Apr 15, 2019 | Fiestas
Tradition and celebration are very much alive in the Autonomous Region of Valencia, as we are sure you have already noticed! Throughout the year, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in local festivities and soak up a bit of the culture of the millor terreta del món (the best place in the world), as the region of Alicante is popularly known.
Below you will find a series of festivals that you cannot miss near the Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort during April:
Patron Saint’s Day Celebration in honour of Puríssima Xiqueta (April 26th – May 5th)
These celebrations take place every year on the fourth Sunday in April, in which the Coronación de la Reina (Queen’s Crowning) is one of the most noteworthy acts. The streets are decorated during these special days and there are activities for both children and adults alike. You will find parades where residents dress in traditional costumes accompanied by the sound of local musical instruments such as the dulzaina and the tabal. Processions will also take place in honour of the Patron Saint. In addition, there will be activities to suit all ages: a children’s playground, parades with floats, costumes, and orchestras so that you can dance the night away. You can’t miss the mascletadas (La Mascletà is a show that combines sound, smoke, and colour) at noon and the firework displays at night.
The following Monday, Riberero day is celebrated (riberers in Valencian). This is a local festival in which Benissa residents pay tribute to a symbolic figure in memory of the peasants who moved to the riverbed of the Júcar River to work as temporary migrants in rice crops. The last days of the festival are dedicated to a releasing of the cows (suelta de vacas); the residents of Benissa build what are called, carafales: iron bar cages that allows them to get closer and see when the cows are released. Here you can see all the programming:
The Patron Saint’s Day Celebration in honor of Sant Vicent Ferrer in Teulada.
The festivities in Teulada are celebrated from April 25th through May 5th. It kicks off with activities such as a traditional game of pelota valenciana (Valencian handball) and parades with bands that accompany the festeros (residents in traditional costume) through the streets of Teulada. The town is filled with music and festivities that encourages participation from everyone. On Saturday, the popular Crowning of the Festival Queens event takes place and all of the festeros dress up to officially kick off the celebration.
In these festivals, you can find both religious events such as processions and offerings as well as more festive activities such as despertadas (the awakenings: where music, firecrackers, and bangers are heard throughout the town) and popular dinners. There is something for all ages: the little ones can enjoy the caceroladas (beating pots and pans), animation, and children’s playground, as well as the best orchestras and bands. You cannot miss the sounds of gunpowder with the mascletadas and fireworks displays.
The festivities wrap up with a running of the bulls for everyone to enjoy.
At Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort you can count on an abundance of traditional festivals all year long. Have you made a list yet of the ones you’d like to attend this spring?
Apr 1, 2019 | Fiestas
If you live in the Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort, you will soon discover that long-lived traditions are very much alive in El Poble Nou de Benitatxell. The perfect example is the MijtafavaFest (previously the Fest del Vi de la Fava), an event that brings together two things that the village takes upmost pride in: wine and broad beans.
This year, the festival will be spread out over 10 days, from March 29th through April 7th. It is a week of gastronomy accompanied by a packed program of talks, documentary screenings, wine and beer tastings, contests and folkloric literature.
From April 1st to 5th you can enjoy the Broad Bean Culinary Week by visiting bars and restaurants in Poble Nou de Benitatxell, which will offer the typical “broad bean rice” dish, “arròs amb fava.” The schedule is as follows: April 1st at Bar Trillaora, April 2nd at La Cumbre, April 3rd at Antiquary, April 4th at Ca Toni Monica and on April 5th at Tribes.
On Friday, April 5th, the Valencian Arts and Crafts Fair will kick off and go on the whole weekend. It includes an interactive farm, stalls and traditional craft workshops. To take part in the most traditional activity of the week, don’t miss the Broad Bean Route, “Ruta de Fava” on April 6th. You will have the opportunity to travel, by car, to a vegetable garden and harvest beans as well as enjoy a popular lunch and music by Colla la Llebetjà.
On the 6th, other activities such as passacaglia music and traditional dance will take place. At noon the “Beer and vermouth hour” will begin and you will be able to enjoy craft beer stands. At 13:15 the monologues “L’hora de dir favades” by César Monzonís will be taking place.
In the afternoon, the Tardeo Poblero will kick off, with music and tapas as well as children’s shows and animation. Finally, at 18:45, the Rock & Fava festival will begin with performances by The Soulomonics, Nuc, La Fúmiga and Atupa.
On Sunday, April 7th, there will be a lunch service through Casa del Rocío and the Tapifava Festival will kick off with broad bean tapas at affordable prices. In addition, throughout the day there will be several activities for adults and children, such as a gymkhana taken from the short story “El gegant Mitjafava,” the MasterFavaXef children’s workshop, the VII Wine Competition and a Cooking show by Alberto Ferruz in which the “town broad bean” will be the protagonist. Alberto Ferruz is chef of BonAmb, a restaurant which holds two Michelin stars and three Repsol suns.
The festival wraps up with an award ceremony for the winners of the wine contest, as well as the “longest and heaviest bean contests,” the “fava més llarga” and “fava de més gallons” in Valencian. Last year the longest bean reached 45.3 centimetres, while the heaviest bean was 11 “gallons”. And, lastly, the Jazzmàtiks concert can be enjoyed while eating the typical dish, “broad bean paella” or “arròs sec amb faves”.
