Valencia is preparing to host the XII edition of the Gay Games from 27 June to 4 July 2026, bringing a global celebration of equality, diversity, and inclusion to the Mediterranean city. As the first Spanish host city in the event's history, Valencia will take centre stage internationally while showcasing Spain's ongoing commitment to inclusion, diversity, and cultural exchange. Launching during during Pride Month, the Games will bring together sport and culture in a week-long programme open to participants of all backgrounds, abilities, and identities.

Held every four years, the Gay Games is an international sporting and cultural event built on the principles of participation, inclusion, and personal best. Unlike traditional competitions, there are no qualifying criteria, reinforcing its core ethos that sport and culture should be accessible to everyone.

More Than 30 Sports Across the City

The 2026 edition will feature more than 30 sporting disciplines taking place across venues throughout Valencia, from aquatic sports, athletics and basketball to fencing, volleyball and football. Alongside these, visitors will also have the opportunity to discover regional sporting traditions, including colpbol and pilota valenciana, highlighting the destination’s local identity within an international framework.

A Cultural Programme at the Heart of the Games

Beyond sport, the Gay Games Valencia 2026 will present an extensive cultural agenda designed to celebrate creativity and diversity. Music will play a leading role, with festivals dedicated to bands and choirs, alongside visual and performing arts, theatre, and film. The programme will also include art exhibitions, a photographic marathon, literary events, fashion, and video mapping, as well as a series of commemorative tributes and celebrations throughout the week. This strong cultural dimension ensures the Games extend far beyond competition, creating an inclusive festival atmosphere across the city.

Opening the Games in Spectacular Style

The Games will officially open on 27 June 2026 with a large-scale ceremony at the Ciutat de València Stadium. The event will feature the traditional parade of international delegations and the lighting of the official flame, alongside live performances from a line-up of Spanish artists including Mónica Naranjo, Soraya Arnelas, Suri, Fruela, and Choriza May. The opening ceremony is set to be one of the defining moments of the Games, reflecting Valencia’s reputation for spectacle, creativity, and bold cultural expression.

The Gay Games Village

Throughout the event, the Gay Games Village will act as the heart of the Games — a central hub where participants and visitors can meet, relax, and experience a daily programme of entertainment and activities. Designed to encourage connection and cultural exchange, the Village will host performances, social spaces, and informal gatherings, offering a shared environment for visitors from around the world to come together.

Taking place at the end of June, the Games coincide with international Pride celebrations, further reinforcing Spain’s position as a leading LGBTQIA+ travel destination. Valencia’s blend of historic architecture, modern cultural venues, and Mediterranean coastline provides a distinctive backdrop for the Games, while its accessible layout allows visitors to experience both the event and the wider destination with ease.

For all press enquiries contact Jessica Harvey Taylor on Jessica.harvey@tourspain.es or the Spanish Tourist Office’s PR agency LOTUS on spain@wearelotus.co.uk.

The programs, supported by European Next Generation funds, will introduce renewable energy systems, advanced water-saving technologies, and resource monitoring solutions. In the Canary Islands, €11.2 million will go toward cutting energy use and CO₂ emissions, while Catalonia’s €45 million plan focuses on ecological transition through efficient water management and sustainable upgrades in accommodations. Additionally, Valencia will invest €21 million in projects such as solar panel installations, and Asturias will dedicate €11.2 million to insulation improvements and energy optimisation.

These efforts underline Spain’s commitment to responsible tourism, ensuring its destinations remain competitive while protecting the country’s natural resources for future generations.

Ahead of travelling to Spain and its islands, visitors should check the requirements of the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) which is gradually being implemented across the destination: 

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees  

For all press enquiries contact Jessica Harvey Taylor on Jessica.harvey@tourspain.es or the Spanish Tourist Office’s PR agency LOTUS on spain@wearelotus.co.uk 

From reducing carbon emissions by promoting sustainable transport to protecting local wildlife such as that of Albufera (one of the most important wetlands in Europe), here are five sustainable initiatives currently being implemented in Valencia, with the goal of ensuring the city’s green status beyond 2024 and of reaching its goal of climate neutrality by 2030.

1. Artificial intelligence:

Valencia has been chosen as one of three large European supernodes for the Citcom.ai project, funded by the European Union, to install an artificial intelligence experimentation and testing centre in the city. The aim is to apply artificial intelligence to face urban issues, such as mobility, sustainable transport, and energy efficiency.  

