What you need to know about the night of San Juan?

When the summer comes, you have to celebrate it. In Valencia, we know very well how to do this. There is even a special night for this: La noche de San Juan. This night on June 23rd, everybody goes to the beach to make bonfires and enjoy the first summer evening.

If you are in Valencia on June 23, we recommend you rent a bike and go to the beachto celebratethis beautiful and magical night. Drink and eat with friends or even for making new ones!

There are alsoa few pieces of informationyou need to know about before you are going to celebrate this night.

SAN JUAN

The celebration of San Juan is not only in Valencia but also in other places along theMediterranean Coast, such as Alicante (and the surrounding villages) where they do a huge party that is very similar to Las Fallas Festival of Valencia.

The traditionis to celebratethe starting of the summer, the longest day of the yearand, of course, the shortest night. During thenight, people are allowed to make picnicsand bonfires on the beach.

Everybody brings their own drinks, food, snacks and music. That is how this night becomes a real big party. Most of the times there are some performances organized by the people having fun on the beach.

WHERE TO CELEBRATE SAN JUAN

The important thing to know is where you have to be for this festivity. Well, at the beach! Especially the beaches Malvarossa and Patacona are a great place to be this night. Luckily the beaches are long and wide, so there is enough space for everybody.

There are piles of wood that will be handed out. When you are in the mood of making your own fire, you have to get in the line to get some. It is also possible to bring your own wood, but make sure that there are no nails in it. Take your own drinks and food with you and make it a fun picnic on this special night. An extra tip: look where the wind is coming from and find a place to sit away from the smoke and the sparking of the bonfires.

THE TRADITIONS:

There are some very special traditions during this night:

Jump over the bonfire: You will see a lot of people jumping over the fire. This is to get rid of the bad energy and start with a fresh one. Be careful if the flames are very high or you will get burnt.

Jump over the waves: At 00:00 hours you have to go the shore and jump over 7 waves to make a wish to get rid of the bad energies and be healthy for the rest of the year.

Swim in the sea: Once you have jumped the waves you can have a swim. But be careful when swimming in the dark.

TO CONSIDER:

• The city hall normally distributes firewood to make the bonfires.
• You are not allowed to make bonfires on every beach of the city. It is not allowed to do so in the beaches located in the south within the Albufera Natural Park.
• Have fun and remember to leave the beach as clean as you found it!

With all these traditions, San Juan is a very magical night. Make sure you are there and experience it by yourself by having lots of fun and enjoying one of the oldest traditions of the city of Valencia.