The event, which is increasingly attracting a national audience, has been held in Rincón de Loix for more than three decades on the day after the Festes Majors Patronals
Thousands of Britons take up the mantle and fill the streets of Benidorm with costumes for the ‘Fancy Dress Party’
It featured the participation of about fifteen floats, dance groups, entertainment and batucada bands
More than 30,000 people, mostly British, filled the streets of Benidorm with costumes, colour, and festivities to participate in the popular ‘Fancy Dress Party,’ a massive costume party organised by the hotels and entertainment venues of the Rincón de Loix area, in collaboration with Abreca-Cobreca and the Benidorm City Council. This event has been held for over 30 years on the day after the town's main festival, the Festes Majors Patronals.
The Mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, along with the Councilor for Citizen Service and Events, Jesús Carrobles, and other members of the City Council; the President and Secretary General of the tourism association Hosbec, Fede Fuster and Nuria Montes; the Manager of Visit Benidorm, Leire Bilbao; and the Commissioners of the National Police and the Local Police, Luis Manuel Sánchez and José Carlos Amorós, participated in this celebration that attracts thousands of tourists every year. In fact, the vast majority travel specifically from their home country or other parts of Spain, planning their holidays months to celebrate and enjoy this unique carnival, which also gains popularity among the national public every year.
To ensure the safety of all participants, access controls for vehicles to the area between Mallorca, Gerona, and Lepanto streets were established at midday by the Local Police, who were reinforced by some thirty additional officers on top of the regular shift and the National Police. A special protocol was also implemented by the health services, Civil Protection, and Fire Department to prevent any unforeseen events. This protocol also included closing streets as the crowds grew, both to facilitate traffic and the parade of floats organised by local businesses along Gerona Street.
Toni Pérez noted that this year marks the 31st edition of the festival, which began as an initiative of local businessman Manuel Nieto. “Since then, it has only grown, becoming possibly the biggest costume party in Europe,” he added, “with the remarkable fact that it started very informally, as a party among friends, and now attracts more than 30,000 people who come to Benidorm to enjoy themselves, have a good time, and be happy.”
Regarding this year's organisation, the Councillor for Security and Events highlighted that more than fifty leisure and hospitality establishments in the Rincón area participated in one way or another; both in the main event, which featured fifteen floats, dance groups, percussion bands, and other types of entertainment, and by organising activities in their own venues. Bars and pubs from other parts of the city also joined in.
For their part, the organizers have announced that, although the main day of the ‘Fancy Dress’ event will take place throughout this Thursday and will continue well into the night, “there will also be events and celebrations, to a lesser extent, tomorrow and the day after,” to take advantage of the massive influx of tourists and try to extend their stay in the city for more days.
