Xàtiva's August Fair: 100+ events and a daily 2pm mascletà

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• The historic Fira d'Agost in Xàtiva packs more than 100 events into 14 to 20 August 2026, from a daily 2pm mascletà to headline concerts.
• Spain's wildfires have forced the evacuation of roughly 75,000 people across the Madrid and Valencia regions, according to franceinfo, with blazes in Tírig and Soneja still active in Castellón.
• Several villages in Valencia and Castellón can be reached by train or bus for the total solar eclipse on 12 August, so no car is needed, reports Valencia Secreta.
• The Generalitat Valenciana has now committed more than 550,000 euros to repair lifts damaged by the DANA floods, according to Hortanoticias.
• The Centre del Carme in Valencia offers a full free programme all August, with exhibitions, workshops and open-air summer cinema, per Valencia Bonita.

Today's essentials

Xàtiva's August Fair: 100+ events and a daily 2pm mascletà. Xàtiva's Fira d'Agost runs from 14 to 20 August 2026 with more than 100 cultural events, a mascletà every day at 2pm and headline concerts, all a short train ride south of Valencia city.

This year's edition packs over 100 acts across six permanent stages, plus a brand new one on Plaza Sant Jaume for 17 and 18 August, according to Valencia Bonita. The fair is no passing summer event: it dates back to a royal privilege granted by King Jaume I in 1250, which makes it the oldest fair in the Valencian Community and, per the official Comunitat Valenciana tourism portal, its 776th edition. It also carries the label of Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional.

The free anchor of the week is the daily mascletà at 2pm in the Jardín de la Pau, running from 14 to 20 August, with a different pyrotechnic house each day (Pirotecnia Tamarit on 14 August, Nadal Martí on 15 August, Hermanos Caballer on 16 August). The same garden hosts the Al Ras festival, five nights of young local talent from 14 to 18 August, so you can turn up early for the gunpowder and stay on for live music.

For bigger names, the evening concerts move to the Campo Municipal de Fútbol La Murta. Highlights listed by Valencia Bonita include Cristina Ramos with the Solistes València on 14 August, Cali y El Dandee on 16 August, OBK on 18 August and ABBA The New Experience closing things on 20 August. If sport is more your thing, the 73rd Trofeu de Velocitat sends motorbikes around an urban circuit on Avenida República Argentina on 15 August with a 9am start, a 37th cycling race follows on 17 August, and the Fira del Bestiar livestock fair runs 14 to 17 August at the Pabellón Municipal de Voleibol car park.

Getting there is easy without driving. Xàtiva sits in Valencia province, roughly 60km south of the city, and is one of the best served stops on the Cercanías commuter line, so you can hop on a train from Valencia and arrive within walking distance of the old town and its stages. That makes it a realistic day trip or an evening out rather than a full expedition.

What this means for you: if you want a proper local fiesta without the coastal crowds, this is the week to take the train to Xàtiva. Aim for the free 2pm mascletà in the Jardín de la Pau, then pick an evening concert at La Murta, and keep 15 August in mind, as the motorbike race on Avenida República Argentina will close streets in the centre. The whole programme wraps up on 20 August, according to Valencia Bonita, so there is no rush to squeeze it all into one day.

Weather today

Heavy heat over Valencia, showers inland. Open-Meteo forecasts Valencia city between 27 and 32 degrees today under an overcast sky, with no rain and a light breeze of up to 16km/h.

In the city itself the cloud cover should take a little edge off the sun, but with a low of 27 degrees the night stayed warm and the afternoon peaks at 32 degrees, so keep water on you and skip the fullest sun in the early afternoon. On the southern coast around Cullera, Open-Meteo forecasts 25 to 31 degrees with morning fog and no rain, close and muggy rather than scorching.

Inland is where the day turns more unsettled: Ayora climbs to 34 degrees, the hottest reading of the zone, but also carries a 50% chance of scattered showers and gusts up to 20km/h. If you are heading into the interior, pack for real heat and the odd sharp shower, and plan the most active part of the day for the morning.

Transport & traffic

• See the eclipse by train, no car needed. Several villages in Valencia and Castellón can be reached by train or bus to watch the total solar eclipse on 12 August, the first in 120 years, according to Valencia Secreta. The point is practical: with the roads expected to fill up around the best viewing spots, public transport turns a stressful drive into a simple ride. Valencia Secreta frames these towns as the accessible option for a rare astronomical event, so if you do not have a car, or would rather leave it at home, checking train and bus timetables now beats scrambling for parking on the day.
• City hall's eclipse advice: glasses and traffic checks. Valencia city hall's advice for the 12 August eclipse, relayed by Valencia Extra, is to watch from home or somewhere nearby, use certified eclipse glasses and check official channels for the planned traffic restrictions. The takeaway for anyone in the city is to plan ahead rather than improvise. Certified glasses are the only safe way to look at the sun, staying close to home avoids the worst of the movement, and the official channels are where the confirmed road closures will appear, so it is worth checking them before you set off.

What's changing for you

• 550,000 euros to fix lifts wrecked by the DANA. The Generalitat Valenciana has now committed more than 550,000 euros in grants to repair lifts damaged by the DANA floods, according to Hortanoticias. If you live in a building whose lift was knocked out by the flooding, this is money aimed straight at your community. The aid runs through the regional housing department, so it is worth asking your building's administrator whether your block has applied, especially where an out of service lift is a daily problem for older or less mobile neighbours.

Local news to know

• 75,000 evacuated as PM warns of 'difficult hours'. franceinfo reports that Spain's prime minister has warned of "difficult hours" ahead against the wildfires, after around 75,000 people were evacuated across the Madrid and Valencia regions.
• Tírig fire nears 400 hectares, Catí confined. The wildfire in Tírig, in inland Castellón province, remains active this Sunday after burning about 395 hectares and drawing a perimeter of some 15 kilometres, with the town of Catí still confined, reports Valencia News.
• Soneja fire still burning after 500 evacuated. According to Libertad Digital, the fire in Soneja, Castellón, is still active after scorching 150 hectares and forcing 500 residents from their homes, with more than 220 ground crew and drones tackling it.
• Valencia hits 20 tropical nights this year. Valencia has already logged 20 tropical nights in 2026 and 105 since 2020, double the total of the previous two decades, with a low of 26.2 degrees recorded overnight into Sunday, according to Levante-EMV citing Aemet.

Tonight and tomorrow, Valencia

• Free culture all August at the Centre del Carme. The Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània in Valencia is running a full free programme throughout August with exhibitions, workshops, guided tours and open-air summer cinema, according to Valencia Bonita. It is one of the best value ways to dodge the heat today: the galleries and courtyard are free, and the summer cinema gives you a reason to stay into the cooler evening.
• Paterna's 'Foc i Festa' fire-culture show. The Museu de la Cordà in Paterna is hosting the collective exhibition "Foc i Festa, la pintura de Paterna" throughout August, devoted to the town's fire traditions, according to Hortanoticias. The show brings together many local painters around Paterna's culture of fire for the first time, an easy indoor stop if you are exploring the town during the hot spell.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow