From Moors and Christians to Fiestas Patronales, Benidorm celebrates with spectacular events throughout the year.
Spain's reputation as a nation that knows how to celebrate is fully embodied in Benidorm, where festivals, fiestas, and cultural events fill the calendar throughout the year. Far from being merely a beach resort, Benidorm maintains deep connections to Spanish traditions, with celebrations that range from solemn religious processions to exuberant street parties. For visitors and residents alike, these festivals provide windows into authentic Spanish culture while offering entertainment and spectacle that creates lasting memories.
Understanding Spanish Festival Culture
Spanish festivals serve multiple purposes beyond mere celebration. They reinforce community bonds, honor religious and historical traditions, provide opportunities for social gathering, and preserve cultural practices that might otherwise fade in modern life. Participating in local festivals – even as an observer – connects you to the community in ways that beach holidays alone cannot achieve.
Most Spanish festivals follow predictable patterns: processions (either religious or secular), music and dancing, traditional foods, fireworks, and extended hours of celebration that often continue until dawn. Don't expect early nights during fiesta season – the Spanish approach is to embrace the moment fully.
Fiestas Patronales: November's Grand Celebration
Benidorm's Fiestas Patronales (Patron Saint Festivals) represent the pinnacle of the local festival calendar. Held in the second week of November, these celebrations honor both the Virgen del Sufragio and San Jaime (Saint James), the town's patron saints.
The festivities typically span 9-10 days, with events scheduled from morning until well past midnight. The highlights include:
The Entrada de Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians Parade): This spectacular parade commemorates the historical conflicts between Christian and Moorish forces during the Reconquista. Participants dressed in elaborate costumes – some representing medieval Christian warriors, others as Moorish soldiers – march through the streets in a display of color, music, and theatrical drama. The costumes, often worth thousands of euros and prepared throughout the year, represent astonishing craftsmanship and dedication.
The parade follows a traditional format: Christian forces "defend" the town center from Moorish "attackers," with mock battles, cannon fire (blanks, but impressively loud), and dramatic confrontations. The spectacle can seem confusing to newcomers, but the pageantry and energy are undeniable regardless of whether you follow the narrative.
Religious Processions: More solemn but equally moving, religious processions carry statues of the Virgin and San Jaime through the old town streets. These processions feature traditional music, elaborate floral decorations, and participants in traditional dress. The contrast with the Moors and Christians exuberance illustrates the dual nature of Spanish festival culture.
Fireworks: Benidorm takes pyrotechnics seriously, with nightly fireworks displays during the fiestas building to a spectacular finale on the final weekend. The closing "mascletà" – a daytime firework display focused on noise and rhythm rather than visual effects – must be experienced to be appreciated. The ground literally shakes during the most intense passages.
Live Music and Dancing: Temporary stages throughout the town host live performances ranging from traditional bands to contemporary Spanish pop artists. The central plazas fill with dancing crowds, and the party atmosphere continues until sunrise.
For visitors planning to experience the Fiestas Patronales, book accommodation well in advance. Benidorm fills up during this period, with many Spanish families making annual pilgrimages to celebrate with friends and relatives who live in the area.
Carnival: February's Colorful Chaos
Carnival (Carnaval) arrives in February, typically 40 days before Easter, marking the final celebration before the traditional Lenten period of abstinence. While Benidorm's carnival doesn't match the scale of Tenerife or Cádiz, it provides several days of colorful entertainment.
The main carnival parade features elaborate floats, costumed groups (comparsas), and marching bands. Themes change each year, though fantasy, historical, and satirical costumes are perennial favorites. The children's parade on a separate day allows families to participate, with schools and community groups preparing themed costumes.
Evening events during carnival week include costume competitions (with prizes for most elaborate, most humorous, and most original), concerts, and street parties. The final night traditionally ends with the "burial of the sardine" – a symbolic funeral procession that marks the end of carnival and the beginning of Lent.
Carnival provides excellent photo opportunities, and participation is welcomed. Even simple costumes or masks allow you to join the spirit of the celebration.
Semana Santa: Easter's Solemn Beauty
Holy Week (Semana Santa) transforms Benidorm's old town into a stage for religious devotion expressed through centuries-old traditions. While less elaborate than the famous Semana Santa celebrations in Seville or Málaga, Benidorm's Holy Week events offer intimate access to moving ceremonies.
Religious brotherhoods (cofradías) organize processions throughout the week leading up to Easter, with the most significant events occurring from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday. Participants called nazarenos wear distinctive pointed hoods (capirotes) and long robes, walking barefoot through the streets in acts of penance and devotion.
The pasos – elaborate floats carrying religious statues depicting scenes from Christ's passion – are carried through the narrow old town streets by teams of costaleros (bearers). The weight of these structures, combined with the confined spaces, creates moments of intense effort and emotion. Traditional marching bands provide accompaniment, with drums and brass creating somber, moving soundscapes.
