The Hell Contest fires up Algemesí on 24 and 25 October

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Shopping centres including Bonaire, Aqua, Arena and El Saler are open on Monday 12 October, Spain's national holiday, according to Las Provincias.
• Valencia city can expect a dry, overcast Monday 12 October with temperatures between 17 and 28 degrees, according to Open-Meteo.
• Metrovalencia recorded 8,329,146 users in September 2026, an increase of 15.10%, La Voz de Alzira reports.
• The FSC CCOO PV union is calling on town councils to install toilets at bus terminuses across the Valencia metropolitan area, according to Noticias CV.
• elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana reports that the Consell waived €56 million on three solar farm projects marked by irregularities.

Today's essentials

The Hell Contest fires up Algemesí on 24 and 25 October. The Hell Contest, a festival devoted to everything spicy, returns to Parc Salvador Castell in Algemesí on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026, which leaves you time to plan a day out of the city, according to Valencia Bonita.

The site is open from 10:00 to 22:00 on Saturday 24 October and from 10:00 to 18:00 on Sunday 25 October. The big moment is the Campeonato Nacional de Chiles, Spain's national chilli championship, at 19:00 on the Saturday. Varieties on the list include the Carolina Reaper, the Trinidad Scorpion, the habanero, the jalapeño, cayenne and the local 'Tombarotllos'. Organisers bill it as Europe's biggest chilli fair, but no visitor or exhibitor figures have been published to back that up, so read it as a slogan rather than a ranking.

It isn't only for hardened chilli fans. The line-up includes concerts and DJ sets from Rom & The Obsoletes, DJ Gomaritz, DJ Sr. Mezcal and Mc Blues Mood, along with food trucks, activities for children and merchandise stalls, so it works as a family weekend outing too.

The festival started small. Vicente Navarro and Jordi Vidal created it in 2017, and the first competition took place in 2018 at the El RockaFull bar with around ten participants. By 2019 it was drawing more than 2,000 visitors despite the rain, and the 2025 edition was held at the same park on 25 and 26 October.

Algemesí is a town in the Ribera Alta comarca, south of Valencia city. If you don't have a car, the easiest route is the Cercanías C2 commuter line from València Nord, which stops at Algemesí station; drivers head south out of the city towards the Ribera. If you arrive early, the town is also known for the Basílica de Sant Jaume, the centre of its Festa de la Mare de Déu de la Salut.

What this means for you: if you want to see the chilli championship, keep the evening of Saturday 24 October free and aim to arrive before 19:00. Check the entry conditions before you go, because no source has yet confirmed the 2026 price or the official organiser. The championship results are expected on 24 October, according to the programme published by Valencia Bonita.

Weather today

Grey skies, dry, up to 28 degrees. Open-Meteo forecasts an overcast but dry Monday 12 October 2026 in Valencia city, with a low of 17 and a high of 28 degrees.

The chance of rain is 0% and the wind stays light, at up to 11 km/h in the city, so a T-shirt with a light layer for the evening is enough. Inland, Cofrentes starts much cooler at 11 degrees before climbing to 28, a big swing to dress for if you head into the hills. On the southern coast, Gandia stays between 19 and 26 degrees with a breeze of up to 9 km/h, and skies remain overcast across the province with no rain expected.

Transport & traffic

• Union pushes for toilets at bus terminuses. The public services federation of the CCOO union in the Valencian Community (FSC CCOO PV) has launched a campaign calling on town councils to install toilets at bus terminuses across the Valencia metropolitan area, Noticias CV reports. The campaign concerns drivers who wait at the end of each route between services, on the lines linking Valencia with the towns around it. Passengers won't see an immediate change, and no council has so far been reported as committing to the idea or setting a timetable.
• Metrovalencia carries 8.3 million users in September. According to La Voz de Alzira, Metrovalencia recorded 8,329,146 users in September 2026, an increase of 15.10%. For regular riders, that growth means fuller carriages, particularly at rush hour. Leaving a few minutes earlier, or travelling just outside peak times, can make the daily commute noticeably more comfortable now that work and school routines are back in full swing after the summer.

Local news to know

• Bonaire, Aqua, Arena and El Saler open today. Shopping centres including Bonaire, Aqua, Arena and El Saler are open on Monday 12 October, Spain's national holiday, Las Provincias reports, although holiday opening over the Pilar long weekend has varied by municipality while leisure and restaurant areas have stayed open every day.
• €56 million waived on three solar projects, paper says. The Consell led by Generalitat president Juanfran Pérez Llorca waived €56 million on three solar farm projects marked by irregularities, according to elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana, which says officials including Miguel Ángel Ivorra, a close aide to the president, allowed or encouraged anomalies in projects that were rejected through the developers' own fault.
• Valencia Secreta's weekend picks are out. If your diary is still empty, Valencia Secreta has published its selection of the best things to do in Valencia this coming weekend.
• An emotional night for Dragon Boat Marina Valencia. Hortanoticias reports that the Dragon Boat Marina Valencia team had one of the proudest moments in its history at Alboraia's 9 d'Octubre Awards in the municipal auditorium on Friday 9 October, and describes the evening as a tribute to life and team spirit.