The Grand Week of the Moros y Cristianos festivities in Ontinyent 2026 kicks off this Sunday with the Breakfast of Tears, the presentation of officials, and the proclamation by architect Ramón Esteve. The preliminary events begin this Friday with the Ball dels Llauradors.
The Valencian town of Ontinyent starts its Grand Week of the Moros y Cristianos festivities 2026 this weekend. Although the official start will be on Sunday, preliminary events begin this Friday with the traditional Ball dels Llauradors, which will take place at 22:30, moving through the squares of Baix, Sant Roc, Major, and Latonda, featuring seven pieces performed by the festers in motion.
On Saturday, at 9:00, the festive officials will visit the nursing homes in Ontinyent, a gesture that is repeated every year to bring the festivities closer to those who cannot participate directly.
On Sunday, the day will begin at 9:00 with a mass in memory of the deceased festers and festers at the hermitage of Santa Anna. Following this, attendees will move to the auditorium of the Societat de Festers to celebrate the emotional Breakfast of Tears, a tribute to the festers who passed away in the last year.
During this event, the mayor of Ontinyent, Jorge Rodríguez, and the president of Festers, Ricardo Calabuig, will award medals to the first trons of this year's festivities, as well as insignias to captains, standard bearers, and ambassadors. Distinctions such as the First Tro d'Honor and the silver insignias of the Societat de Festers will also be presented.
Later that night, at 22:30, the presentation of the 2025 officials will take place at the foot of the Castell de Festes in the plaza Major, followed by the proclamation of the festivities, which this year will be delivered by the renowned architect and designer from Ontinyent, Ramón Esteve.
Esteve is the author of key projects in the city such as the new Hospital, the IES Jaume I, and the Caixa Ontinyent Cultural Centre, and he was awarded one of the 9 October prizes from the City Council in 2018. Both the City Council and the Societat de Festers highlight that he is a figure
capable of connecting local identity with a sensitivity and quality in his field that are internationally recognised.
With these events, Ontinyent signals the start of a week of celebrations that will continue until the end of the festivities, with the participation of all festive groups and the support of local institutions.
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