9 d’Octubre, Valencian Community Day

9 d’Octubre, Valencian Community Day, is a public holiday across the whole region and has a specific history behind it. Here is what the official sources say about what is commemorated, whether it is a holiday this year and next, and what to do about the long weekend when there is one.

What is commemorated

According to Valencia City Council, in 1238 King Jaume I the Conqueror entered the city after the peaceful surrender of the taifa (Moorish kingdom) of Balansiya. From that event comes the Kingdom of Valencia and, with it, the Furs, its own system of laws and institutions that gave it a great deal of autonomy within the Crown of Aragon. That is why the council speaks of 9 d’Octubre as the birth of the Valencian people “as a political, legal and cultural entity with its own identity”. The 2026 edition coincided with the 750th anniversary of the king’s death.

The symbol of the day is the Real Senyera (the royal banner). According to Visit València, at midday it comes down from the balcony of the City Hall vertically, without bowing to anyone; the procession tours the centre, there is a Te Deum in the Cathedral and everything ends with a floral offering before the equestrian statue of Jaume I, in the Parterre. Afterwards comes the mascletà (the daytime firecracker barrage) in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Mocadorà and Sant Donís

The other side of the day is a domestic one. 9 October coincides with Sant Donís, which Visit València presents as Valencia’s lovers’ day, and with the Mocadorà: a silk handkerchief that wraps marzipan figures shaped like fruit and vegetables from the huerta. According to the same source, the tradition dates from the eighteenth century. It is, above all, a custom of the city of Valencia.

Is 9 d’Octubre a public holiday?

Yes: the decrees of the Consell (the regional government) for 2026 and 2027 include it, and the BOE (the Official State Gazette) records it. In 2026 it falls on a Friday. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday and Decree 42/2026 does not move it to the Monday, so that year there will be no long weekend. It is a public holiday for the whole Community, regardless of what each town council decides. If you are looking for the rest of the year, all the days are in the Valencian Community public holidays calendar.

The long weekend, at the table

When it falls on a Friday, as in 2026, 9 d’Octubre opens a long weekend and is a good day to gather the family or your group of friends around a rice dish. If you want the kitchen to take care of it, see our paella and show cooking service or get a quote with the date and the number of guests. We cook from Aspe, in the catering in Aspe and the Vinalopó area.

Other dates in the Valencian calendar

9 d’Octubre is not the only holiday with a name of its own in the Community. There is the 19 March holiday, Easter Monday and St Vincent Ferrer, which is not regional but is celebrated in more than 200 municipalities. And, for a day with much less history but a great deal more cooking, World Paella Day. Everything is in the fiesta calendar.