There are many ways to enjoy fiestas in Benidorm. Photo courtesy of stvcr.
Spain loves its fiestas. While these party’s are hosted throughout the country, from Madrid to Barcelona, the Valencian small town of Benidorm has possibly the most fiestas of any other part of Spain, with at least one for almost every month of the year.
If you fancy a trip to this little Spanish town, you can check out what deals are being offered online. For example, you can book a holiday to Benidorm with First Choice or use another reputable holiday site. So have a look through the following list of Spanish fiestas, see what you fancy, and head to Benidorm. It’s easy to get to; the weather is almost guaranteed to be better than elsewhere in the U.K., and you’ll find a range of accommodations and tours that fit almost any budget.
The Fiesta Schedule Throughout the year
January
January has two fabulous religious festivals; Three Kings (Cabalgata de Reyes) and the Fiesta of Saint Anthony Abbot. In Spain, the Three Kings arrival at the manger on 5th of January is the main gift-giving day of the Christmas celebrations and there are processions through the town to the churches. Additionally, St. Anthony the Abbot is very important in the Coptic Church, celebrated in Benidorm on January 17. He is the saint one prays to if suffering from a skin condition.
February
This month you’ll find one of the town’s quirkiest celebrations: the funeral of the sardine! Based on the old mythology of dying to live again — and therefore ensuring good harvests — the sardine is celebrated with music, feasts, fancy dress and processions.
March
A busy month for Benidorm fiesta-wise, March brings two major parties. The first is a one-day festival on March 16th, although it often gets swept up in the second, larger one. On this day, the town celebrates the finding of the Virgen del Sufragio, and a statue is carried through the streets of the old town. Starting on the same day — but going through the 19th is Fallas — the festival of St Joseph. Because Joseph was a carpenter, this fiesta used to be about creating an effigy in wood, but now has grown to include enormous papier mache figures paraded through the town. There are fireworks, live music and traditional costumes, and if you can only do one fiesta in a year, this should definitely be the one.
Easter
Easter is quite a solemn time in Spain, with families attending church together and most people wearing black. Although the mood lightens on Easter Sunday, this is not really a tourist fiesta in the usual sense.
June
June has many fiestas, with dates varying year to year. During this time you’ll find bonfires, dancing and traditional costume. The Benidorm Song Festival, one of the liveliest festivals of the month, is usually right at the end of the month and sometimes even spreads into July.
July And August
Look out for open-air concerts and other musical events. This is prime tourist season for Benidorm, so you’ll find much going on.
Autumn
Food and drink reign supreme during autumn, with grapes and artichokes being celebrated. There are also some interesting fiestas to commemorate the age-old battle between Spaniards and Moors, with re-enactments of battles played out in the street.
December
Christmas starts early and ends late in Spain, so there is plenty of time to enjoy the festive spirit. The year ends with the traditional twelve grapes eaten to the chimes of the clock.
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
