This Weekend | Pride Parade, Gay Games & Festival of San Juan
Weekend Edition · Thursday 18 Jue – Sun 21 June · Published Thursday, 18 June 2026
Buen finde! This is a big weekend in Valencia. The Pride Parade marches on Friday evening. San Juan bonfires on the beach next Tuesday and the Gay Games shortly after, the next week is worth planning ahead for.
City Life
This year’s Pride Parade, organised by Lambda, Valencia’s LGBTQ+ rights association, carries a more political charge than usual. Lambda and other groups have accused the city’s PP government of publicly supporting gay rights with the Gay Games while cutting funding for LGBTQ+ programmes. This year’s march is intended as a direct response. If you want to join in, the parade sets off from Pont d’Exposició at 7:30pm on Friday 20 June, arriving at Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
Source: Lambda Valencia — Orgull LGTBIAQ+ 2026
Film & Screen
Cine Jove returns from Friday 19 June through Sunday 27 June, with screenings across the city celebrating youth and independent cinema. This year the festival dedicates a strand to the work of Greta Gerwig — a chance to catch Barbie, Lady Bird, or Little Women on the big screen, many in open-air settings and free or under €5. All screenings are VOSE (original version with Spanish subtitles). Booking recommended; check the website for the full schedule.
Source: Cine Jove 2026
Visual Art & Exhibitions
Brief History of a Passion is now open at the Centre del Carme (CCCC) in El Carmen, running through 27 September. The exhibition brings together more than a hundred works from the private collection of Avelino Marín and Luis Leão — drawings and pieces by David Hockney, Paula Rego, Antonio López, and others. Free entry, no booking required.
IVAM has unveiled a new permanent collection display alongside a rebrand, with the latest exhibition opening access to the museum’s historical archives. No booking needed.
Music & Performance
Zé Bigode Orquestra, a Brazilian afrobeat band, plays Radio City in El Carmen tonight, Thursday 18 June. Tickets required.
The Roves, a British rock band, are paired with local group Tercer Sol at 16 Toneladas in La Saïdia on Friday 19 June for a night of guitar-driven rock. Tickets required.
Superlab — Sediments takes place at Las Naves in El Grao on Friday 19 June, a free outdoor electronic music showcase running 5pm to 11pm. Five DJs perform, including an audiovisual set drawing on Italo Calvino. Free, no booking needed.
Superchunk, the alt-rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, play Loco Club in Arrancapins on Sunday 21 June. An intimate venue for this indie group. Tickets required.
The Serenates Festival opens at La Nau in Ciutat Vella on Saturday 20 June and runs through 2 July — classical and modern chamber music in the open-air cloister of the university’s historic campus. Most events free or €5. No booking required.
The International Alhambra Guitar Competition brings a series of free Spanish guitar concerts to venues across the city — from the Botanical Gardens to CaixaForum — running through 20 July. Free entry until capacity is reached; check the Instagram for the schedule.
Palau de la Música is running two overlapping festivals through the end of June. The Iturbi Piano Festival continues with free concerts — tickets available at the box office two days before each performance. The International Jazz Festival also begins this month, with early-programme acts on stage before the main headliners (Maria Schneider, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, W?odek Pawlik) arrive in July. Booking recommended for the jazz festival.
Theatre & Dance
The Contorsions Circus Arts Festival runs Thursday 18 through Sunday 21 June across multiple city venues. Performances take place in public spaces including Plaza Virgen on Thursday evening and Tinglado No. 2 at the Marina throughout the weekend. Free entry; see Visit Valencia for the full schedule.
Source: Contorsions
Food & Gastronomy
Two food events are running simultaneously this weekend. Viva México opens today at El Saler shopping centre in Quatre Carreres and runs through 28 June, with participating restaurants including local spots and a few from further afield. Expect tacos and margaritas. No booking, pay on the day.
Champions Burger continues at Mestalla Stadium through 29 June — 20 restaurants competing for the title of best burger in Spain, with live music on the pitch. Free to enter, pay for food.
Sources: Viva México · Champions Burger
Community Calendar
The English Theatre VLC stages a live reading of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. by Alice Birch at the Acting in English studio in Ruzafa on Sunday 21 June — the latest in their Wines & Lines series. €10 includes wine and tapas. Book early via Meetup.
Acting in English in Ruzafa also has a few spots remaining in its summer workshops — a storytelling workshop on 21 June and an acting for film & TV masterclass in early July. Booking required via the website.
Jon’s Tours is running a day trip to the Júcar Canyon and Alcalá del Júcar on Saturday 27 June. Small groups of up to eight, departing from Valencia. Booking required.
Sources: Wines & Lines · Acting in English · Jon’s Tours
Coming Up
Pride Parade is this Friday — see above for details. The Gay Games follow from Tuesday 23 June through 4 July, with 6,000 amateur athletes competing at Ciutat de València stadium in Orriols. Tickets available for the opening and closing ceremonies and individual events via the Gay Games website.
Festival of San Juan — Tuesday 23 June on the beaches of Cabanyal, Malvarrosa, and Patacona. Free firewood handed out from 6pm, bonfires lit at sunset and burning late into the night. Roads to the beach will be closed — go by bus, tram, or bike, and arrive early to find your spot. Note: 24 June is a public holiday. More details in our San Juan guide.
Sources: Gay Games Valencia 2026 · Visit Valencia — San Juan
Pont de València Sources | CCCC · IVAM · Palau de la Música · Loco Club · La Rambleta · Cine Jove · Visit Valencia