Key processions include: - Palm Sunday: Blessing of palms and initial processions - Holy Wednesday: Procession of Silence, particularly moving - Maundy Thursday: Multiple processions commemorating the Last Supper - Good Friday: The most solemn day, with morning and evening processions - Easter Sunday: Celebratory processions marking the Resurrection
Visitors should observe respectfully, remembering that these events hold deep religious significance for participants. Photography is generally acceptable but should be unobtrusive.
San Juan: Midsummer Magic
The festival of San Juan (Saint John) on June 23-24 celebrates the summer solstice with fire, water, and tradition. This is one of Spain's most beloved festivals, and Benidorm's beach setting makes it particularly special.
The central ritual involves building bonfires on the beach, around which celebrations continue throughout the shortest night of the year. Tradition holds that jumping over the flames (as they die down!) brings good luck and cleanses away evil spirits. At midnight, many celebrants rush into the sea for the first swim of summer, believing the water has special purifying properties on this night.
The practical experience involves gathering on the beach as evening falls, watching bonfires being lit along the sand, enjoying food and drinks with friends and strangers, and staying awake to greet the sunrise. The atmosphere is magical – thousands of people gathered on the beach, firelight dancing on the water, the smell of woodsmoke mixing with sea air.
Many locals write wishes or troubles on paper and burn them in the fires, symbolically releasing the old and welcoming new possibilities. The communal nature of the celebration – strangers sharing food, drink, and midnight swims – creates connections that characterize Spanish social culture at its best.
Feria de Andalucía: Southern Flavors
September brings the Feria de Andalucía, celebrating the culture of southern Spain that has become integral to Benidorm through generations of Andalusian migration. The Costa Blanca attracted workers from Andalusia during the tourism development years, and their cultural traditions have become woven into local life.
The feria recreates the atmosphere of southern Spanish celebrations, with temporary casetas (tented venues) serving food and drinks. Flamenco performances showcase this UNESCO-recognized art form, while sevillanas dancing invites participation from all skill levels. The distinctive polka-dot dresses (trajes de flamenca) appear throughout the event, lending color and elegance.
Traditional foods feature prominently: gazpacho, fried fish, jamón, and sherry wines provide fuel for dancing that continues late into the night. The atmosphere is welcoming and inclusive – Andalusians are famously hospitable, and newcomers to sevillanas dancing are encouraged and taught rather than excluded.
The feria provides an excellent introduction to Andalusian culture for those who might not travel further south, while offering Andalusian residents and their descendants a connection to their cultural roots.
Festival Internacional de la Canción de Benidorm
The Benidorm International Song Festival holds a special place in Spanish popular culture history, even though its heyday has passed. Launched in 1959, the festival was modeled on the San Remo Festival in Italy and served as a launching pad for Spanish music careers throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
The festival's most famous moment came in 1968 when Julio Iglesias won with "La Vida Sigue Igual," launching one of the most successful international careers in Spanish music history. Many other Spanish artists gained early recognition through the festival.
After a period of decline and hiatus, the festival was revived and continues in modified form. While no longer the cultural force it once was, the event attracts music fans and provides nostalgic entertainment. The association with Benidorm's tourist development makes it a fitting celebration of the town's modern identity.
Other Notable Events
Beyond the major festivals, Benidorm's calendar includes numerous smaller celebrations:
Three Kings Parade (January 5): The Cabalgata de Reyes Magos sees the Three Wise Men parade through town, throwing sweets to children on the night before Spanish children traditionally receive their Christmas gifts.
Valencia Day (October 9): Celebrates the region's identity with traditional music, dance, and food. A good opportunity to experience Valencian (as opposed to broader Spanish) culture.
Constitution Day (December 6): A national holiday marked with official ceremonies and public celebrations.
Local Neighborhood Fiestas: Various neighborhoods hold their own celebrations throughout the year, often honoring local patron saints with more intimate celebrations than the city-wide events.
Practical Tips for Festival Visitors
Experiencing Benidorm's festivals requires some practical preparation:
Accommodation fills quickly during major festivals. Book weeks or months in advance for Fiestas Patronales, and expect higher prices.
Prepare for late nights. Spanish festivals don't follow Northern European schedules – major events often don't begin until 10pm or later, with celebrations continuing until sunrise.
Stay hydrated and pace yourself. Hot weather, alcohol, and late nights combine to challenge unprepared visitors.
Dress appropriately for the occasion. While casual clothing suits most events, some religious processions merit more respectful attire.
Join in where invited. Spanish festivals welcome participation, and locals generally appreciate visitors who show genuine interest in traditions.
Conclusion
Benidorm's festival calendar reveals a dimension of the town that beach tourism alone cannot provide. These celebrations connect present-day residents and visitors to centuries of tradition while creating new memories and community bonds. Whether you're watching the elaborate costumes of Moors and Christians, jumping bonfires at San Juan, or observing the solemn beauty of Semana Santa processions, festivals offer authentic cultural experiences that enrich any stay in this vibrant Mediterranean town.
