The mayor urges us to "win the future of Benidorm and future generations" on the 700th anniversary of the city's founding

On the same day that marks the 700th anniversary of Benidorm's founding, the City Council held an institutional plenary session to commemorate this anniversary. At this plenary session, Mayor Toni Pérez urged citizens to join forces to "win the future of Benidorm and future generations" and to continue "being a beacon of happiness for millions of people."

The event, attended by a sign language interpreter, was attended by the City Council, including fellow regional MP José Ramón González de Zárate, along with his colleagues in the Spanish Parliament, Manuel Pérez Fenoll and Mario Villar. Also present were the Director General of Family and Children, Angélica Such; former Mayor Rafael Ferrer; members of the 700th Anniversary Committee; members of the Population Charter Group; representatives of the State Security Forces and Corps; and business, academic, cultural, social, festive, and neighborhood organizations. as well as the host of next Saturday's Carta Pobla event and honorary president of the anniversary committee, Rafael Alemany, among others.

During his speech, Toni Pérez praised the figure of Admiral Bernat de Sarrià, who granted the Carta de Poblament to Benidorm on May 8, 1325; he reviewed the most important points of the founding document and some of the key dates and events in the history of the town over these past 700 years. He referred to Benidorm's potential as a city of sailors and tuna fishermen, the second Carta de Poblament of 1666, the arrival of the Virgin of the Sofratge, and the beginning of tourism.

Regarding the latter, the mayor stated that "the second half of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century have been very favorable to us thanks to tourism and the work of all the people who made it possible," making Benidorm "an international benchmark as a city and tourist destination," which in 2025 has obtained the European Green Pioneer for Smart Tourism award from the European Commission.

Toni Pérez asserted that "we are on the right path and the path to the future; that of sustainability and rationality." Paraphrasing the poet Gabriel Miró and the scholar and historian Pere Mª Orts i Bosch, he called for preserving "our essence," that of the town and its inhabitants.

Finally, he referred to the special nature of this May 8th commemoration, which comes "full of events, workshops, activities, and outreach materials" promoted and developed by the individuals and groups that make up the 700th Anniversary Committee to "recognize, understand, explore, highlight, disseminate, and reflect" on the event that led to the founding of Benidorm. An objective, the mayor emphasised, that "is being achieved."

700th Anniversary Agenda

The commemoration of the 700th anniversary of the founding of Benidorm will continue in the coming days. The first event will be this evening, at 8:30 p.m., in the Assembly Hall of the Casa del Fester, where the farce "Pudo sucede" (It Could Happen) will be performed. To commemorate Benidorm Day, the City Council will illuminate the overhead lines along the Levante Promenade and El Castell with the city colours.

On Saturday, May 10, Plaça de Sant Jaume will host a performance of the Carta Pobla (Town Charter) by the Carta de Poblament Group of the Verge del Sofratge Penyes Association. The performance will begin at 9:30 p.m., and this time, the performance will also include musical accompaniment from a group of ancient musical instruments.

The following day, on Sunday, May 11, a concert by the Societat Musical l’Illa de Benidorm will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the Cultural Centre Auditorium. In parallel and as a complement to these events, the area surrounding Elche Park will host the “Medieval Benidorm” event over the weekend, a market with stalls and countless shows and entertainment.

Finally, on Sunday, May 18, at 8:00 p.m., the Church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna will host another concert by Capella de Ministrers.