2. Smart recycling 

The city will soon have smart brown containers for the selective collection of organic waste. They will have an electronic closing system that requires the use of a card or app to open them, aiming to reduce the percentage of improper waste that is deposited. 

3. Wave power

The first installation of wave power in Valencia is already under construction in the city’s Marina. Current figures estimate that it will generate about 130,000 kilowatts a year from wave movements, which is equivalent to reducing the annual production of CO2 in the city by 16 tons. 

4. Pedestrianised public spaces

Fewer cars and increased numbers of people opting to walk has a positive environmental impact within cities. To ensure that locals and visitors alike feel safe and confident to walk in the city, so far 150,000 m2 of land has been recovered for pedestrian use due to the pedestrianisation of Plaza de la Reina, Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Plaza de Brujas. As part of the ‘Valencia, City of Plazas’ scheme, the city aims to recover 207,000 m2 of public space, with roads having been reduced to lanes with speed limits and the expansion and revegetation of pedestrian spaces.

5. Renaturation

Since the creation of the Jardín del Turia in 1986, when the Turia riverbed was diverted and a new public garden built, Valencia has continued to expand its green spaces and renaturalise its urban areas. In 2022, 1,687 new trees were planted. Moreover, the city has a remarkable 600 hectares of parks and gardens, resulting in an estimated 90% of the population having access to a green space within 250m. 

Meanwhile, Valencia is home to the Albufera Natural Park, one of the most important wetlands in Europe, and the measures taken by the city to protect this environment have also led to Valencia being designated the first Wetland City in Spain in 2022.

Click here for more information on Valencia as a destination

Valencia was the epicentre of international haute cuisine when the city hosted The World's 50 Best Restaurant awards gala. The event, which took place on 20 June at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, brought together the best chefs in the world to compete against each other and celebrate international gastronomy. 

As part of this gala, Valencia hosted a wide range of unique and unrepeatable gastronomic events, including the 50 Best Signature Sessions - gastronomic experiences with four hands - or educational meetings between important chefs and cookery students.

The event featured Joan Roca, from El Celler de Can Roca; Jeremy Chan, chef and co-founder of Ikoy in London, as well as award winners Elena Reygadas and Pía León. Reygadas, chef of Rosetta Restaurant in Mexico, was recognised in 2022  by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. In turn, Peruvian Pía León, chef at Central & Kjolle, won the award for the best female chef in Latin America and the award for the best female chef in the world in The World's 50 Best, in 2018 and 2021 respectively.

The list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2023 was announced and includes the most prestigious restaurants in the world, resulting from a vote among 1,080 international experts who are part of The World's Best Restaurants Academy. 

Central, in Lima, won first place, with two Spanish restaurants, Barcelona's Disfrutar and Madrid's Diverxo, winning second and third place respectively. 

More information can be found here

The Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia has permanent exhibitions of his work such as "Grupa valenciana" and "Figuras de casacas jugando en un jardín". In addition to these, an immersive display entitled "Sorolla a través de la luz" that will showcase some of his rarely exhibited pieces.

There will also be guided tours of Valencia City to visit the sites associated with the painter, including his birthplace, next to the church of Santa Catalina where he was baptized; the Centro del Carmen, the School of Fine Arts where he studied; the Bancaja Cultural Centre, where there will be temporary exhibitions dedicated to the artist; and Malvarrosa beach, which inspired some of his most famous scenes. 

The Vertical restaurant will also be offering a menu inspired by Soralla’s work.

comunitatvalenciana.com

The Tourism Board of Alicante is partnering with the company PASSPORTERAPP to produce a travel app to provide more in-depth travel information to tourists. 

The app will also include a section called "Alicante Fácil" that will feature content for people with reading comprehension difficulties. This guide has been produced by the APSA association to help make tourism more inclusive. The guides are available in Spanish, Valencian and English.

NAVILENS SYSTEMS DEVELOPED IN ALICANTE TO SUPPORT VISUALLY IMPAIRED TRAVELLERS  

Another development, the Navilens system, produced for use in Alicante, facilitates the mobility of people with reduced or no vision. The system consists of labels with colour codes similar to barcodes or QR codes that are placed around the city. These codes are read by the camera on a mobile phone and information from each tag is read aloud. 

