Festivals in Onda

Every spring, the squares of the historic centre become the stage for a weekend of flamenco and Spanish rumba with nationally known artists. Most concerts are free entry, with the medieval streets and squares as a backdrop.

The most intense moment is not 6 August, the patron's feast day, but the eve: the Nit del Salvador, when the entire town climbs the hill at dusk and does not come back down until the early hours. A pilgrimage of thousands, music along the path, and the hermitage esplanade turned into a celebration, in gratitude for the blessings granted by Onda's patron saint throughout history.

In its current form, the hermitage of El Salvador dates from 1724, when a major restoration was carried out. Before that it was a small chapel of which little is recorded. The original late Baroque decoration of the chapel survives to this day, and the main altarpiece was recently restored to mark the hermitage's third centenary. The original image of El Salvador was destroyed during the Civil War, though photographs of its appearance survive — the carving is believed to date from the 15th century, repainted in 1555 by the Valencian painter Joan de Joanes. The current image is a faithful reproduction of that lost original.

The only medieval fair in the province held inside a real castle. Over three days in August, the Castle of the 300 Towers hosts jousting tournaments, fire shows and a nocturnal procession of torch-bearing riders, while the medieval market spreads through the old town streets.

Ten days of the town's main festival: bull-running through the historic centre, the nocturnal spectacle of the bou embolat (a bull with lit fire balls on its horns) and concerts by national artists across the neighbourhoods. The Lunes de Fira is an official local public holiday, the day Onda stops completely. The Fira draws tens of thousands of visitors from across the region every year.