Unmissable Festivals in Alicante: What to Look Out for Every Month

Alicante knows how to party. From solemn processions to full-blown firework fiestas, there’s always something on – and always a good excuse to drink wine in the street. Whether you’re planning a visit in March or mooching around in October, there are festivals in Alicante worth knowing about every single month.

And yes, even in January you can often find yourself sat on the beach wondering where your coat has gone. Whatever the time of year, the castle’s still there, the palm trees still sway, and our self-guided audio tour is still a glorious way to walk off some tapas – especially between the many festivals in Alicante that fill the calendar year-round.

Before diving in, let’s be clear – the two unmissable big hitters among festivals in Alicante are:

Hogueras de San Juan in June – giant sculptures set alight, fireworks, parades, and mayhem
Semana Santa in April – solemn, beautiful processions steeped in tradition

There’s also a helpful round-up at Alicante Turismo, which covers the official stuff. But now, here’s the local’s guide…

January

New Year’s Day: Spain nurses its hangover quietly, with family lunches and the leftover turrón.
Three Kings Day (5–6 Jan): The big deal for kids. The huge three kings parade happens on the night of the 5th January. Watch out for the tons of sweets thrown out to the crowd. Read more here.
Porrate de San Antón (Mid-Jan): Held in the San Antón barrio, this charming street festival includes the famous animal blessings (where people bring their pets to the Plaza de Toros to be blessed), there are markets and a great display of horses and skilled horse riding in the Plaza de Toros.

February

Carnival (Late Feb–Early Mar): Think wild fancy dress costumes (almost the entire city dresses up), open-air DJs and the infamous Sábado Ramblero on La Rambla with live music and dancing – Alicante cuts loose before Lent. This is a big night in Alicante and goes on until 4am
Benidorm Fest: If Eurovision is your guilty pleasure (or not guilty at all), this is Spain’s official song selection showdown. Tickets are like gold dust and need to be booked a couple of months before. Much like the actual song contest there’s two semi finals and a final.

March

San José / Father’s Day (19 Mar): The whole of Spain takes a public holiday on fathers day and it’s actually a pretty quiet day as families spend time together.
Villafranqueza Moors & Christians: Colourful parades, mock battles, and more brass bands than you can shake a sabre at. It’s actually remarkable how many people in the Alicante region play a musical instrument. You even see little children in the marching bands.
Skyline Film Festival (Benidorm): Short films, workshops, and a great excuse to pretend you’re a cinephile while sipping beer.
Plaza Séneca (Alicante City) Street Food Festival: Tacos, Burgers and beers with live Dj’s and great bands. The old bus station, Plaza Seneca comes alive for this weekend.

April

Semana Santa (Holy Week): One of the most atmospheric festivals in Alicante. Don’t miss the processions in the city and in the old town of Santa Cruz with candles, drums, and heavy pasos carried through the night. Every day from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. https://thisisalicante.com/semana-santa-alicante.
Santa Faz Pilgrimage: About 300,000 thousand people walk an 8km pilgrimage from the city to the Santa Faz monastery – part religious, part picnic. More details.
Alcoy Moors & Christians: Possibly the most theatrical of them all – think Game of Thrones meets Semana Santa. As one of the standout festivals in Alicante province, this is the biggest and most famous Moors and Christians celebration in Spain, taking place over a few spectacular days in late April or early May. If you don’t have a car, keep an eye out for coach trips – it’s well worth the journey.

May

Labour Day (1 May): A national holiday with some political bits and a good excuse for a long lunch. Not much more going on and the shops are shut on this day.
Spring Festival Alicante: Big stage. Big lights. Big tunes. https://springalicante.es/. Tales place over a couple of days at the end of May in Multiespacio Rabassa which is slightly out of the city centre but accessible by bus and taxi.
Alacant Desperta Festival: Art, music, and workshops in Parque Monte Tossal (where the other castle is). Think bohemian Alicante at its best. https://www.alacantdesperta.com/musica.
Alicante Film Festival: Bringing some cinema sparkle to the Costa Blanca, this event adds a touch of glamour to the calendar of festivals in Alicante. Spain takes its cinema seriously – and as a result, makes seriously good films. Expect an assortment of short films, feature-length screenings, director and actor interviews, and glitzy galas, often centred around Alicante’s beautiful old theatre. More info here.
Eurovision Parties: Benidorm goes full glitter ball (approx 4,000 attendees!), but you’ll find viewing parties in Alicante city too.
The Crosses of May: The old barrio of Santa Cruz turns into a floral wonderland with decorated crosses, live music, and community paella. One of the most beautiful festivals in Alicante.

