The season at a glance
| What | Where | When (2025-26 edition) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights switch-on and fireworks | Plaza del Ayuntamiento | 21 November, 19:30 | Free |
| Piromusicales (firework shows) | Plaza del Ayuntamiento | Saturdays at 18:30 until 3 January, plus 5 January | Free |
| 25 m tree and city nativity scene | Plaza del Ayuntamiento | From the switch-on until Epiphany | Free |
| Christmas crafts fair | Plaza de la Reina | 29 November – 6 January | Free |
| Nativity-makers' market | Mercado de Colón | 29 November – 8 December | Free |
| City-centre Christmas market | Calle Hospital and Avenida del Oeste | 10 December – 4 January, 9:00 to 22:00 | Free |
| Christmas market | City of Arts and Sciences, by the Umbracle | 12 December – 6 January | Free |
| Expojove | Feria València | 26 December 2026 – 4 January 2027 | From €3 |
| New Year's Eve chimes | Plaza del Ayuntamiento | 31 December | Free |
| Kings arrive by sea | Plaza de la Sal, Marina Norte | 5 January, 16:30 | Free |
| Three Kings Parade | Puente de las Flores – Plaza del Ayuntamiento | 5 January, 17:30 | Free |
Apart from Expojove, which has already published its 2026 dates, these are the 2025-26 dates. The city presents its programme in November and we'll update this guide when it does.
Lights and fireworks on Plaza del Ayuntamiento
In 2025 Valencia switched on Christmas with fireworks, live music and a 25-metre tree, five metres taller than the year before. There were more than 300 arches, 60 glittering arches on Calle de la Paz, a giant comet by the Torres de Serranos, an illuminated nativity scene on Calle del Hospital, and a walk-through bauble and bell on Plaza de Segrelles and Plaza del Patriarca.
The most Valencian touch is the Saturday piromusicales at 18:30: three minutes of fireworks timed to a song, free, on the same square. In 2025 city-centre shopkeepers also set up an ice rink, a carousel, a little train and a Ferris wheel between Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Plaza de San Agustín.
If you're a group and don't fancy walking, the private tuk-tuk covers the Torres de Serranos, the Marina, the beach and the City of Arts and Sciences in an hour, for up to 8 people.
Markets and nativity scenes
- Christmas crafts fair (Plaza de la Reina): 30 wooden stalls at the foot of the cathedral. In 2025, 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:30 to 21:00; mornings only on the 24th and 31st.
- City-centre market (Calle Hospital and Avenida del Oeste): the old-school one, with nativity figures, decorations and toys. In 2025 it stayed open until 2:00 on Christmas Eve and until 5:00 on the night of 5 January.
- Mercado de Colón: a nativity-makers' market in early December and a crafts show from mid-December to Epiphany, in an Art Nouveau market hall that's worth a visit on its own.
- Nativity scenes: the city's is on Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and in 2025 the Bancaja monumental nativity scene, with more than 1,000 figures, returned to Valencia after 30 years, on Plaza de Tetuán.
A December evening, done right
- 17:00, Plaza de la Reina: the crafts fair and the cathedral in the late-afternoon light.
- 17:45, Calle de la Paz: the glittering arches, now in the dark.
- 18:30, Plaza del Ayuntamiento: the firework show if it's a Saturday, plus the tree and nativity scene.
- 19:15, Mercado de Colón: horchata or hot chocolate under the Art Nouveau ironwork.
- 20:00, tapas in Ruzafa or El Carmen.
The evening tapas tour takes you to four neighbourhood bars away from the tourist zones, with about 10 to 12 dishes and local drinks, in groups of up to 10.
With kids
- Expojove is the big one: ten days of games, workshops and spaces for little ones at Feria València, 26 December to 4 January, from €3.
- The Saturday piromusical: three minutes long, and not too crowded if you arrive a little early.
- City of Arts and Sciences: extends its hours and activities over Christmas. The Science Museum and the Hemisfèric were closed on 25 December in 2025.
- For a guided option, the private family tour includes churros, horchata and tickets to the Science Museum.
Monuments and museums on public holidays
| Place | 24 & 31 Dec | 25 Dec | 1 Jan | 6 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Lonja (Silk Exchange) | Open (check hours) | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Science Museum and Hemisfèric | Christmas hours | Closed | Christmas hours | Christmas hours |
| Oceanogràfic | Check website | Check website | Check website | Check website |
- La Lonja: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 19:00; Sundays and holidays 10:00 to 14:00. The guided climb up the tower is free with a booking.
- City of Arts and Sciences: publishes its Christmas calendar each year on cac.es; in 2025 the special hours ran until 6 January.
To get under the skin of the old town, the private tour with La Lonja and horchata takes four hours.
New Year's Eve and Three Kings
- Chimes on Plaza del Ayuntamiento: in 2025 there were children's chimes in the afternoon and a party at night.
- The Kings' arrival (5 January): in 2026 they came ashore at 16:30 at Plaza de la Sal in the Marina Norte, a new landing point that year.
- The parade: at 17:30 from Puente de las Flores, along Porta de la Mar, General Tovar, Calle de la Paz, Plaza de la Reina and San Vicente to Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Calle de la Paz is narrow: for a better view, stand around Porta de la Mar.
Dinner with a show
Valencia isn't flamenco heartland, but it has good tablaos: La Bulería combines dinner and a show from €39, and there are shorter performances in the centre from €21. If you'd rather cook, the evening paella workshop with tapas and drinks is the Valencian take on a group dinner.
Common mistakes
- Reaching Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 18:35 on a Saturday: the firework show is over. It lasts three minutes.
- Visiting La Lonja on the 25th, 1st or 6th: it's closed all three days.
- Booking Expojove for the afternoon of the 31st: it closes at 14:00 that day.
- Parking in the centre on 5 January: roads between the Marina and Plaza del Ayuntamiento close from mid-afternoon. Take the metro.
