What's on in Elx/Elche

Elche sits inland from the Costa Blanca, a working Valencian city famous for one thing above all: its palm groves. The Palmeral, a vast forest of date palms planted in Moorish times, wraps around the city and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, best seen on a slow walk through the Huerto del Cura. It's a real, lived-in place — a shoe-making town with a strong cultural streak rather than a tourist resort.

The arts calendar carries the year here. The Elx Jazz Festival is a long-running fixture, and there's a steady run of concerts and theatre — a sitar recital by Sazed Ul Alam, the Óscar Martín young theatre showcase, and open-air sets from The Jumpers Trio. Here's what's on while you're in town.