Benidorm Pride 2026

Benidorm Pride is the Costa Blanca's big gay week — a September festival in the Spanish resort town that has become a firm favourite with the British crowd, all sun, beach and unfussy fun rather than politics. It takes over the first week of September; the town hall publishes the exact 2026 dates and line-up closer to the event, so confirm before booking specific days.

The centrepiece is the Pride parade on the Saturday, which traditionally runs the new-town seafront corridor — from Rincón de Loix along the Levante beach and Avenida del Mediterráneo to the plaza by the town hall — rather than through the old town. Around it, the festival runs a week of parties: pool parties, white and pink parties, and free main-stage shows at the Julio Iglesias auditorium, the "Pride Arena." Some events are free, others ticketed.

The year-round gay nightlife lives on and around Calle Gerona, "the English zone" in the old town — a tight cluster of bars and cabaret that runs late all week.

Practical notes: Benidorm is about an hour from Alicante airport by bus or car. Early September is hot and beach-perfect. The town is compact; the Levante end is where Pride happens and where most visitors stay. Around 20,000 people came in recent years, so book accommodation ahead. Check benidormpride.com for the 2026 programme.