Els Enfarinats Ibi 2026: the flour battle of 28 December

1. The festival at a glance: power taken for a day

Els Enfarinats, a street festival

No ticket found 28 December every year Around 10 °C in December Late December

Els Enfarinats is a satirical festival. A group of men dressed as mock soldiers symbolically takes over the running of the town: they hold the town hall posts, mayor, judge or secretary, and issue « bandos », rhyming, absurd decrees that mock residents and institutions. Facing them, an opposition tries to overthrow them. Both sides then meet in the centre’s streets for a battle of flour, eggs and firecrackers. The official Ibi tourist office page describes the principle, and Directo al Paladar tells it for travellers.

A few words to follow the day. The Enfarinats are the ones who take power. The Amantats are the group that acts the evening before: its members wear a simple blanket (« manta ») as a cape and stage parodies, often political, of the past year (Directo al Paladar, 2023). The Oposició is the side that tries to overthrow the Enfarinats. The tapats are the costumed people who join the dances and processions (comunitatvalenciana.com). The dansà is the group dance that closes the day, according to the press.

Highlights

• A fixed date: 28 December, Holy Innocents’ Day, every year.
• A street festival where you can be hit even just passing through. The sources read mention neither tickets nor stands.
• A local tradition documented since its revival in 1981, recognised as a Festa d’Interés Turístic Autonòmic in 2009.

Pixidia tip: blog accounts describe streets packed from late morning. These accounts are undated and do not replace any official timetable: plan to arrive early to find a spot at the roadside.

No Viator activity covers the festival itself. The cooking class below takes place in Alicante, the city the buses leave from for Ibi. It is not timed to any battle hour, since the sources do not give one for 2026: it is an option for a day in Alicante, unrelated to the festival’s timing.

Alicante Paella Cooking Class, Tapas, Drinks & Central Market★ 4.9 · 50 reviewsPartner link €49 per adult (based on 2 adults), so €98 for two, checked on 3 November 2026; 11 am slot available on 28 December 2026€49 per adult(based on 2 adults), so €98 for two, checked on 3 November 2026 ; 11 am slot available on 28 December 2026

See dates

2. The day’s sequence, based on the latest readable programme

The 2026 programme is not published. To give an idea of the day, we rely on the latest programme readable in the press, that of 2025, supplemented by accounts of the 2024 edition. The sequence described in the sources looks much the same from one year to the next. The times, however, change.

Source: valenciabonita.es (programme announcements, mixed dates), Euronews, 28 December 2025, checked on 3 November 2026.

The battle takes place in the streets of the centre, and the spot can change from one year to the next. In 2024, according to the EFE news agency dispatch picked up by Alicante Plaza, it took place on Les Eres street, opposite the former Rico factory, as the church square was under works. The photos published by the Associated Press on 28 December 2025 show the same pattern: groups in costume, flour in the air, firecrackers in the foreground.

Two sources do not agree on when the day ends. Euronews says that in 2025 the Enfarinats’ authority lasts « until sunset ». A 2024 dispatch cites an end around 5 pm. We found no official programme that settles the question. For 2026, you will need to wait for the town hall to publish its programme.

3. Getting to Ibi from Alicante, Valencia or Madrid

Ibi is about 37 kilometres from Alicante. The sources read list no passenger railway station in the town. The bus is therefore the simplest option from Alicante, operated by Grupo Subús. The aggregators advertise about ten departures a day and a journey of 53 minutes to 1 h 25. The departure point in Alicante varies across sources: bus station, airport or Avenida Salamanca. The ticket shows the correct stop.

Source: Omio, Busbud, mytransfers.com, checked on 3 November 2026.

No official timetable source has been found for the Alicante–Ibi link. The last departure from Ibi, around 9:15 pm, is given only by an aggregator. Check the timetable with the operator before planning your day, especially if you plan to return to Alicante the same evening.

From Madrid, we found no direct bus to Ibi. One option flagged by aggregators combines the high-speed train to Alicante with the bus afterwards (about 2 h 20 for the rail part, according to aggregators). From Valencia, the car or a train followed by a bus are the only options we found. In both cases, the connection has not been checked.

Traffic and parking on 28 December: no information found; to ask the town hall.

4. The battle in numbers

The only figure-based dispatch we found on ammunition comes from the EFE news agency, picked up by Alicante Plaza. It describes the 2024 edition; the exact article date is not confirmed. The figures give a sense of scale, not a reference statistic: it is a single article.

Source: Alicante Plaza, EFE dispatch, checked on 3 November 2026. Exact article date not confirmed.