The advantage of this app over other similar options is that these codes can be read from much greater distances. It has already been installed on El Postiguet beach, making it the first smart beach in the country, and it provides written or spoken information in 33 languages. This system has also been incorporated on the Island of Tabarca.  www.alicanteturismo.com 

The designation highlights Valencia for the quality of its Mediterranean design and marks the beginning of a series of cultural events aimed to consolidate this legacy of design focusing on six strategic hubs in which action can be taken via design: health and wellbeing; education; innovation and economy; heritage and identity; equality, inclusion and diversity; and sustainability.

The “unanimous” decision from the WDO was based upon “the precision, rigour and professionalism” of Valencia’s candidature. Xavi Calvo, strategic co-director of the candidacy for Valencia, believes that design will ‘accelerate the processes of social transformation’ and hopes to embrace the opportunity in the fullest. Valencia has provided a plan and itinerary for their proposed projects that includes everything from industrial designs to stunning architecture. It will be in line with the city’s cultural agenda so that the public can be as involved with the works as much as possible.

Every month there will be one of four types of events taking place based upon a new theme: exhibitions, congresses, workshops, and conferences. The content of these events will be centred around pressing topics such as climate change, Mediterranean design, gender equality in design, the history of design, industrial development, design and nature, among others. Projects include DNA Ceramics, the Design Map, two projects entitled Lo por venir and Trampolín for the occupational inclusion of people with disabilities as well as many others that enhance the value of Valencian design heritage.

Las Fallas festival, featured on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, is held to honour San José and takes its name from the huge, cartoonish, papier-mâché models that fill the streets of Valencia during the festival. The festival features firework displays, live music, traditional costumes and elaborate live decorating exhibits, such as the Ofrenda de Flores where flowers are placed on a giant sculpture of the Virgin Mary. However, the highlight of the week is the final night of the festival when the sculptures are ceremoniously set ablaze during Nit de la Cremá. 

According to local legend, the traditions of Las Fallas originated Pre-Christianity from the spring cleaning practices of pre-Christian Iberian carpenters. During winter, they would construct parots, wooden beams with torches which allowed them to continue their work despite having fewer hours of daylight. To mark the transition from winter to spring, the carpenters would pile up the parots and burn them in the streets. The craftsmen started to hold competitions for the biggest bonfire and would place crafted shapes and characters in the centre. These traditions then evolved into artists spending a year hand decorating fantasticallly intricate structures to be burnt during the festival that's celebrated by thousands today! Here's how to celebrate this September:

Wednesday, 1st September 

• 8.00 am - Plantà (set-up) of all the children’s fallas (sculptures).
• 10.30 am - Reading of the ‘people’s verdict’ and proclamation of the Ninot Indultat (the only figure saved from burning) for 2021.
• Midnight - Nit de L'albà (fireworks display) on the fallas (sculptures) around the city.

Thursday, 2nd September

• 5.30 pm - Children’s fallas awards ceremony to pick the best fallas.

Friday, 3rd September

• 9.00 am – Award ceremony to pick the best fallas. The winner will be erected in the City Hall.
• 5.00pm–midnight - Ofrenda (offering) of flowers to Our Lady of the Forsaken.

Saturday, 4th September

• 9.00am–midnight Ofrenda (offering) of flowers to Our Lady of the Forsaken.
• 1.30 am - Nit del Foc (fireworks display) at different locations around the city.

Sunday, 5th September

• 10.00 am - Ofrenda (offering) of flowers by the Falleras Mayores (Queens of las Fallas) of Valencia and their Courts of Honour before the image of the Patriarch at San José Bridge.
• 6.00 pm - High Mass in honour of St Joseph at Valencia Cathedra
• 8.00 pm - 11.00 pm - *Cremà (burning) of the fallas in Ayuntamiento Square.

Every day at 2.00 pm - Mascletà (loud fireworks display) at different locations throughout the city.

The Valencian firm, CarGreen, will expand its fleet of Mercedes Smart Fortwo vehicles to 100 in the coming weeks. The long-term plan is to reach 300 electric vehicles available throughout the Comunitat Valenciana (Region of Valencia).

Booking an electric vehicle is easily done on the CarGreen app, available for iPhone and Android users. Tourists will need to register on the app and the geolocation tool will show available vehicles in the area along with their current battery level. Vehicle hire is priced at 33 cents per minute, and there is a one-off registration fee of €19. The CarGreen app can be downloaded here for iOS users and here for Android users.