News

OWN Valencia 2026: Spain's Biggest Video Game Festival Returns to Feria Valencia 3–5 July

Esports finals with prize pools over €10,000, a 100-hour Movistar LAN Party, K-Pop dance and cosplay contests, VR, sim racing, retro games, and a kids' zone — tickets from €14 a day.

Russafart Returns 5–7 June — And Opens Its Artist Studios and Galleries

The art biennale, running for nearly two decades, invites the public into more than 70 working studios, galleries, and cultural spaces — this year under the banner of resistance to gentrification

Valencia Teachers Set Up Indefinite Protest Camp on Plaza de la Virgen

More than 18 tents went up as the public education strike entered its fourth week. The camp sits on the square where Corpus Christi preparations are due to begin, prompting an urgent meeting between the city council and regional government

Berlin Artist Tatiana Kligman's PUPAE Exhibition Runs in Valencia Until 26 June — Free Entry

A series of works made from building materials, exploring metamorphosis and change. Like chrysalises from which butterflies emerge, the pieces tell a story of transformation. On show at the La Cotorra gallery

Valencia Introduces a New Benefit for Young People Living Alone — Up to €793 a Month

The overhauled Renta Valenciana de Inclusión is now available to those aged 23–30 living independently. Coming into force in late October 2026, it now allows recipients to keep the benefit while working and adds a payment per child

New Week of Metrovalencia Strikes — Five Days of Partial Stoppages in June

The Semaf drivers' union has called rush-hour stoppages on 2, 4, 9, 11, and 16 June, affecting all lines. The first dates coincide with the PAU university entrance exams, when thousands of students depend on the network

Police Officer Knocks Down Retired Teacher at Valencia Protest — Footage Sparks Outrage

The woman suffered a broken nose and needed stitches after being shoved to the ground during a teachers' rally outside the Education Ministry. The government has called the officer's actions "unacceptable" and launched an investigation

Castellón's International Wind Festival Returns with 800 Kites, LED Night Shows, and Balloon Rides

More than 150 activities and 140 pilots from 22 countries descend on the Pinar and Gurugú beaches. Highlights include giant LED-lit kites, a drone show, glow beach tennis, and free hot-air balloon flights

Coca-Cola Tops Spain's Most Popular Brands of 2026 — but El Pozo Leads in Seven Regions

Worldpanel by Numerator's annual ranking keeps the top five unchanged. Coca-Cola reaches 67% of Spanish households, while supermarket own-brands keep growing, now holding 45% of the market

Spain Approves Healthcare Labour Reform Without Doctors' Backing

The first overhaul of the Estatuto Marco in over 20 years caps the working week at 45 hours, but doctors say loopholes preserve 24-hour shifts and 70–90-hour weeks. Over 177,000 medics are striking

Mercadona Extends Summer Hours at 320 Stores in Tourist Areas — Including Sunday Opening

From 22 June to 30 August, selected supermarkets in tourist zones will open from 9 AM to 10 PM and on Sundays. In the Valencian Community, the change affects stores in Cullera, Benidorm, Dénia, Xàbia, and others

Single-Parent Families in Spain Below the EU Average — 7.5% of Households with Children

Eurostat figures released for World Parents' Day show around 372,800 single-parent families in Spain, well below the EU average of 12.9%. Across the EU, 81.6% of such families are headed by a woman

Spain's Food Safety Agency Warns of Aluminium Particles in Chocolate Breakfast Cereal

AESAN has flagged the Gran DIA and Golden Bridge brands of Portuguese-made chocolate cereal after Portuguese authorities detected aluminium particles. The warning applies to all consumers, not just those with allergies

El Corte Inglés Beauty Bus Comes to Valencia 11–14 June — Free Treatments And Consultations

The travelling beauty salon stops at La Marina de Valencia for the first time, with nine brands offering express manicures, hair diagnostics, skin scans, makeovers, and free product trials. No booking required

Sunday Shopping Returns to Valencia from 15 June — Which Shopping Centres Will Open

Shops in tourist-zone malls can open every Sunday and holiday from 15 June to 5 January. Outside these zones, only eleven Sundays a year are permitted in the Valencian Community

Spain Tops Europe's LGBTQ+ Rights Ranking for the First Time in a Decade

ILGA-Europe's 2026 Rainbow Map gives Spain an 89% rating — overtaking Malta, which had held the top spot for 10 years. The organisation praised Spain's "political will" at a time when many governments are backsliding

A Blue Moon Is Visible Across Spain on 31 May — Here's What It Actually Means

The moon won't turn blue — but two full moons in one calendar month is a rare event that only happens every two or three years. The next one isn't until late 2028

Global Obesity Rates Are Levelling Off — and Spain May Be Turning the Corner

A 45-year study of 232 million people across 200 countries finds that in many high-income nations, including Spain, childhood obesity has stabilised and adult rates may be starting to fall

The Guardian Names the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time

George Eliot’s Middlemarch ranked first in The Guardian’s new literary list, which also features classics by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Bulgakov, García Márquez, Joyce, and Virginia Woolf

STI Cases in Europe Hit a Decade High — Gonorrhoea Up 303%, Congenital Syphilis Nearly Doubled

The ECDC's latest report, based on 2024 data, shows gonorrhoea and syphilis at their highest levels in ten years. Congenital syphilis — passed from mother to child — almost doubled in a single year

Shakira and Burna Boy Will Perform the 2026 World Cup Song — Her Fourth

"Dai Dai" drops on 14 May. Shakira announced it in a video shot at the Maracanã, dancing in a Brazil shirt alongside performers in the kits of Colombia, Argentina, and the US.

Adidas Releases Official 2026 World Cup Jerseys — for Dogs and Cats

Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Japan kits, redesigned with stretch panels and printed crests so seams don't rub. €30 a piece, but Europe will have to wait

Bad Bunny Walked the Met Gala 2026 Red Carpet as His 80-Year-Old Self

Wrinkles, age spots, and a custom Zara tuxedo with a bow nodding to a 1947 Charles James gown — the special effects artist created the look behind Heidi Klum's iconic Halloween transformations

The Moroccan City 15km from Spain That Skyscanner Named One of 2026's Best Value Destinations

Nador has wide Spanish-built boulevards, a 115 km² saltwater lagoon, kilometres of beaches, and almost no tourists. Direct flights from Madrid and Barcelona make it an easy escape