Photos from the 2025 edition, published by the Associated Press on 28 December 2025, show the same gestures: flour, eggs, firecrackers and costumed figures in the middle of the street. They give no comparable figures.

5. Where does the festival come from? What is established and what remains unclear

The question of the festival’s age comes up often. Most English-language articles claim it is more than 200 years old, without citing any document. We do not retain this figure: it could not be verified in the sources read.

What is established is the festival’s revival in 1981. Local press from 2016 describes it as thirty-five years old since that revival, and the Catalan encyclopaedia gives the same date. Another entry in that encyclopaedia mentions an interruption in 1957. Accounts mention a ban during the civil war and the Franco era, but the sources do not agree and these accounts remain hypotheses. Other dates circulate, such as 1797 or 1862, without any document backing them in the sources we read.

On the institutional side, the festival was recognised as a Festa d’Interés Turístic Autonòmic in 2009. The Ibi tourist office gives June 2009, while other articles say July. We retain only the year, which is not in dispute.

6. What to wear, what to expect, and what is not said

We found no safety guidance published by the town hall or the tourist office in the pages checked on 3 November 2026. The regional fact sheet also gives no contact in case of trouble. Accounts describe firecrackers and rockets set off during the day, and passers-by caught up in the battle. Our searches of 3 November 2026 found no report of an accident or injury.

In the absence of official guidance, travel guides offer common-sense advice. It is not sourced and should be read as such: wear old clothes you do not mind losing, keep your phone and camera in a waterproof bag, wear protective glasses, and bring spare clothes for the afternoon.

Finally, the festival is not a seated show. You experience it in the street, and you can be hit even if you stay at the side. Keeping an eye on the groups arriving helps you stay out of the way when the mood rises: this is an editorial tip, not a rule.

7. Budget: what a trip to Ibi costs

The festival itself does not seem to be ticketed. No ticket sales were found, and the sources describe a street festival. The budget therefore depends mostly on transport and accommodation. Here are the items we found, with their status.

• Entry to the festival: no ticket found. It seems free, but no official source confirms this in black and white (check with the town hall).
• Alicante–Ibi bus: about $10 according to Busbud, on average. Price not checked with the operator.
• Taxi or transfer from Alicante airport: about €79 according to booking platforms. This is an estimate, not an official rate.
• Accommodation in central Alicante: about €141 a night on average, according to a comparison platform (undated figure). We found no price for Ibi for this period.
• Valencian Toy Museum: rates not found on the official website as of 3 November 2026.

To keep costs down, the most straightforward option is to stay in Alicante and take the bus in the morning. The return depends on the last departure from Ibi, to be checked before you leave. A night on site in Ibi is an option, but we found no accommodation prices for the town for this period.

8. Building a short trip around 28 December

The Festes d’Hivern run from 13 December to 6 January, according to the official Generalitat fact sheet. The 28th is the high point, according to the same sheet. If your dates coincide with the Christmas holidays, the Christmas holiday calendar for 2026-2027 by Spanish region helps you place the week.

For a day without the battle, the Museo Valenciano del Juguete, in the town, offers a visit devoted to toys. Its hours and rates could not be checked at the time of writing. The museum is at No. 1 Glorieta Nicolás Payá Jover.

What other guides don’t tell you about Els Enfarinats

The following points come from open official sources or dated press. They are missing from some guides, or differ between them.

• The 2026 programme is not published. The « Próximas actividades » section of the town hall website shows « No hay actividades disponibles », with a last visible date of 30 October 2026. The tourist office page links to a document hosted outside the site. ibi.es (checked on 3 November 2026).
• The Festes d’Hivern run until 6 January, not 5. The local press writes 5 January; the official Generalitat fact sheet writes 6 January. comunitatvalenciana.com (checked on 3 November 2026).
• The « 200 years » age is not documented in any of the sources read. The 1981 revival is: local press from 2016 dates it at thirty-five years. Alicante Plaza, 28 December 2016 (checked on 3 November 2026).
• End times vary from year to year. Euronews (2025) mentions « sunset »; a 2024 dispatch cites around 5 pm. No source gives the 2026 time. Euronews, 28 December 2025 (checked on 3 November 2026).
• The donations go to a retirement home. The collection from local shops is handed to the San Joaquín retirement home. Alicante Plaza, 28 December 2016 (checked on 3 November 2026).
• No official safety guidance in sight. We found no guidance published in the pages checked on 3 November 2026. Guides often advise wearing disposable clothes, but without a source. Euronews (2025) mentions none. Directo al Paladar, 28 December 2023 (checked on 3 November 2026).