Free eclipse glasses: 2 million to grab before Aug 12

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• The Spanish government and ONCE are giving away two million certified glasses so people can safely watch the total solar eclipse on 12 August 2026.
• Spain's prime minister has warned of difficult hours ahead against wildfires that have forced roughly 75,000 people from their homes in the Madrid and Valencia regions.
• Valencia city council has cut the traffic speed limit on part of the Malva-rosa seafront after residents complained.
• A pilot scheme will track water quality in real time at Port Saplaya and Meliana, north of Valencia.
• Sagunt a Escena stages The Threepenny Opera this weekend with Coque Malla, part of a festival running until 23 August 2026.

Today's essentials

Free eclipse glasses: 2 million to grab before Aug 12. You can pick up certified eclipse glasses for free right now in Valencia, because the Spanish state and the Grupo Social ONCE are distributing two million pairs before the total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026, while stocks last.

The giveaway is genuine and costs nothing. According to El Economista, citing the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the state and the Grupo Social ONCE are handing out two million certified glasses nationwide: 1.7 million through ONCE and 300,000 through the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT). Every pair must meet the ISO 12312-2 standard, Valencia Extra notes, the only certification that makes it safe to look directly at the Sun.

The simplest way to get a pair in the city is through any ONCE vendor. El Economista reports that ONCE kiosks and street sellers have been giving them away free since the week of 3 August 2026, until stocks run out; the nearest seller (there are 35,000 across Spain) is listed in the free 'Mi Vendedor ONCE' app, so you can find one on your street rather than crossing town.

For the FECYT batch, elperiodic.com lists seven venues across the Comunitat Valenciana, three of them in Valencia city: the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, the Jardí Botànic de la Universitat de València and the Museo de Ciencias Naturales, all with limited stock. If you want to chase full totality, Big History in Aras de los Olmos, inland in Valencia province, sits in the northern zone where the eclipse is complete.

Timing and coverage both matter. Aggregated astronomical data cited by visitvalencia.com and meteovigo.es put the start around 19:38 and the peak near 20:29 CEST on 12 August 2026, with the Sun only 4 degrees above the horizon and totality lasting about a minute where it is visible. How much of the Sun vanishes splits the province: esdiario.com places full totality in Castellón and the northern half of Valencia province, against roughly 99 percent in the southern half (a level similar to Alicante). The sources even disagree on the city itself, since visitvalencia.com headlines a total eclipse in València while esdiario.com puts the city closer to the 99 percent zone.

What this means for you: collect your free glasses now rather than on the day, because both the ONCE and FECYT batches last only until stocks run out, and never look at the Sun without a certified ISO 12312-2 pair. To be sure of a full blackout, head north toward Castellón or inland Valencia; from the city, a low and unobstructed horizon to the west matters, since the Sun sits just 4 degrees up at the peak. Follow-up to watch on 12 August 2026, according to El Economista and elperiodic.com: cloud cover and crowds at the main viewing spots.

Weather today

Today's weather in Valencia. Open-Meteo forecasts an overcast but dry day in Valencia city on Thursday 6 August 2026, with lows near 26 degrees, highs around 31 degrees, almost no rain (3 percent) and light winds up to 15 km/h.

Inland around Utiel the sky stays grey too, from 22 to 32 degrees, but with a 40 percent chance of a shower and gusts up to 19 km/h, so pack a light layer if you head into the interior. On the southern coast at Tavernes de la Valldigna, Open-Meteo expects 25 to 31 degrees, no rain at all and a sea breeze up to 17 km/h: a comfortable beach day, with early morning the calmest window before the humidity builds.

Transport & traffic

• Slower traffic on the Malva-rosa. Valencia city council has lowered the traffic speed limit on a stretch of the Malva-rosa seafront after repeated complaints from residents, according to Valencia Plaza. For anyone driving or cycling along the beachfront this summer, the change simply means easing off through that section. The measure follows neighbourhood pressure over noise and safety, Valencia Plaza reports, and fits a wider push for calmer traffic near Valencia's busiest beach in the middle of August.
• Metro worker among 34 tried in France. France will put 34 users of a Telegram channel on trial for spreading hate messages against women, and the accused range from a nurse to a prison officer and a metro driver, according to A Punt citing Le Figaro. The profiles are strikingly varied, A Punt notes, which is part of why the case has drawn attention beyond France. For Valencia's public-transport users the connection is only incidental, but it is a reminder that online hate groups can cut across otherwise ordinary jobs.

What's changing for you

• A factory aiming at 6,000 homes a year. Two Valencian firms, Casas inHAUS and Cecotec, are backing a gigafactory able to build up to 6,000 industrialized homes a year to ease the housing crisis, elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana reports. For anyone house-hunting around Valencia, this is a medium-term signal rather than something you can act on today. Factory-built homes promise faster and cheaper construction, and local players such as CMA Machine Tools in Alzira are developing the automation behind them, so it is worth keeping on your radar if you are weighing whether to buy or keep renting.
• Live water-quality checks at Port Saplaya. A pilot project will monitor water quality in real time at Port Saplaya and Meliana, just north of Valencia, according to Valencia Plaza. If you swim or keep a boat around Port Saplaya, real-time monitoring should mean quicker warnings when water quality dips, instead of waiting for periodic lab results. It is only a trial for now, so treat it as an extra safety net rather than an official all-clear before you get in the water.

Local news to know

• Spain braces for 'difficult hours' on wildfires. Spain's prime minister has warned of difficult hours ahead as wildfires spread, after around 75,000 people were evacuated across the Madrid and Valencia regions, according to franceinfo.
• Paterna sets a self-employment benchmark. Paterna has strengthened its standing as a national reference for self-employment after the number of registered autónomos (self-employed workers) rose by 2.72 percent, according to Levante-EMV.
• La Malva-rosa becomes an official eclipse spot. Valencia city council has designated La Malva-rosa beach as an official viewing point for the 12 August 2026 eclipse, with more than 200 security staff, and advises checking first whether you can see it from your own balcony, Valencia Extra reports.
• Morant's campaign launches with music and influencers. The Valencian Socialists (PSPV) are staging a convention with music and influencers to launch Diana Morant's campaign, with guests including former Madrid mayor Manuela Carmena, Cristina Almeida and Gloria Marcos, according to elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana.

Tonight and tomorrow, Valencia

• Threepenny Opera at Sagunt a Escena. Sagunt a Escena brings back 'La ópera de los tres centavos' (The Threepenny Opera) this weekend with Coque Malla in the lead role, A Punt reports. The festival, now past its fortieth edition, opened on 1 August and runs through 23 August 2026 in Sagunt, with theatre, dance, music and circus filling the bill.
• Sant Agustí festivities in Bocairent. Bocairent is holding its Sant Agustí 2026 festivities with danses, a parade (cabalgata), correfocs, fireworks and dozens of activities, according to Valencia Bonita. Beyond the program itself, the inland town of Bocairent is worth the trip for one of the prettiest historic centres in the Comunitat Valenciana.
• This weekend's plans, 7 to 9 August. Valencia Bonita has published its guide to what to do across the Comunitat Valenciana this weekend, from 7 to 9 August 2026, from themed markets to summer events.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow