Fira d'Onda

Fira d'Onda 2026: day-by-day programme

This year's poster is «El sentiment d'un poble», by Onda artist Jesús Tauste Martí. According to the official website, the Fira's activities begin on Saturday 3 October and the main week starts on Friday 16 with the Crida (opening proclamation). These are the events confirmed by the organisers, listed by day, with the bull-event calendar published at the end of September. The times of the events have not been published yet.

Tickets and bookings. Tickets for Álvaro de Luna and Marta Santos cost 20 euros plus booking fees, and 5 euros for registered residents. Bookings for the Teatro Mónaco open on 14 September at entrades.onda.es.

The full line-up, with dates, venues and ways to buy, is on Concerts and tickets at the Fira d'Onda 2026.

Bulls and bull runs. On Saturday 17 the two municipal toros cerriles (wild bulls) are shown: Bellotito, from Partido de Resina and the 2026 Bou de la Fira, is released and run with fire-tipped horns in the Raval de Sant Josep, and Trasado, from Sobral, is released in the Raval and run with fire-tipped horns at El Pla. The municipal bull runs are on Thursday 22 (La Quinta) and Saturday 24 (Santiago Domecq). On 17, 21 and 23 October there are also bulls from local groups and associations, including the Veiga Teixeira bulls on Friday.

The full schedule, with ranches and the name of each bull, is on Bull runs and bulls at the Fira d'Onda 2026.

Route. Releases and fire-horn runs are spread across the Raval de Sant Josep, El Pla, La Safona and Porta del Sol. New safety barriers have been added along the route this year. Times have not been published yet. The route is around 750 metres long, closes at 11:00 and children under 16 may not be on it.

Taking part. Groups (peñas) can sign up for Paella Monday until 25 September, and the Fancy-Dress Contest accepts entries until 8 October.

The programme may change, so it is worth checking fira.onda.es, the Fira's official website.

From the medieval fair of 1267 to the major festival

The Fira d'Onda has roots going back to the thirteenth century. In 1267, the king granted permission for a Saint Michael's fair to be held in the town, and the market that was set up in the Almudí square is the seed of what is today the city's major festival. The essence of that medieval privilege has survived: a celebration that brings everyday life to a halt, opens the city to outsiders and turns the streets into a collective stage.

Seven and a half centuries later, the Fira is declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest by the Generalitat Valenciana, a recognition that places it among the flagship celebrations of the Valencian Community and that each year draws tens of thousands of visitors from across the region and beyond. For Onda, it is not just an event: it is the most intense expression of the city's festive calendar, the moment when everything stops and everything converges.

Bull runs, Bou de Fira and bou embolat: the taurine programme

The taurine programme is one of the most distinctive and recognisable elements of the Fira. The bull runs wind through the narrow streets of the historic quarter with bulls that participants accompany on foot, a practice of medieval origin widespread across the Valencian Community. Onda's taurine clubs have a deep-rooted community that keeps this tradition alive from generation to generation, and the Fira's bull runs are among the most followed in the region.

The Bou de Fira is another major attraction for enthusiasts: a display featuring bulls from prestigious herds that draws thousands of spectators and gives Onda's taurine events a scale that goes well beyond the town. For anyone who follows the bull world, it is a date marked in the calendar.

The bou embolat closes the evening programme: a tradition of medieval origin in which the bull wears a frame on its horns fitted with burning balls of fire. The scene it creates, with the moving light and the animal crossing the festive space, is one of the most characteristic of Valencian popular culture. For first-timers it can be intense; for those who have known it since childhood, it is an inseparable part of the Fira. In any case, the atmosphere surrounding the event is as important as the event itself: people gather, meet and celebrate before, during and after.

La Crida, the music and El Raval: the popular heart of the Fira

The Fira begins officially with La Crida, the proclamation ceremony from the balcony of the Town Hall that opens the ten days of celebration. This is the moment when the city formally enters festival mode and the streets begin to fill with the penyes (festivity clubs) that are the real engine of the Fira: gathering places, grilled food and the atmosphere of close-knit groups that defines these festivals from the inside.

The music programme spreads its performances across different stages. The big concerts featuring nationally known artists take place at the Recinto Multiusos, with enough capacity for the headline names on the bill. The float parade winds through the main avenues in one of the most colourful events of the week. And the El Raval neighbourhood concentrates the most popular atmosphere: outdoor dances, brass bands and street music that turn the town centre into a continuous celebration.

The most moving moment arrives when the hymn to the Salvador is performed in El Raval. At that instant, the October Fira and the August festival are symbolically joined: the city that climbed the hill on the Nit del Salvador gathers again, in the street, around the same patron saint that brings it together twice a year. For anyone wanting to understand what Onda is like from the inside, that moment explains it better than any description.

Fair Monday: when the city stops

Fair Monday (Dilluns de Fira) is Onda's second official local holiday of the year, and also the high point of the celebration. The city comes to a complete standstill: shops close, families make plans, and the atmosphere in the streets reaches its peak. If you can only choose one day to be in Onda during the Fira, this is it.

The holiday is not just a day off: it concentrates some of the most important events of the programme and gives Monday its own character within the Fira. It is the day when Ondenses living elsewhere come back, the day when bars open from first light and the city recognises itself in what it does every year. Some festivals are experienced from the outside; others pull you in from the first moment. Fair Monday clearly belongs to the second kind.

Practical tips for your visit

• 01
  Book accommodation in advance. The Fira brings visitors from across the region for several days. The Gran Hotel Toledo and Hotel Mola are the main options within the municipality. For Fair Monday, book weeks ahead.
• 02
  If you can only choose one day, choose Fair Monday. It is the local holiday, the highest-intensity day of the programme and the moment when the most locals and visitors coincide in the streets. The atmosphere that day has no equivalent at any other point of the year.
• 03
  Check the official programme before you go. The exact dates and programme details are published on the Onda Town Council website a few weeks in advance. The taurine events calendar in particular has specific timetables that are worth knowing about.
• 04
  For the taurine events: safety zones. The bull runs and bou embolat have clearly defined viewing areas for spectators. If it is your first time, position yourself in the signposted viewing zones and arrive early: the best spots fill up fast.
• 05
  The town centre is closed to traffic. During the street events, several areas of the historic centre are restricted to vehicles. If you come by car, use the car parks on the outskirts (Avenida de Valencia, sports centre area) and walk in.
• 06
  With children: the funfair at El Pla. During the Fira a funfair is set up in the El Pla area, the most family-friendly part of the programme. It is a good option for the middle of the day while the rest of the city prepares for the afternoon and evening events.

Frequently asked questions about the Fira d'Onda 2026