Benidorm Festivals

If there's one thing the Spanish love above all else, it's a fiesta, and Benidorm holds some fantastic ones. Whether you're in town for all night dancing and celebrating, amazing fireworks or unique local traditions, there's a festival with your name on it somewhere in the Benidorm calendar. Check out our guide to some of the biggest and best celebrations.

Benidorm Festival Calendar

Benidorm is a party city, and as such, whenever you turn up there'll probably be some sort of celebration going on. If there's an event you really want to attend, it's worth planning and booking as early as possible, because the city gets very busy for festivals and accommodation gets filled up quickly.

January

5th January - 3 Kings Procession - One of the most traditional fiestas, which takes place across the whole of Spain on this night, when gifts are given out and a huge parade is held in celebration of the 3 kings delivering gifts to baby Jesus. This day is for many Spanish families, bigger than Christmas Day, and the evening culminates in a huge fireworks display.

February

Date depends on Easter - Carnival - If you can't make it all the way to Rio for Carnival, then make sure you get yourself to Benidorm instead. Beginning on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday with a massive, colourful parade, filled with intricate costumes, dancing and joy and ending on Shrove Tuesday with the symbolic Burial of the Sardine on the beach, the streets of Benidorm come alive with pulsing music, dancing and celebration.

March

Mid March - Fallas - Turning up in Benidorm during the celebration of Fallas could be a bit of a shock to the unsuspecting visitor who finds the city in flames. The festival is focussed on San Jose, the patron saint of carpenters, and to celebrate him, 80 effigies (known as 'Ninots') are burned around Benidorm.
17th - St Patrick's Day - Although not a traditional Spanish holiday, the people of Benidorm have taken St Patrick's Day to their hearts, and show their appreciation with street parties and club nights celebrating the Irish patron saint.
Late March/early April - Semana Santa Festival - In the week before Easter, Spain marks it's Catholic faith with penance processions through city streets to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

April

Early April - Elvis Festival - Yes, you read that right - every Spring the King comes to southern Spain. A must for Elvis fans, it's a weekend full of tributes, parties and celebrations, so slip on your blue suede shoes and prepare to be all shook up as you dance the night away.

May

3rd - Holy Cross Fiesta - A day of celebration, where Benidorm districts decorate buildings with crosses, beautiful flowers and organise parades through the streets.
Mid May - Benidorm Soul Festival - One for the music fans, as for a weekend in May Benidorm's clubs and bars play host to DJs and musicians from around the world in a celebration of soul music.

June

Date dependant - Corpus Christi - A moveable feast when Spain embraces its Christian heritage in celebration of the Holy Eucharist. In Benidorm, this usually takes the form of colourful parades of people and horses, fairgrounds and celebrations long into the night.

July

6th-7th - San Fermin Fiesta - The culture vultures amongst you will have noted that this date is synonymous with the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, and Benidorm marks this historic event in its own way. Don't worry, you won't be needed to swerve around any angry cattle as you make your way through the Old Town streets, but you likely see men in the traditional white and red dress celebrating with local delicacies and drinks on Levante Beach.
16th - Virgen Carmen Fiesta - Make your way down to Benidorm Port for a glimpse of this festival of remembrance, where beautiful floral arrangements are taken out to sea on small fishing boats and scattered across the water, in a mark of respect to those who have lost their lives at sea.
25th - St Jamie Fiesta - A double whammy of a celebration today, as not only is St Jamie the patron saint of Benidorm, but 25th is also the day when the city honours the Spanish military. This involves men and women in military uniform marching through the town - and if there any naval ships in the port, the crew will often come ashore and join in the celebrations. The city also likes to show it's respects in the biggest, noisiest way possible - by firing cannons from the townhall.
Late July/early August - Low Festival - a 3 day event in which Benidorm becomes a rock and indie hotspot, as fans from across the globe come to listen to live acts on huge stages.

August

Take a breather, because there are no official festivals in August, but that doesn't mean that you won't stumble across a small fiesta or celebration somewhere in the city. They do love a party in Benidorm!

September

Early September - Benidorm Pride - Benidorm has long been a fantastic destination for LGBTQ+ travellers, and, during September, the city celebrates its gay culture in a riotous explosion of colour and excitment. Expect parades, singing, dancing and absolute celebration from a city that proudly welcomes everyone with open arms.
Late September/early October - Moors and Christians Fiesta - Benidorm looks to its past for this festival, and reenacts the noisy and thrilling Moorish invasion of Benidorm in a tradition dating back to the 16th century. Hoards of men marching through the streets in historical costume, troops on horseback carrying falcons and even a 'storming' of Benidorm Castle are highlights of the almost week long event, which ends in spectacular style with an immense firework display.

November

Mid November - Fiesta Week - Starting on the second weekend of November, Benidorm's biggest celebration takes over the city for 6 days in honour of Jamie, the patron saint of the city and the Virgin of Suffering. Football, fishing, live music, dancing, processions, parades and parties are just a few of the events packed into the calendar, with something to delight everyone. The grand finale is an enormous firework display on the beach.
Mid November - Fancy Dress Party - On the day after the final day of the Benidorm Fiesta, you may be forgiven for thinking you'd gone a little loco when you see that the streets of the city become filled with superheroes, cartoons and colourful characters. But you haven't indulged in too much sangria, it is in fact the largest fancy dress party in the world, where people from all over Europe descend on Benidorm in all manner of outfits inspired by anything and everything.

December

Another quiet month in Benidorm, when the city takes a breather from the excitement of the year just gone, and gears up for more of the same in the 12 months to come.

Where to Stay In Benidorm

If you're heading to Benidorm for one of the festivals, your best bet is to stay somewhere central. Levante Beach is perfect for being in the heart of the action, and the Old Town is the centre of many of the parades and processions. Take a look at our Benidorm hotels page for more ideas on great places to stay.

Getting to Benidorm

So you've picked your fiesta, booked your room and it's almost time to go. Just don't forget about your transfers from Alicante Airport to Benidorm. You can rely on public transport, or getting a taxi at the airport, but queues are often long and fares can be sky high.

We offer a great range of pre bookable options, so that you can get straight to the good stuff when you land in Alicante. Independent types can hire a car, which the perfect option if you want to take a few trips out of Benidorm and escape the excitement for a while..

Alternatively, there's our Benidorm Airport transfers. With a fantastic choice of shared shuttles and private transfers, including pre paid taxis, it is a super simple, hassle free way to get your Benidorm resort.

Benidorm Attraction Tickets

Check out our attraction tickets for awesome days out on the Costa Blanca.

All information correct at time of writing.