The Year of the Holy Chalice is set to conclude on 29 October, with the Valencia City Council, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Valencia, organising a programme of activities to mark the occasion. This initiative has positioned Valencia as a key destination for those interested in exploring its heritage, history, and culture, as explained by Paula Llobet, the city’s Councillor for Tourism and Innovation.
During a press conference, Llobet was joined by Fernando Ramón, the auxiliary bishop of Valencia and president of the Jubilee Year Commission, and Juan Melchor Seguí, the vicar of Evangelisation. The Department of Culture, through the Palau de la Música, and the Department of Tourism, alongside Valencia Music City, have arranged a series of special concerts linked to the theme of the Holy Grail, which holds significant historical, cultural, and heritage importance for the city.
The first concert will take place on 21 October at 19:30 in the Metropolitan Cathedral, featuring the Valencia Orchestra under the direction of Alexander Liebreich. The concert will include the world premiere of David Moliner's "Katakomben" (Spur des Grals für grosses Orchester), alongside masterpieces from German and French Romanticism, including the prelude to Richard Wagner's opera "Tristan und Isolde" and Camille Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, featuring Pablo Márquez as the organ soloist.
On 25 October at 12:30, the Plaza de la Reina will host a free concert by the youth Catholic music group Hakuna, described by Llobet as one of the rising stars of Christian music in Spain, with significant international reach. The aim is to engage young people who may not be familiar with the history of the Holy Chalice housed in Valencia.
A total of 1,600 unnumbered tickets will be available until capacity is reached, with reservations opening on the Interticket website at 12:00 on 21 October. Attendees can reserve up to four tickets per person to encourage family participation, and there will be designated areas for individuals with reduced mobility. Llobet noted that traffic on Calle de la Paz will be restricted until 11:00 due to the Valencia Half Marathon scheduled for that morning.
On 20 November at 19:30, the Valencia Orchestra will perform again at the Palau de la Música in the Sala Iturbi, featuring excerpts from Wagner's opera "Parsifal," which revolves around the guardianship of the Holy Grail. The concert will also include Schumann's Symphony No. 3, "Rhenish." Llobet expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts with the archdiocese and the Jubilee Year Commission, which have made this programming possible.
Bishop Fernando Ramón detailed the liturgical programme, which includes a diocesan eucharistic vigil in the Plaza de la Virgen on 24 October at 12:00, followed by a mass at 17:30 in the cathedral, concluding with a brief procession featuring the Corpus Processional Custody. The Year of the Holy Chalice will officially close on 29 October at 19:00 with a concluding mass. Additionally, the bishop announced a performance of the musical "The Adventures of the Holy Grail" at the Teatro Olympia.
Ramón also shared positive news regarding visitor numbers to the city during the Year of the Holy Chalice, with over 550,000 visitors recorded since January, comprising more than 170 groups from various regions of the Valencia Community (57%) and other parts of Spain, including Madrid, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Navarre, Castilla-León, Catalonia, Murcia, and the Canary Islands, as well as visitors from three continents.
