Benidorm, the world-famous resort in eastern Spain, has just about everything you could want: sun, sand and some of Europe’s biggest parties. Let’s talk about the most flamboyant festivals in town!
The Elvis Festival
While not the first event of the year, April’s Elvis Festival is certainly one of the most interesting. What started in 2011 as a small convention for fans of the King quickly became not only Spain’s biggest Elvis event, but its biggest themed event, full-stop!
Centred on the prestigious Meia Hotel, in the upscale Rincón de Loixarea of town, the Elvis Festival is one to remember.
A single wristband gets you access to a whole weekend’s worth of events, but to ensure that you get the best seats at Sunday night’s big finale at the Benidorm Palace, consider going VIP. So, Hard-Headed Women and soft-hearted Teddy Bears alike, Don’t Be Cruel, get on your Blue Suede Shoes and hop on down to the Jailhouse Rock with the world’s finest Elvis impersonators!
Benidorm Pride
After a quieter summer, with August especially dominated by arts and culture events, Benidorm comes back to life in September with Benidorm Pride. Events occur across the city in a week-long celebration, but the heart of it all is El Castell, the city’s Old Town, where you can enjoy up to 30 friendly, intimate gay bars and eateries, three beautiful beaches and just a touch of local culture along with your revelry. Described as fun, friendly and just a little bit flirty, and with average attendance pushing 15,000, this event is more than worth the trip from England… and then from Alicante to Benidorm!
Benidorm Fancy-Dress Party
By November, most of us have resigned ourselves to winter. With the last warm days behind us, we grit our teeth, pull up our coats, and dig in and wait for Christmas. Not so in Benidorm. While most of Northern Europe huddles indoors, the sun still shines in Spain, and Benidorm truly makes the most of it. Held after the local fiestas finish up, the Benidorm Fancy-Dress Party sees thousands of creatively costumed creatures descend on the city. In fact, it’s the biggest fancy-dress event in Europe – and the city gets so busy that bars pop up all along the strip, simply to meet demand.
The event has no official start or end time, but tends to kick off from early afternoon and carry on until the next morning. If you don’t fancy lugging your costume from home to Alicante and from Alicante to Benidorm, the resort has two main costume shops, along with a bounty of options in the indoor market and other non-specialist shops. Be careful, though – even these can sell out quickly!
How to Get There
As it’s such a popular tourist destination, Benidorm is extremely accessible, especially from the UK. A flight from London to Alicante takes around two and a half hours, and most major airlines fly direct. Happily, flights can also be very affordable, with easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 all offering the journey.
The last leg from Alicante to Benidorm can be a little stressful, especially if you rely on public transport. Your best option is to let Shuttle Direct handle it: drivers go from Alicante to Benidorm, and know the route like the backs of their hands.
As you can see, Benidorm is the place to be for festive fun all year round, so get packing!
Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct, the number one provider of shared and private airport transfers all over Europe and northern Africa. If you’re looking for the most affordable ride from Alicante to Benidorm, Lukas and his colleagues can make sure that you and your luggage get to and from the airport swiftly and safely.
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