Every September, Dénia’s seafront promenade at Marineta Cassiana transforms into one of the Costa Blanca’s most distinctive food events: D*na Festival, a gastronomic celebration that fills the Mediterranean-facing walkway with chefs, producers, and artisans for a weekend built entirely around the region’s culinary identity. In 2026, the festival runs on 26 and 27 September, marking its ninth edition.
The event is curated by Quique Dacosta, the three-Michelin-star chef whose namesake restaurant sits just outside Dénia and who has become closely associated with the town’s culinary reputation. That reputation isn’t incidental — Dénia holds UNESCO recognition as a Creative City of Gastronomy, one of the reasons D*na has grown into a genuine destination event rather than a local fair.
What’s On in the 2026 Edition
This year’s theme centres on the transmission of culinary knowledge — chefs, restaurateurs, producers, and artisans demonstrating their craft directly to visitors rather than keeping it behind a kitchen door. The 2026 programme includes:
- Close to fifty stands along the seafront dedicated to local produce and gastronomy.
- Universo Líquido — a dedicated space exploring wine, spirits, olive oil, beer and coffee, including sessions from the Comunitat Valenciana’s wine tourism federation and a guided extra virgin olive oil tasting.
- Showcookings and live demonstrations from chefs sharing techniques ranging from curing charcuterie to gluten-free pasta and honey tasting.
- A literary thread running through the weekend, tying food culture to storytelling and the written word — a first for this edition.
- Family-friendly workshops for both children and adults, alongside tastings and talks that are free and open to the public.
Why It’s Worth Planning Around
Unlike a fixed-format food festival, D*na is built for wandering — the seafront layout means visitors can move between stands, tastings, and demonstrations at their own pace over the course of the weekend, making it easy to combine with the rest of a Dénia visit. Given the event’s growing reputation (past editions have drawn chefs including Jordi Cruz, Ángel León, and Susi Díaz), arriving with a rough plan for which sessions matter most is worth doing, since the more popular demonstrations tend to draw crowds quickly.
For visitors combining the festival with the rest of what Dénia has to offer, Costa Blanca Digital’s guide to the town’s top things to do and its historic castle both make good additions to a festival weekend, particularly for visitors staying more than a day.
Good to Know Before You Go
- Location: Paseo de la Marineta Cassiana, Dénia’s seafront promenade — walkable from the town centre and port.
- Cost: many talks, tastings, and demonstrations are free and open to the public, though some premium tastings may require separate booking.
- Timing: as a weekend event, expect the busiest crowds on Saturday; arriving earlier in the day gives better access to popular showcooking sessions.
Note: the detailed hour-by-hour 2026 programme was still being finalised at the time of writing. Confirm exact session times via the official D*na Festival Dénia website closer to the event.
