The President of the Parliament of Catalonia, Josep Rull, inaugurated last Saturday, November 14th, the 29th Maials Green Olive Fair. The event, which transforms the Segrià municipality into a benchmark for olive culture and local products, features nearly a hundred exhibitors this year and an extensive program of activities combining tradition, gastronomy, culture, and innovation.
At the Town Hall, Rull was welcomed by the Mayor of Maials, David Masot, and the municipal corporation. There, the Parliament President signed the Council's Book of Honor and presented an institutional gift: a limited edition, numbered official Catalan flag, with copy number 333 for Maials, created in 2016 on the initiative of the then-president of the chamber, Carme Forcadell.
Subsequently, they proceeded to the Foment Maialenc Agricultural Cooperative and the fairgrounds for the inaugural ceremony. Both Rull and Masot highlighted the Fair's role as a showcase for the municipality's most emblematic product and the result of generations of farmers' work.
The day began with a popular breakfast featuring new extra virgin olive oil at the Cooperative, which is also holding open house days. Saturday's activities included a guided tour of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the Vilaclosa, led by Francesc Sales Piñeiro, the presentation of the board game ‘Ubica’t’, a tasting of nuts with Josep Sabaté, and a monologue by David Sas.
The second day of the Fair will feature the activity ‘Maials d’Oli, del camp a la taula’ (Maials of Oil, from field to table), focusing on the evolution of harvesting systems, with the presentation of an autonomous agricultural robot by Agrin’Pulse. One of the highlights will be the naming of former President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Jordi Pujol as 'Amic de l'Oli 2026' (Friend of the Olive 2026), scheduled for Sunday midday.
The program also includes a guided tour of the church and the Vilaclosa with Mercè Quer, children's theater by 4Contes, and a technical workshop on professionally tasting olive oil with Pilar Pardell. The closing ceremony will be led by Núria Gil, territorial delegate of the Government in Lleida, on Sunday at 6:00 PM.
Throughout the weekend, visitors can also enjoy exhibitions, visits to the Cal Cabalesila Museum, and open house days at the Cooperative. The visit to the Vilaclosa has been reinstated after the first phase of paving works, which will continue in 2027.
