What's on in Costa del Sol

The Costa del Sol is the stretch of Andalusian coast most British visitors picture when they think of a Spanish holiday — and for good reason. Roughly 150 kilometres of beaches run from Nerja in the east, past Málaga city, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola, down to glossy Marbella and Estepona in the west, with the white hill-town of Mijas perched just behind. The sun really does show up for around 300 days a year, which is exactly why the events calendar barely pauses.

Summer is fiesta season. The night of San Juan (23 June) brings bonfires and midnight swims to every beach; July sees the Virgen del Carmen processions carry the patron saint of fishermen out to sea in town after town along the coast; and August belongs to the Feria de Málaga, nine days and nights of flamenco, fino sherry and fireworks that take over the whole city. Marbella's Starlite festival and Fuengirola's concerts at Sohail Castle pull in big international names all season long.

Getting here is easy: Málaga airport (AGP) is one of Europe's best-connected, with flights from across the UK and Ireland, and it sits right on the train line that links the airport to Málaga city, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Fuengirola. That coastal train is genuinely useful, but a hire car opens up the white villages of the interior, Ronda and the quieter coves the bus never reaches.

Whether you're based in a Benalmádena apartment, a Marbella hotel or a villa up in the hills, this is your guide to what's actually on while you're here — the festivals worth planning around and the local fiestas worth stumbling into.