The city centre of Elche will be transported back to medieval times during the 28th edition of the Festival Medieval d'Elx from the 24th to the 31st October 2023. The Festival includes various exhibitions, shows and concerts as well as a Medieval Market from the 26th to the 29th with some 150 stalls. 

 

Elche has a special connection with the Medieval period of history as it is believed that the Misteri d'Elx Play originates from then. The Misteri d'Elx is a liturgical drama which commemorates the Assumption of Mary. It is performed by local men (women being forbidden to act during the middle ages) from Elche in the Basilica de Santa María on the 13th, 14th and 15th of August as part of the patron saint fiesta and during even number years there are extraordinary performances on the 28th, 29th and 30th October and the 1st November, at the end of the Medieval Fiesta. In 2001, UNESCO declared the play to be one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.