June

Hogueras de San Juan: THE MAIN EVENT!!!! Alicante becomes a furnace of fun for a whole week of fires, fireworks, fun and fiesta!!! Among all the festivals in Alicante, this is the crown jewel – so iconic it’s been declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest. Read all about it here.
Corpus Christi: Religious and artistic, with street decorations, traditional dances and giants heads.
Tabarca Saints Festival (29 June): Boats, saints, and fireworks. The only island in the Valencian Community throws a party.
Dark City Fest (Benidorm): Goths, rockers and curious onlookers unite.

July

Villajoyosa Moors & Christians (24–31 July): Includes a naval battle re-enactment and boats landing on the beach. Very exciting to watch!
Low Festival (Benidorm): Long standing and very well known music festival and sweaty beach dancing. https://lowfestival.es/
San Blas Moors & Christians: Another barrio. Another parade. Still, the costumes are spectacular.
Alicante Pride: When we first came to Alicante, this was a small parade – but like many festivals in Alicante, it’s grown into something much bigger: loud, colourful, musical, and undeniably fun in that uniquely Alicante way.
Virgin of Carmen (Island of Tabarca – 16 July): A maritime procession honouring sailors and the sea. Bouquets are tossed into the waves.

August

Assumption of Mary (15 Aug): Mostly quiet unless you stumble into a church.
Great Moorish Landing (Early Aug): On Postiguet (Alicante’s city Beach), a spectacular recreation of a 1599 pirate invasion – complete with cannons. Come early to get a place to watch.
Altozano Moors & Christians: Largely off the tourist radar, this working-class barrio delivers a brilliant Moors and Christians parade with plenty of local character.

September

Benidorm Pride: It’s loud, proud and very pink.
Benidorm Disco Festival: Sequins mandatory. https://www.benidormdiscofestival.com.
Alicante Raval Roig Festival: A local favourite with firecrackers at dawn, processions, and a real community buzz. Don’t miss the water fight in the afternoon. More info.

Festivals in Alicante often have fireworks

October

El Campello Moors & Christians (12–15 Oct): Another unmissable display of Alicante’s favourite historic costume drama, gin with boat landings and a battle on the beach. You can get there by tram if you are in the city of Alicante. More info.
Medieval Market (Dates vary): Sometimes at the castle, sometimes in Canalejas Park: Alicante becomes a street fair full of falcons, fudge, and hand-forged swords. Check on line for dates and location
Elche Medieval Festival: It’s a celebration that showcases Elche’s rich cultural heritage and provides entertainment for all ages. http://festivalmedieval.com.

November

All Saints’ Day (1 Nov): A national holiday, when families visit cemeteries and remember loved ones.
Benidorm November Fiestas (7–12 Nov): Fireworks, processions, and the infamous British Fancy Dress Day – it’s like Halloween and Eurovision had a baby!

December

Constitution Day (6 Dec) & Immaculate Conception (8 Dec): Bank holidays with flags and the odd concert. Most Spanish families also take the day in between these two bank holidays off too and they call this holiday the bridge (“El Puente”). It’s a really nice little break before the rush of Christmas.
Christmas Festivities: Nativity scenes, Christmas markets on Paseo de Federico Soto, and (usually) more sun than snow. and, of course, the largest nativity scene on the planet right here in the city centre.
Alicante Christmas Fair (Late Nov – Mid Jan): Funfair rides, churros, skating and santa’s grotto. This is in locations around the city.
La Zenia Christmas Day Beach Party : While not one of the traditional festivals in Alicante, the La Zenia Christmas Day Beach Party is a unique and vibrant celebration held annually on 25th December at Cala Bosque beach in La Zenia, Orihuela Costa. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest Christmas beach gatherings, it attracts thousands of attendees from over 100 nationalities, creating a wonderfully multicultural festive atmosphere.

Where to Stay in Alicante

Planning to time your trip around one of these glorious festivals in Alicante? We’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s our guide to where to stay in Alicante near the beach.

Whether you’re here for fireworks or flower petals, keep one eye on the calendar and the other on the skies (just in case). With so many festivals in Alicante to enjoy, the weather is almost always kind, the locals are always up for a fiesta, and the sangria is never far away.

Don’t forget to download our self-guided audio tour if you want to explore the city’s secrets between festivals – history, legends and viewpoints included.

¡Feliz fiesta!