What's on in Benidorm

Benidorm is the Costa Blanca's high-rise holiday capital: two long sweeps of sand, Levante and Poniente, under a skyline of towers it's entirely unapologetic about. Behind the front, the old town keeps a more Spanish feel — tapas bars, the Balcón del Mediterráneo lookout, a working church on the hill. It's easy, lively and very English-friendly, but there's real local life under the resort sheen.

The calendar stays busy: the Verbena de San Jaime and the Virgen del Carmen sea procession in summer, the big patron-saint Moros i Cristians parades, and festival nights like Low Festival and Benidorm Pride in between. Here's what's actually on while you're in town.