more activities for all audiences. During the weekend, from 7 to 9 February, the town of Horta Sud brought together thousands of people, even exceeding expectations, with more than 5,500 tapas sold and 4,000 attendees.

The event kicked off on Thursday, 6 February, with a high-level gastronomic discussion, in which chefs such as Óscar Torrijos, Chabe Soler and Sebastián Romero, led by the journalist Paco Alonso, reflected on gastronomy as identity and tradition. The programme continued on Friday afternoon with different cultural events: musical performances, magic shows, poetry recitals and the award ceremony of the Passaport Carxofa, which, for yet another year, has promoted local commerce during the days leading up to the Festa, and this year has also been active in the hotel and catering trade.

Saturday was marked by the celebration of the I Concurs D’Arròs amb Carxofa, in which five local associations competed for the award for the best recipe, with the winner being the Falla Avinguda Genovés. During the day, attendees were able to enjoy the craft fair, the traditional torrà de carn and carxofa and the performance of DJ Xema, who put the festive finishing touch to the night. And finally came Sunday, the big day of the Festa, when the Plaza de la Constitución was once again the epicentre of the events.

With a large gourmet area and another dedicated to shops and crafts, the event brought together thousands of people from Alaquàs, surrounding municipalities and Valencia. For the second year running, restaurants – both from Alaquàs and other towns – competed to win the prize for the Millor Tapa, judged by a professional jury, led by Michelin-starred chef Raúl Resino. In the end, the first prize was awarded to the Ateneu restaurant, although the gastronomic experts emphasised the high standard of all the participating dishes, which had to be artichoke-based.

For the eighth year, the Festa de la Carxofa has turned Alaquàs into a reference point for gastronomy, commerce, culture and tradition. The Cant de la Carxofa, a symbol of the municipality’s identity, once again moved people and reminded them that this celebration is, above all, a tribute to the history, culture and deep-rootedness of its people. A milestone for a town that is ‘Més Poble que Mai’.

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’