Lloret de Mar Rice Gastronomy Days: a look back at the 2026 edition
Throughout May, Lloret de Mar once again made rice one of the stars of its local cuisine. From 1 to 31 May 2026, the Rice Gastronomy Days celebrated their 26th edition, bringing together restaurants, hotels and local culinary professionals around one of the Mediterranean's most versatile ingredients.
This year's event involved 18 establishments and the Lloret Hospitality School, with dishes showcasing different ways of preparing rice while highlighting local produce and the town's maritime heritage.
What are the Lloret de Mar Rice Gastronomy Days?
The Rice Gastronomy Days are a well-established event in Lloret de Mar's culinary calendar. Every May, participating establishments prepare special menus and dishes in which rice takes centre stage.
The initiative promotes local cuisine and a gastronomic tradition closely linked to the Mediterranean. Fish, seafood, vegetables and other regional products find in rice an exceptionally versatile ingredient that each kitchen can interpret in its own way.
It is an opportunity to discover another side of Lloret and see how one simple ingredient can inspire a wide variety of dishes.
What happened in the 2026 edition?
The 26th edition ran throughout May 2026 and involved 18 establishments as well as the Lloret Hospitality School.
Participating restaurants and hotels were located in different parts of the municipality, from central Lloret to Fenals and Cala Canyelles. This variety meant visitors could discover very different approaches to rice cuisine.
The event placed particular emphasis on local produce, creativity and Lloret's maritime traditions, three elements closely connected to the town's culinary identity.
Rice prepared in many different ways
One of the defining features of the event is its variety. Rice can be served dry, soupy or creamy and combined with fish, seafood, meat or vegetables.
Rather than focusing on a single recipe, the Rice Gastronomy Days showcase multiple interpretations of the ingredient. Some dishes are inspired by traditional Catalan coastal cooking, while others introduce more contemporary techniques and combinations.
This makes the event appealing both to lovers of classic rice dishes and to visitors keen to try something different.
A tradition shaped by Lloret's maritime past
Lloret de Mar's gastronomy is closely tied to its history by the sea. For generations, Mediterranean ingredients have shaped the local cuisine and inspired recipes in which rice has often played an important role.
The event celebrates precisely this relationship between food and place. It is not only about enjoying special dishes for a few weeks, but also about recognising gastronomy as part of Lloret's cultural heritage.
Who organises the Rice Gastronomy Days?
The 2026 edition was organised by the Lloret de Mar Bars and Restaurants Association, the Lloret de Mar Hospitality Guild and Lloret Turisme.
Collaboration between local hospitality businesses and the tourism sector has helped maintain an event that, after more than two decades, has become one of Lloret's most recognisable spring gastronomic traditions.
A great time of year to discover Lloret de Mar
May is also an excellent time to combine food with a short Costa Brava getaway. Mild temperatures make it ideal for walking the coastal paths, visiting beaches and coves such as Fenals or Sa Boadella, or exploring places such as the Santa Clotilde Gardens and Lloret's historic centre.
A rice lunch can therefore become the starting point for a full day of discovering another side of the destination.
Stay at Nice Camps Lloret de Mar
If you want more time to explore the area, Nice Camps Lloret de Mar gives you a base in the town itself from which to combine food, nature and the coast.
You can organise different plans around Lloret and its surroundings, dedicate a day to its culinary scene and leave plenty of time for beaches, walks and Mediterranean surroundings.
Discovering Lloret de Mar around the table
The Lloret de Mar Rice Gastronomy Days once again showed in 2026 that food is another way to understand the destination. For an entire month, restaurants, hotels and future hospitality professionals demonstrated just how much variety can come from an ingredient as familiar as rice.
A tradition that connects Lloret's maritime past with a contemporary, creative and unmistakably Mediterranean cuisine.