What's on in Benidorm (Costa Blanca), Spain through the year

Busy — Christmas holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Winter-sun season (15 Oct – 31 Mar)

Busy — Benidorm Fest, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Benidorm Fest

  10–14 FebMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  Spain's televised song contest takes over the Palau d'Esports for a week in February, and it is the one time in winter the seafront hotels fill and reprice. Source ↗

Still on: Winter-sun season (15 Oct – 31 Mar)

Busy — Semana Santa (Easter) holidays in Spain, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Winter-sun season (15 Oct – 31 Mar)

Busy — Semana Santa (Easter) holidays in Spain, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  10 Jun – 25 Oct · usually

  The bay is shallow and sheltered by the Sierra Helada, so it warms early and stays swimmable into late October, long after the family crowd has gone home.

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 25 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — August holidays, Summer holidays in Spain

• Holiday

  August holidays

  1–31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  The Spanish and British school holidays land on top of each other and the resort runs at capacity. It is the month the town is judged on and the worst month to judge it in. Source ↗

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 25 Oct (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Spain, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Gota fria storms

  1 Sep – 15 Nov · usuallyFlood season

  Autumn rain on this coast arrives as one or two violent days rather than as drizzle, and those days flood the dry ravines and shut the coast road. AEMET's warning page is the thing to watch. Source ↗

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 25 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Winter-sun season

  15 Oct – 31 Mar

  British and Nordic long-stay guests keep the whole town trading through winter, which is why almost nothing here closes out of season. Levante is for walking rather than swimming.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (10 Jun – 25 Oct (usually)), Gota fria storms (1 Sep – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Fiestas Mayores Patronales, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Fiestas Mayores Patronales

  8–20 Nov · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  From the second Saturday in November: the penas take over the streets, there is a flower offering and a mock discovery of the Virgin re-enacted on Poniente beach. The one properly local week of the year. Source ↗

Still on: Gota fria storms (1 Sep – 15 Nov (usually)), Winter-sun season (15 Oct – 31 Mar)

Busy — Christmas holidays in Spain, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Winter-sun season (15 Oct – 31 Mar)