Much like it does every year, Spain is getting ready to dress up and celebrate Carnival. Of course, the Costa Blanca will be doing its bit to display the happiness, colours, and magic of Carnival. In fact, there is sure to be a fancy dress party in every municipality in the province of Alicante during the first weekend in March. As a result, there’s no need to travel far to enjoy a special night – here are our recommendations for the best Carnival celebrations on the Costa Blanca.
Benissa, close to Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort, celebrates the holiday in a traditional way. The city gets dressed up starting in the afternoon, first with a children’s parade followed by live music in the Dolors Piera park, then an outdoor disco in Riberer square.
Two of the largest cities in Marina Alta, Denia and Calpe, also organise an event for Carnival with special activities for children. In Denia, there is a fancy dress competition with different categories to participate in: for the little ones there are two categories (Mini, up to 4 years old; and Children, from 5 to 12 years old), then there is Duo, for pairs with no age limit, and Comparsa, for groups of 3 or more people. You can find more information about schedules on the Denia Council website.
Calpe also organises a fancy dress contest in which two prizes are awarded in the individual category and up to three are given in the group category. In the evening, the party comes to the city with a parade and a charanga band battle from 12:00 onwards. You can find more information on the Caple Council website. Here, you can also enjoy something that is unique to the area – the German Carnival which is organised by the Calpe Creative Club, a group of Germans who live in the city.
One of the most famous Carnivals on the Costa Blanca is the one in Pego. The city throws itself wholeheartedly into the holiday and the celebrations even start a week beforehand with the “Baixada del RiuBullent”, a fun activity which involves a race along the river in motorless boats made by the participants themselves… in fancy dress!
Of course, the capital of the Costa Blanca, Alicante, also celebrates Carnival with a huge parade. The most important day is the 2nd March, when the well-known sábado ramblero takes over Rambla de Méndez Núñez from 10pm.
So, close to Cumbre del Sol you’ll be able to enjoy the party however you want to. Have you decided which celebration is for you? Do you have your costume ready? You still have time… but don’t take much longer to decide!
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