The Ontinyent City Council inaugurated this Monday the second edition of 'La Gran', which expands its offering of recreational, cultural, and gastronomic activities during the Grand Week of the Moors and Christians.
This year, the Textile Museum of the Valencian Community is once again the heart of Ontinyent's Grand Week. The City Council inaugurated this Monday the second edition of 'La Gran', the municipal programme that complements the Moors and Christians with concerts, games, gastronomy, and exhibitions, which will run until September 27.
The initiative, which debuted last year with an excellent reception, now consolidates its commitment to make the museum the main meeting point of the festivities, but also expands its venues: the Glorieta park and Mestre Ferrero park will host some of the activities, with special prominence on the Friday of the Entrance, when the latter space will feature a giant screen to follow the central event live.
The inaugural event also served to open to the public the exhibition by Democracia Estudio, the creative studio of Marta and Javier Tortosa, authors of the promotional poster for the 2026 festivities. The exhibition reviews a decade of professional trajectory and includes the creative process of this year's graphic image. It will be on display at the Textile Museum until September 27.
Attending the inauguration were the councillor for Fair, Festivals, and Traditions, Àngels Muñoz; the mayor of Ontinyent, Jorge Rodríguez; the president of the Society of Festers of the Most Holy Christ of Agony, Ricardo Calabuig; and the creators of Democracia Estudio. During his speech, the mayor recalled some words from the announcer Ramon Esteve to emphasise that "the greatness of our festivities is that they unite us, equalise us, and make us share what we have in common", and invited residents and visitors to enjoy a programme "so that this Grand Week becomes unforgettable again".
Àngels Muñoz explained that 'La Gran' continues to evolve with the aim of providing "a place where we can meet" during the festivities, a space designed for festers and festers, but also for those visiting the city, families, children, and young people. "We want the festivities to also be a shared space for the whole city, because there is a lot of life between events and we want to fill those moments with content," the councillor pointed out.
This edition's programme includes musical performances at the Textile Museum with acoustic concerts, rumba, DJs, street bands, and groups of various styles, a play area with giant games, a wide gastronomic offer, and two water slides and water games planned for the weekend. The Glorieta will maintain its night and family musical programme, while Mestre Ferrero park will host the gastronomic space with the giant screen on the day of the Entrance.
The president of the Society of Festers, Ricardo Calabuig, highlighted the qualitative leap of the proposal: "Last year we presented this space as a dream and a project; this year we present a consolidated reality". Calabuig stressed that the Moors and Christians are much more than the official events, and that 'La Gran' is precisely that space of coexistence that complements and enriches the festival.
Marta Tortosa expressed her satisfaction at being able to present the exhibition "at such a special moment and in a city with which we maintain a very strong emotional bond", while Javier Tortosa explained that the exhibition allows visitors to discover "ten years of work, experiences, and the value of design as a tool for transformation and communication". After the institutional inauguration and the guided visit, the day continued with the first musical performance of the cycle, by the group Ay Trick, which opened the sound roadmap of the afternoon alongside Asesinos de la Rumba and Borja Sax. On Tuesday, starting at 1:00 PM, it will be Ivan Lane's turn in acoustic format.
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