Valencia Entertainment

Valencia is a vibrant city, mainly owing to the large student presence at the University of Valencia, but also owing to the many tourists that visit year-round in search of sun and nightlife. There are plenty of live music venues, bars and clubs to keep both students and tourists happy, and nightclubs stay open until the early hours.

Nightlife

There are three or four main areas in Valencia where the nightlife is. One of the favourites places for tourists are the bars and clubs of the Malvarrosa beach port area, where numerous buzzing beach bars and a large outdoor disco can be found. However, there are also seedy areas in this part of town that you might want to avoid at night. Barri del Carme in the Old City centre is known for its stylish restaurants, bars and nightclubs that fill the narrow streets, while the streets around Plaça Honduras, the newer university part of town, are also very lively.

Theatre and music

For all of its fantastic cultural sights and awareness, Valencia is slightly lacking in cutting-edge performance arts, although a growing number theatres and art centres are cropping up, slowly bringing the city on a par with other Spanish cultural centres. The Palau de la Música and the Palau de les Arts in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències are starting to attract more interest in the arts and feature some top performers. Despite the theatre scene being still in the early stages of development, the live music scene is extremely healthy in Valencia, with some big-name bands regularly playing in the city.

Festivals

Like elsewhere in Spain, Valencia is a magnet for festivals and events, with something for everyone, from traditional parades and processions to explosive firework displays. A taste of some of Valencia’s best known summer festivals and events include:

• Bienal is a biennial festival of the arts featuring well known artists and art exhibitions at major venues across the city. The festival also features a range of theatre and dance performances (June).
• Feria de Julio (July Fair) is a collection of parades and bullfights which characterise Valencia's summer. The bullfights are staged at the Plaça de los Bous, while the Battle of the Flowers is held at Passeig de l'Albereda (July).
• La Tomatina is perhaps Valencia’s most interesting and fun event. La Tomatina is a street battle involving Valencians and tourists alike, who hurl tomatoes at each other at the Buñol. Revellers from all over the world take part in the extravaganza (late August).
• FIB (Festival Internacional de Benicàssim) is an outdoor music festival featuring big-name bands from around the world.

To find out more about Valencia’s festivals and events, the tourist office offers a free brochure listing all of them. Most festivals take place in the summer months and in many of the surrounding villages.