GO OUTDOORS

BALMY evenings in the Turia Gardens are back and once again you can be serenaded by the students of Berklee College of Music’s international campus in Valencia.

The line-up is packed with soulful tunes, flamenco classics, folk music and Latin jazz.

A collaboration between the music school and the City of Arts and Sciences will see a selection of talented students from 51 countries bring their skills to the open air on select dates in May and July.

Situated on the crystalline waters of Calatrava’s Science Museum, these free open-air concerts offer the perfect way to spend an evening in the city and the chance to support these young musicians too.

While admission is free, you’ll need to book your ticket in advance on the Berklee Valencia website.

The late May dates include May 19 and 26, with further performances held on July 21, 26,27, and 28, courtesy of the Summer Performance Programme.

the whole Valencian Community. From live music beside the waters of the City of Arts and Sciences to the fabulous Aras gardens, here are some top picks for your diary.

Experience Aras en Flor

SITUATED 60 miles northeast of the capital, the charming terracotta-roofed village of Aras de los Olmos puts on a grand spectacle every spring, with a flower festival that makes the drive more than worth it.

From May 20, the entire village will be overflowing with vibrant flower displays, with 17 gorgeous spaces celebrating the best of local flora and human creativity.

A visit to these ephemeral gardens is free, with many of the displays facing the quaint streets, allowing locals and tourists to stroll through the open-air gallery from May through July.

The prizes for gardens will be awarded in the Ethnobotanical Gardens on June 3, and the prizes for vibrant facades follow on July 1.

By Sarah Gordon

Don’t miss:

The magic of flamenco arrives in Valencia’s own Radio City, with live shows in the El Carmen hot spot every Tuesday in May.

Date for the diary:

Missing Las Fallas al- ready? tecniaPiroVulcano brings the wonder back with a mascletamega in Benicalap on June 17.

Did you know:

There are 56 restaurants in the Valencian Community featured in the latest Michelin Guide. Which have you tried?

JEREZ de la Frontera is at the heart of the sherry triangle, the cradle of flamenco, and home to dancing horses. It’s also a city which knows how to party. And there is no better way of finding out than at one of Spain’s most flamboyant ferias – the Feria del Caballo –which takes place from May 6 to 13… and, unlike nearby Sevilla, everyone’s invited.

A glittering society event (albeit with some bawdy carousing in the early hours), Jerez’s feria started out in the traditional way as a horse fair in a field in the middle ages. Even then, ‘trading’ involved late night partying, and the occupants of surrounding houses risked being fined the equivalent of a euro if they failed to keep a lantern burning so the goings-on were illuminated.

Now, when someone important flicks the switch on May 8 at 10pm, Parque Gonzalez Hontoria, the vast fairground in the south of the city which, for most of the year, is a 52-hectare dark (square) roundabout, will be lit up (fuses allowing) by over 1.3 million points of light,