Valls will host the third edition of its popular Valls Juga board game festival on 21 March 2026. The event, held at the Sala Kursaal, aims to repeat the success of its previous edition, which attracted 1,750 attendees.
Organisers, including Món Aualé, Moviment Educatiu de l’Alt Camp (MEAC), Rol en família, Llibreria Tram, La Pera Juganera, Centre Cívic de Valls, and VallsJove, have started preparations. They said the success of the first two editions encourages them to make the festival grow in audience and offerings, aiming to establish it as a leading event in the region.
Ramon Balcells, head of the 'Rol en família' outreach channel, explained the goal is to create an in-person, intergenerational, and social event for all ages. It will offer a space for individuals, families, associations, and the education sector to discover new games, learn about the benefits of board games, or simply enjoy playing in an inclusive environment.
Council Support and Diverse Activities
Natàlia Moncunill, Valls City Council's Councillor for Civic Action and Youth, confirmed the project again has organisational support from the Civic Centre and VallsJove. She stated the festival aligns with the council's philosophy of creating educational leisure activities, fostering intergenerational social spaces, and promoting collaborative values.
Montse Montanyà, president of Moviment Educatiu de l’Alt Camp (MEAC), said the festival will offer activities for all ages. The design includes a varied programme for different audiences, recognising that play and learning are lifelong processes.
Jessica Rodríguez confirmed the third edition will be a single-day event on Saturday, 21 March, running from 10am until midnight. The popular night session will return. While content is still being finalised, organisers have announced tournaments for board games, role-playing games, card games, Mancala games, wargames, historical reenactment games, traditional games, and construction games. There will also be presentations and demonstrations of new releases by publishers and authors, catering to all ages and skill levels.
Playing and Teaching Play
Pep Ruiz, a member of the 'La Pera Juganera' cultural association, expressed enthusiasm for the festival. He said the event allows the association to do what they enjoy most: playing and teaching others to play. The association, which provides many demonstrators for the festival, expects a strong public turnout for the third edition.
Gerard Caballero, owner of Llibreria Tram, stated the festival will again feature collaborating shops and publishers. They will have sales stands offering a wide range of board games, game books, role-playing games, and gamification materials. Attendees can also participate in a raffle for games donated by participating publishers. Caballero noted the goal is for people who discover new games through demonstrations to be able to buy them at the event, providing a full experience. He highlighted that over 115 games were demonstrated at the second edition, showing the festival's scale.
Access to the festival will be open and free for all. The outdoor area of the Kursaal will feature traditional Catalan and international games, wooden games, educational and family activities, and various workshops.
Valls on the Gaming Map
Jordi Climent, founder and editor of Món Aualé, a magazine about Mancala games, and content manager for the festival, said Valls has been placed on Catalonia's gaming map after two editions. The organisation is working to consolidate the event and make it a leading festival in the Camp de Tarragona region and across Catalonia. Climent noted that organisers of other Catalan game festivals have visited Valls and congratulated the team, seeing attendance success and positive feedback as motivation for future editions.
Meritxell Garriga, an illustrator from Valls now living in Barcelona, designed the poster for the third edition. Llorenç Casanova, a festival organiser, explained the poster is a critical visual entry point. The design features games and Valls as central elements. Garriga, who studied illustration at Escola Massana and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Bologna, won the Carnet Jove Design Scholarship in 2024. Her previous work includes posters for Valls' Sant Joan Festival and the Raval Festival, and her editorial project 'Al fons a la dreta', which won the Eva Toldrà Award for best book project.
The poster transforms Valls into a game board, with iconic buildings and characters as protagonists. Its use of blue, red, yellow, and green evokes classic games, while the shapes and geometry reference contemporary games. The image invites participation in the event.
Councillor Moncunill reiterated that Valls Juga offers activities for all ages, from early childhood to complex wargames, board games, and role-playing games. Family-oriented activities remain a defining feature. Bringing different generations together shows that play has no age limits and is accessible to everyone through its universal language. Few events, she said, offer meeting spaces for such diverse populations.
