Castelló was founded on a hill and moved down to the plain in 1251, and the Magdalena commemorates the move: on the first Saturday the city walks back up to the Ermita de la Magdalena carrying green canes, a romería of tens of thousands. The nine days that follow bring gaiates — illuminated monuments without fire, the structural opposite of the Valencian falla — plus daily mascletàs, bullfights and a closing firework display.
No attendance figure is published.
The timing rule matters and is routinely misstated. The festival begins on the third Saturday of Lent, which means it is Easter-linked and moves between late February and early April; listing it as a fixed March event is wrong.
Castelló is an hour north of Valencia by train.
PlanningEaster-linked by a Lenten rule, so the nine days move with Easter — not a fixed March date.