Festivities in Benicasim

January 17th is the day of San Antonio Abad and marks the beginning of Benicàssim's most acclaimed patron saint festivities. Among the events, the procession and offering to the patron saint, the parade of floats, the distribution of "coquetes" (a typical blessed sweet) and the nightly bonfires stand out. The festivities are enlivened by the Queen and her ladies who star in the different costume balls, concerts, performances and fireworks.

The festivities conclude on 5 February with the festivity of Santa Águeda, which is celebrated with a pilgrimage to the saint's hermitage to celebrate the fact that it was in this place that the people of Benicàssim received the "Carta Pobla", a document that directed the repopulation of the lands of Benicasim in the 17th century after the pirate sackings.

It's a day to get your boots on! It is held at the end of January as part of the San Antonio Abad and Santa Águeda festivities. It is a gastronomic event of great magnitude declared a Festival of Provincial Tourist Interest.

With more than 25 years of tradition, it is the perfect event for lovers of rice, good food and fun. A day in which all the inhabitants of Benicasim, as well as tourists and visitors take to the streets where tasty paellas are prepared and tasted live.

Holy Week fills Benicasim with passion and fervour as its brotherhoods pass through an atmosphere of meditation and solemnity to the sound of the music bands and the traditional tamborradas.

The brotherhoods walk through the main streets of the old part of the town with their beautiful floats and colourful costumes in a public demonstration of fervour and faith. Not to be missed on Good Friday is the procession of the Holy Burial, which represents different moments of the Passion of Christ, ending with the kissing of the Recumbent Christ.

The Eucharistic procession of Corpus Christi is a treat for the senses. This celebration depends on when Easter falls and takes place between the months of May and June.

As the procession passes through the most central streets of the town, the streets are carpeted with flowers and natural branches, composing artistic designs and patterns that fill the entire route with an intoxicating aroma to the delight of visitors and locals alike.

This is undoubtedly the most magical night of the year in the Mediterranean. It celebrates the beginning of summer and the sea breeze exerts its purifying power on those who come to the beaches that night to ask for good wishes.

And that is what tradition dictates. The beaches of Benicasim are filled with locals and visitors who have to get their feet wet at midnight, after dancing in the light of the bonfires and burning the bad things. All this enlivened with various shows, fireworks, music... as well as the distribution of typical sweets and muscatel for those attending.

As autumn approaches, Benicasim comes alive with the annual festivities honouring Santo Tomás de Villanueva (Saint Thomas of Villanueva), usually around the 22nd of September. Alongside the January celebrations, this is the town's biggest week of the year. For over 10 days, the streets are filled with music, laughter, and excitement as people of all ages enjoy concerts, fireworks, and a variety of events. With the senior and junior festival Reinas (Queens) and their courts leading the way, it's a truly special time.

These fiestas are the last hurrah of summer, as the town enjoys one final burst of energy before the cooler months.

On the last Sunday in October, the pilgrimage to the cross of Monte Bartolo, which crowns the Desierto de las Palmas, is held.

Residents from all the neighbouring villages go up to the cross to celebrate the festivity with a mass, a picnic and a lively popular festival. Undoubtedly, a real act of twinning for the people of the region.