Moros y Cristianos Festival in Cabanyal

The Moros y Cristianos del Marítimo (the Moors and Christians festival of the Marítimo district) takes over the Playa de las Arenas and Calle de la Reina in Cabanyal from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 September 2026. The main event is the Gran Entrada Morocristiana, the big parade, which sets off on Saturday 19 at 18:30; on Friday 18 there are theatrical "embajadas" on the sand, and on Sunday 20 the neighbourhood celebrates its patron, San Pedro (Saint Peter). Everything is free to attend.

This edition matters for two reasons: it is 30 years since the first Entrada, and it is the first time the festival is held as an officially recognised Fiesta de Interés Turístico Local (Festival of Local Tourist Interest) of the Valencian Community.

Moros y Cristianos del Marítimo 2026: programme and times

• Thursday 17: the medieval market opens on the Playa de las Arenas, 11:00 to 23:00.
• Friday 18: children's Embajadas at 18:00 and adults' Embajadas at 19:00, staged on the sand of the beach. The market stays open 11:00 to 23:00.
• Saturday 19: Gran Entrada Morocristiana at 18:30 along Calle de la Reina. Market 11:00 to 23:00.
• Sunday 20: celebration of the patron saint, San Pedro, which closes the festival. The market closes at 22:00.

What time is the Gran Entrada, and where does it go?

The Gran Entrada Morocristiana starts on Saturday 19 September at 18:30 on Calle de la Reina, the same Cabanyal street the first Entrada paraded down in 1996. It is a procession of Moorish and Christian squads, farmers (labradores), dance ensembles and music bands, watched standing on the pavement with no ticket or booking. This year's captains are Milagros Martínez, of the Media Luna (Crescent) side, and Raúl Luis Chillerón, of the Cruz (Cross) side.

The Embajadas: theatre on the sand

The Embajadas are the festival's theatrical performances, and in the Marítimo they are staged on the sand of the Playa de las Arenas with the sea as backdrop. On Friday 18, at 18:00, come the 13th Children's Embajadas: a cast from Peloki Teatro performs La Batalla de Balansiya. At 19:00 the Embajadas Mayores reach their 23rd edition, with the theatre group of the Agrupación de Moros y Cristianos del Marítimo, directed by Miguel Ángel Bustos, performing La Gesta de Mío Cid and El Desembarco (The Landing).

Medieval market on the Playa de las Arenas

From Thursday 17 to Sunday 20, the seafront promenade of the Playa de las Arenas fills with around fifty stalls of crafts and food, workshops, music and dance, and street shows. It is open 11:00 to 23:00 (on Sunday it closes at 22:00), so it works as a morning plan as well as an afternoon one, before or after the main events.

Thirty years of the Entrada, and Local Tourist Interest status

The festival was born in the neighbourhood itself. In 1996 a group of local residents and associations organised the first Moros y Cristianos Entrada along Calle de la Reina, and in 2002 the comparsas and filaes (the festival's troupes) joined together as the Agrupación de Comparsas de Moros y Cristianos Marítimo. 2026 marks three decades since that first Entrada, and official recognition has arrived: the Generalitat Valenciana declared the festival a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Local, with the resolution published in the DOGV (the Valencian official gazette) on 21 May 2026. It is separate from the Moros y Cristianos festival the city holds in October in the Turia Gardens: this one belongs to the fishermen's quarter.

Getting there and what to do in Cabanyal

The site is next to the beach, around Calle Eugenia Viñes. Metrovalencia lines 4, 6 and 8 serve the beach area, with stops such as Platja les Arenes; more on the metro in our guide to getting around Valencia. If you arrive early, it is worth strolling through the Cabanyal neighbourhood and its tiled houses, stopping at the Casa dels Bous (the old shed where the oxen that hauled fishing boats up the sand were kept) or walking along the Cabanyal (Las Arenas) beach. For a bite in the neighbourhood there are tapas at Bodega Casa Montaña, and for a later evening, the concerts and markets at La Fábrica de Hielo.

More Moros y Cristianos near Valencia

If you want more, the next stop is Sagunto, from 25 September to 4 October, with a proclamation, alardo, a grand Moorish and Christian entrance, embassies and a battle in the Roman Theatre. In October comes the Moros y Cristianos festival in the Turia Gardens, with a medieval market. To see what else is on, check the festivals agenda, the weekend plans and the Valencia festival calendar.