If Valencia, Spain, was a Spice Girl, she would definitely be Sporty Spice.
On any day of the year, a stroll through the city’s Jardín del Turia (Turia Gardens)–the 6-mile swath of green running through the city’s center–reveals joggers, cyclists, and athletes traversing Turia’s trails and playing in its multiple sporting facilities. Valencianos love their outdoors. After all, Valencia was selected as the European Capital of Sport in 2011 and honored with the European Green Capital Award in 2024, for its environmental achievements and wealth of green spaces. She also boasts 12 miles of beaches and more than 300 sunny days a year!
This summer, that Mediterranean sun will be refracted into a welcoming rainbow when Valencia hosts Gay Games XII, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ inclusive sporting and cultural event, held every four years since 1982. Queer sporty people of the world, you are invited to “spice up your life” in Valencia from June 27 to July 4, 2026.
Read my full article on LGBTQ+ Valencia in Passport Magazine.
