Festival Internacional d'Arts Contemporànies So XXI in Canals

The festival takes place in Canals, a town in the Costera district a little over an hour inland from València, with a programme that runs through to November. It is a contemporary music festival: pieces written in recent decades, unconventional formats and living composers — the opposite of a classical repertoire series. According to our source this sixteenth edition includes eight free performances.

What the programme announces

Among the events the organisers list are a six-hour piano marathon, a percussion show by Víctor Segura, a night concert at the municipal swimming pool, a monographic programme devoted to Steve Reich, and the second Ibero-American Composers' Agora. Since the festival opened in March, some of these have already taken place — check the official calendar for what is still ahead and for start times, which our source does not give.

Getting to Canals without a car

Canals sits next to Xàtiva, and that is the key to the journey. The commuter rail line from València to Xàtiva continues inland through the Costera; check with Renfe whether your service stops at Canals, or whether it is simpler to get off at Xàtiva and continue by bus. By car, the A-7 and the N-340 are the obvious routes. Our guide to reaching the towns without a car explains how train and regional bus fit together.

Making the trip worth it

Travelling inland for a one-hour concert is a poor use of a day; combining it with Xàtiva is not. The castle runs along the ridge above the town, and the Seu stands in the old quarter. More in that direction in day trips from València.