Few things define a town better than the value it places on its stories. El Poble Nou de Benitatxell is once again placing culture at the heart of municipal life with the 2nd ‘Literatura a la fresca’ Literary Festival, which will be held from August the 12th to the 28th, bringing together creativity, art and public spaces.
Organised jointly by El Poble Nou de Benitatxell Town Council, through the Culture and Equality councillorships, and Clásicas y Modernas association, the festival will offer a comprehensive and varied programme combining oral tradition, dialogue between writers, the involvement of local organisations and a powerful street art project with deep social significance.
‘Art al Carrer’ and art as a symbol of resilience
One of the festival’s highlights will be the opening of the touring exhibition ‘Art al Carrer’, on loan from the Women’s Association of Picanya. The event will take place on Thursday, August 13th at 7.00 pm and will be organised as a major institutional ceremony, beginning with speeches by the authorities and organisers, followed by a guided tour from Alicante Avenue (school) to the Town Hall.
A total of 101 works of feminist art will decorate the town’s balconies between August 13th and 28th, transforming Alicante Avenue and La Pau and Mayor streets into a veritable open-air gallery.
This edition takes on a particularly emotional and historic significance with ‘Art al Carrer’. The tragic DANA flood last October 29th, 2024, severely affected Picanya and the headquarters of the Women’s Association of Picanya, causing its premises to be completely flooded and damaging more than 300 canvases. Several of the canvases rescued from the mud—which still bear the marks of water and mud as an indelible testament to the natural disaster—will be exhibited in the streets of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell as a true collective symbol of resistance, perseverance and resilience.
The grand opening event will be attended by leading municipal figures, members of the board of the Clásicas y Modernas association and representatives of the Women’s Association of Picanya. The event will also be supported by the presence of renowned artists whose works are on display, including Inma Liñana, Visa Proming, África Abril, Maria Escalona, Loles Grau and Giacomo Pennichi. It is worth noting that Pennichi is the renowned visual artist behind the mural that brings life and colour to the front wall of the Municipal Library of Benitatxell.
‘A la fresca’ literary evenings and outstanding activities
Following the spirit of the festival, the programme will kick off on August 12th, 13th and 14th with the children’s and family event ‘Respirando literatura (Breathing literature)’, packed with book-based games for the youngest ones. Next, the evening reading sessions will take turns in various charming corners and squares around the town centre, with the vital collaboration of local associations and young people from the municipality: the Association of Retired People and Pensioners, the Parish Choir, the Morro Falquí Dance Group, EUWMA, the Women’s Association of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell and the Colla La Llebetjà.
Among the programme’s highlights is Monday August 17th (10.00 pm, Church Square), when the awards ceremony for the 7th ‘Un poble que escriu i viu’ Micro-story Contest will take place, during which the winners will give a public reading of their stories. This will be followed on Tuesday, August 18th, in Trinquet Street (10.00 pm) by an evening dedicated to the ‘Women Writers of the Generation of ’26 and Men Writers of ’27’. On that day, amongst other activities, the European Union of Women Marina Alta (EUWMA) will present readings on cultural change, featuring texts by leading English, Dutch and Australian women writers.
On Thursday, August 20th (10.00 pm), the travelling poetry recital ‘Poems in the Streets: Artistic Creations that Speak’, directed by Mar Busquets Mataix, president of the Association of Women Writers of the Mediterranean Arc, will take place as it wanders through the festively decorated streets.
The grand finale to the festival’s main week will take place on Friday, August 21st at 8.00 pm at the Social Centre, with a powerful literary event structured in three parts: firstly, the ‘Voces de nuestro pueblo’ ‘Voices of Our People’ session featuring Jacinta Pastor, Ana Torres and Miguel Almenara; followed by a heartfelt homage to the celebrated author Francesc Almela i Vives (1901–1967), named ‘Writer of the Year 2026’ by the Valencian Academy of Language (AVL); and, to round off the event, the major round-table discussion ‘Cuando nuestra Marina se convierte en Alta literatura’, ‘When Our Marina Becomes High Literature’, moderated by Jovi Lozano and bringing together three leading figures in contemporary Valencian literature: Mar Busquets, Pepa Guardiola and Elvira Cambrils.
The councillorships of Culture and Equality, together with the association Clásicas y Modernas, invite all residents of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, as well as neighbours from across the region and visitors, to join in and enjoy this great celebration of literature, feminist art and culture outdoors.