Experience first-hand the most deeply rooted traditions of the Costa Blanca! Follow our blog and our social media to stay up-to-date with all the events happening near the Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort.
Mar 7, 2019 | Benitachell, Fiestas, Grupo VAPF
The arrival of spring doesn’t just bring us more pleasant temperatures, it also means the arrival of interesting activities like the 13th Cycle of Spring Concerts in Poble Nou de Benitatxell. Every Saturday in March, at 8pm, you will have the chance to enjoy some live music at the Santa María Magdalena church where the Marina Alta orchestra got this musical month off to the best start with their tribute to Mozart.
The music genres that attendees will enjoy are undoubtedly varied: the programme offers traditional, with regional music heard in celebrations, more classical music, and modern sounds like jazz.
After the Marina Alta Orchestra concert, on the 9th March, there is something a bit different – the 7th Young Performers Competition. This contest aims to boost the interest of Benitatxell’s young people in music and the study of music.
On Saturday 16th March, the saxophone quartet Púrpura Dansa will fill the Santa María Magdalena church with the music of famous composers such as Grieg, Dvorak, Valero-Castells and Piazzolla. The quintet Reversió Grup brings the traditional sound of the dulzaina to the present day, accompanied by piano and percussion.
The 30th March brings the turn of local music from the Costa Blanca with two-step pieces and music from the Festivals of Moors and Christians. Finally, the municipal music group of Santa María Magdalena will be responsible for saying farewell to the 13th Cycle of Spring Concerts in Benitatxell.
If you want to stay up to date with all the news about events taking place close to Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort, follow our blog… and you won’t miss a thing! Every month we highlight the most relevant events so that you can choose the plans which suit you best.
Feb 22, 2019 | Fiestas, Grupo VAPF
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!
Dec 21, 2018 | Cumbre del Sol, Events, Fiestas, Something special
Christmas has now completely taken over in Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort, not just because of the time of year, but because many of our neighbours have shown their more creative side by decorating their homes and filling them with colour and light. We are delighted with the results!
Here at VAPF, we want to thank all those who took part in this magical contest – it has filled our streets with Christmas spirit and allowed us to get together and share one of the most valuable things we can offer: time. For this reason, it was a real pleasure that we were all able to come together, both neighbours and those who work at VAPF, to give out the prizes for the best decorations.
This year, the level of all entries in the 2nd Christmas Decoration contest was high, so choosing our winners wasn’t easy. We love that our neighbours took our Christmas challenge so seriously! First prize for outside decoration went to Mr. and Mrs. Hough, second prize to Mr. and Mrs. Pálsson, third to Mr. and Mrs. Mussmann, and fourth to Mr. and Mrs. Schrijnemakers. Congratulations to all our winners! Again, many, many thanks to all those who took part.
All the winners received a Christmas hamper and the rest of the participants were also given a small token gift. While the prizes were being awarded, at Restaurant La Cumbre, we enjoyed a Christmas appetiser with all those who participated. It was, without doubt, the best way to celebrate this special time of year with our neighbours!
Here at VAPF, we would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. We promise that there will be lots of new things to come in 2019… and we can’t wait to tell you about them!
Oct 16, 2018 | Activities/Services, Fiestas, Otros pueblos
The Costa Blanca is home to people of many different nationalities, something which can truly be appreciated in the multicultural Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort. As a result, a whole range of customs and special days from a variety of countries are celebrated here. For example, did you know that one of Spain’s most famous Oktoberfests is held in Calpe?
This event, also known as the October festival or Beer festival, originally began in Munich in 1810, with the wedding celebrations of Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. People loved it so much that the event was repeated year after year, eventually becoming a tradition and spreading to other countries. On the Alicante coastline we are lucky enough to host the most original replica of the event in Spain, Calpe Oktoberfest, which is organised by the Carnival Club of Calpe. It began in 1987 when a group of Germans who lived in the area decided to celebrate their country’s event, and in time became a tradition in Levante which welcomes over 10,000 people each year! This year, from the 24th October to the 4th November, the municipality will drink 30,000 litres of beer and dance the polka in an enormous tent set up close to the Tennis Club.
Soak up German culture at an event that is sure to leave a lasting impression. There will be typical Bavarian food – such as pork knuckle and sausages – as well as a wide selection of imported beers. And, thanks to live music from Steinsberger, the fun is guaranteed! There will also be a range of other activities like open-air dances, folk performances, tastings, and competitions as diverse as beer carrying, lumberjack tests, or milking cows… Without doubt, the best of all is the paella contest, a clear example of the wonderful fusion of the German and Spanish cultures. What could be better than enjoying a delicious paella under the Mediterranean sun… accompanied by a nice beer? Make a note in your calendar and enjoy the true German spirit at this event. We guarantee maximum fun from the word go, when the first barrel is opened by the mayor with a cry of “O’zapft is!”.
If you want to stay up to date with events and news from Cumbre del Sol Residential Resort and the surrounding area, keep an eye on our blog and social media channels!
