World Paella Day Cup 2026

The World Paella Day Cup world final is cooked up on Sunday 20 September at La Marina de València, from 10:00am to 3:00pm, and watching costs nothing. Twelve chefs who qualified through heats held across three continents —from Tokyo to Querétaro, from Bucharest to Piriápolis— cook live in front of a specialist panel of judges.

What's being judged

The judges assess flavour, the rice's texture, technique and socarrat, that caramelised layer at the bottom that in València separates a decent paella from a good one. Watching twelve chefs from elsewhere fight it out over precisely that detail is the most entertaining part of the contest, and explains why the event is taken seriously here rather than treated as folklore for tourists.

Entry and tasting

Access to the public area is free, and there's a tasting zone throughout the day. It's one of the few big food events in the city that doesn't charge for entry; the guide to free things to do in Valencia covers the others.

If you're left hungry for rice

A contest is for watching, not eating, so book a table beforehand: the guide to where to eat the best paella in València explains what sets a serious rice restaurant apart, and beachside classics like La Pepica are ten minutes from the venue. To get a sense of the rest of the local cuisine, what to eat in València. Getting there is easy by public transport: see getting around València.