Gata de Gorgos doesn't do its big festival in a single weekend. The build-up starts in mid-July when the youth group is presented, then the village runs on a slow simmer of dances, open-air concerts and street parties for the best part of three weeks, all leading up to the raising of the Christ on 6 August. It's an inland Costa Blanca town rather than a beach resort, so what you get is the real, slightly unpolished version: bands playing late into warm nights, families out together, and the bang and crackle of fireworks over the rooftops.
There's bull-running too, which is the local custom and not to everyone's taste, alongside the religious processions through narrow streets. Turn up, follow the crowd, and let the evening unfold. Most of the street events are free.
