Benidorm will hold a new edition of the 'Fancy Dress', with more than 30,000 attendees expected

The streets of Rincón de Loix and other areas of Benidorm will once again be filled with color next Thursday, November 13th, just one day after the end of (Major Patron Festivities), with the celebration of the well-known "Fancy Dress Benidorm," a costume party that attracts thousands of Britons each year and is "an international landmark," according to the Councilor for Events, Jesús Carrobles, during the presentation of the event, accompanied by Rubén Navarro, president of Ociobal, and Manolo Nieto, the driving force behind the event, respectively.

Carrobles noted that this year's 31st edition of the festival began as a result of an initiative by local businessman Manuel Nieto and "since then, it has only grown to become, possibly, the largest costume party in Europe." “It started in a very informal way, and then, over time, it has grown to become an event that attracts around 30,000 people,” he explained, also stating that “it began among friends, with the British public taking centre stage, but it is increasingly incorporating more Spanish attendees from Benidorm and other municipalities in the region.”

The councillor also highlighted the float parade, which “is becoming more and more attractive and attracting more people,” and the “complexity” of organising event security, which is held in an open area where the public is gradually joining in. Both the Events and Citizen Security departments have been working on the event for nearly three months. However, Carrobles emphasised the “good atmosphere,” which has meant that despite the gathering of around 30,000 people, “there have been no conflictive interventions.” “People come to have a good time,” he emphasised.

Regarding this year's organisation, the councillor noted that the local police will close Gerona and Lepanto streets to traffic around 11 a.m. to ensure traffic and pedestrian safety, due to the expected large gathering of people. Regarding local participation, it is estimated that more than 50 people will be involved in the organisation in one way or another.

Manolo Nieto explained that the central event will once again be the float parade, in which “the participation of more than 15 floats has already been confirmed, to which will be added dance groups, batucadas and other types of entertainment. The entrepreneur also highlighted that “there are more and more local businesses getting involved and more and more public” and said that his objective is “for it to continue growing each year, with more people coming and from countries as far away as the United States or Japan, as is the case with the San Fermin festival or the Tomatina in Buñol”. The entrepreneur added that in a very short time the ‘Fancy’ “evolved by itself, with the involvement of more people and in a selfless way” and highlighted that it is a “ safe festival with hardly any incidents thanks to the work of everyone, the collaboration of the City Council and the good atmosphere of the public, which has meant that in addition to the British, there are also Belgians, Dutch and Spanish people who are increasingly joining the celebration and making it more popular every year. "international."

Finally, Rubén Navarro expressed Ociobal's "involvement" in attracting more venues so that the festival grows even larger and draws more attendees from many different backgrounds." Although the main event will be the float parade with the massive costume party on Thursday the 13th, the organizers have announced that "there will also be smaller events and celebrations on October 14th and 15th."