June is when Valencia switches to summer mode. The first hot week arrives, the school year ends, the tax return closes, and two of the city's oldest traditions land within a few weeks of each other: the Corpus Christi procession with its medieval carts, and the night of 23 June when the whole city goes down to the beach to light fires.
This is the June entry in our month-by-month series, between May and July. Read what August is like before you plan the rest of the summer.
The weather in June
AEMET's normals for the Valencia city station give June an average of 22.9C, with highs of 27.1C and lows of 18.6C. Rain drops to 22mm (about 0.9 in) over two or three days, and sunshine reaches about 276 hours. The first heatwave of the year often arrives in the second half of the month, when highs push past 30C for a few days and nights stop cooling down.
The sea is 22C to 23C by mid-month, which is when swimming becomes routine rather than brave. The full picture is in our climate guide, and the figures are AEMET's published normals.
Corpus Christi and the Rocas
Photo: Ponscor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Corpus Christi is the oldest festival in the city, celebrated here since the fourteenth century, and Valencia keeps it on the Sunday after the feast day, which falls in June in most years and late May in a few. The centrepiece is les Roques (), a set of huge painted wooden carts, the oldest from the sixteenth century, pulled by horses from their museum on the Carrer de Roteros to the Plaça de la Mare de Déu on the Saturday. On the Sunday the Cavalcada del Convit at midday parades giants, dancers and biblical characters through the old town, and the main procession leaves the cathedral in the evening.
We cover the programme and where to watch in our post on Corpus Christi in Valencia. For a resident the thing to know is that the old town is closed to traffic for most of the weekend.
The Nit de Sant Joan
Photo: Manuel M. Vicente, CC BY 2.0
On the night of 23 June the city goes to the beach. The Nit de Sant Joan () is the midsummer night, and tens of thousands of people head to the Cabanyal and Malva-rosa sands to light bonfires, jump over them and wade into the sea at midnight. The council marks out the zones where fires are allowed, hands out firewood from the evening, closes the roads to the seafront from about 18:00 and runs extra transport through the night.
Our post on the Nit de Sant Joan has the rules, the transport and what to bring. 24 June, Sant Joan itself, has been a regional public holiday in recent years, so check the calendar before booking anything for that day.
What to eat in June
Photo: Juan Emilio Prades Bel, CC BY 4.0
June is when horchata stops being a treat and becomes a habit. The horchaterÃas are at full stretch, the drink is served ice-cold with fartons for dipping, and the classic order is horchata con fartons () at about six in the evening. Our horchata guide explains the chufa behind it and names the places worth the detour.
At the market the summer crops take over: the tomate valenciano, peppers, aubergines, courgettes, the first melons and watermelons. The Albufera rice is standing green in the water. The huerta guide has the seasonal table, and our paella guide is for the Sunday lunch by the lake.
What changes for residents
Three deadlines sit in June. The school year ends in the third week of the month for every stage from Infantil to Bachillerato, after which families juggle summer camps until September; our school year calendar has the dates. The tax return closes on 30 June, and a return that results in a payment must be filed by then. And the heat arrives: the last fortnight of June is when air conditioning goes on and the city shifts its outdoor life to after eight in the evening.
We wrote a whole guide to surviving the summer heat at home, from shutters to fans to the timing of errands, and June is the month to read it.
If you are moving this month
June works if you arrive in the first half. Offices are fully staffed, the school year is still running if you need to visit schools, and the heat is not yet the problem it becomes in July. Leave the second half for settling in. The moving to Valencia guide sets out the order of the paperwork, and the admin support service handles the appointments if your own calendar is already full.
June is the last month of the year that feels entirely like Valencia's own, before the holiday rhythms of July and August take over. See the Rocas, go to the beach on the 23rd, file the return, and buy a fan. July, with the Gran Fira and the Batalla de Flors, is next.
Arriving before the summer?
We help you time the paperwork, the school visits and the move itself so the end-of-year deadlines and the first heatwave do not catch you out.
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About the author
Michael Bastin
Founder, ValenciaMove - Valencia since 2016
Michael has lived in Valencia since 2016 and helps people move here.
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