Alicante what's on

The big dates

Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of Saint John, 20–24 June). The big festival. A daily mascletà (midday gunpowder display) at 14:00 on Plaza de los Luceros, the plantà on the 20th, the cremà on the 24th. The city changes: more noise, more people, more gunpowder, more bustle in the street. If you miss it this year, there will be another. If you come, you need to know how. The honest guide.

Holy Week (March or April, variable). Serious processions, less bustle than the Hogueras. La Madrugá on Good Friday is the longest night, with brotherhoods setting out from 3:00. If your plan is to see the city without being trampled, Holy Week is a good time.

Moros y Cristianos (Alcoy, late April). It is in Alcoy, 50 minutes away by car, not in Alicante. But it is worth the trip if it falls during your visit.

International Film Festival (May, FICA). A week of open-air screenings on the Explanada and at the Postiguet. Free entry or very cheap (3-5€).

Festes de Sant Joan on Tabarca (24 June). It coincides with the Hogueras but on the island. More intimate, without the industrial gunpowder.

When the noise comes

If you are going to come and prefer a quiet city, avoid: Hogueras (20–24 June), Holy Week, New Year's Eve, long bank-holiday weekends (May, December). If you want to come when life is in full swing: any weekend between May and September.

Concerts and the cultural season

The ADDA (Auditorium) has a classical concert season from September to June. The Teatro Principal alternates opera, ballet and theatre. In summer: open-air concerts at the Concha del Postiguet (free) and festivals like Low Cost in Benidorm (35 minutes away on the TRAM).