Catch Benidorm's free beach cinema Friday at 21:30

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Benidorm brings its summer open-air film season to a close on Friday 21 August with a free screening of 'CampeoneX' on Playa del Mal Pas.
• Open-Meteo expects a hot day of scattered showers on Thursday 20 August, with highs around 34C in Alicante city and along the southern coast.
• A second crash in 24 hours on the N-332 at Pedreguer left one person trapped and cut a lane, causing tailbacks of over an hour, La Marina Plaza reports.
• The Generalitat is mobilising 2 million euros to lower public housing rents for nearly 2,000 families across the Comunitat Valenciana.
• A rain warning has forced the Dénia Jazz Festival to move tonight's concert indoors to the Centro Social, keeping its 22:30 start.

Today's essentials

Catch Benidorm's free beach cinema Friday at 21:30. Benidorm's summer 'Cine en la playa' season wraps up on Friday 21 August at 21:30 on Playa del Mal Pas, with a free open-air screening of Javier Fesser's 'CampeoneX', according to elperiodic.com.

The 'Cine en la playa' season is run by Benidorm's Concejalía de Cultura, and this is its grand finale: after opening on 7 August with Pixar's 'Elio', the summer programme has offered just two open-air nights this year, both free and both on Playa del Mal Pas. Friday's screening starts at 21:30, with no ticket to buy and no seat to book.

The closing pick is 'CampeoneX', Javier Fesser's follow-up to his hit 'Campeones'. The comedy, first released in Spanish cinemas on 18 August 2023, follows the original team as they swap basketball for athletics, and features a cast led by Jesús Vidal and Gloria Ramos. It took 11.7 million euros at the box office, so expect a crowd-pleaser rather than an art-house night.

Playa del Mal Pas is the small cove tucked beneath Benidorm's old town, between the bigger Levante and Poniente beaches and just below the Balcón del Mediterráneo lookout. If you are coming from Alicante or the northern Costa Blanca, the TRAM line into Benidorm leaves you within walking distance of the old quarter, and from there it is a short stroll down to the sand. Parking near the old town fills fast on August evenings, so public transport or an early arrival pays off.

It is a warm, showery stretch (Open-Meteo has highs near 34C on Thursday), so an evening on the sand is a comfortable way to end a hot day, even with a light rain alert in play across the province. Bring a towel or a folding chair, since something to sit on beats the bare sand, and get there before 21:00 if you want a spot close to the screen.

What this means for you: if you are anywhere near Benidorm on Friday, this is a free, family-friendly night out and your last chance until next summer, because the 2026 season ends here. Turn up early, settle in on Playa del Mal Pas before the 21:30 start, and you are set for the evening at no cost.

Weather today

Today's weather across the Costa Blanca. Thursday 20 August is a hot day of scattered showers, with Alicante city swinging between 28C and 34C and an 80% chance of rain, according to Open-Meteo.

In Alicante city, Open-Meteo forecasts lows of 28C and highs of 34C, scattered showers, an 80% chance of rain and light winds of up to 16 km/h. On the southern coast at Santa Pola the range is the same, 28C to 34C, but rain looks slightly less likely at 55%, with a firmer breeze of up to 25 km/h that will take the edge off the heat by the water.

Inland is a touch cooler but wetter: Pinoso sits between 23C and 32C, with showers very likely (95%) and gusts of up to 30 km/h. With maximums at or above 34C along the coast, keep water on you, favour the shade in the middle of the day, and keep an eye on the sky if you head out, as showers could arrive at any point.

Transport & traffic

• Alicante airport, a 12-million-passenger engine. Alicante-Elche airport is a cornerstone of Costa Blanca tourism, having recorded its 12 millionth passenger of the year, a milestone AlicanteOut traces back to 2016. For residents, that scale is mostly a practical plus: it underpins the frequent low-cost links to the UK and northern Europe that make quick trips home realistic, and it keeps the region well connected year-round. The flip side is the summer crush, so with the terminal this busy, leaving extra time for check-in, security and car hire remains the safest bet on peak August departure days.
• Second N-332 crash in 24 hours at Pedreguer. Two vehicles collided on the notoriously dangerous N-332 as it passes through Pedreguer, the second crash there in 24 hours, with at least one occupant left trapped, according to La Marina Plaza. The collision closed one of the lanes and triggered tailbacks of more than an hour, La Marina Plaza reports. The N-332 is a key coastal artery through the Marina Alta, so if your route north or south runs through Pedreguer, allow extra time or take the AP-7 motorway as an alternative while crews clear the scene.

What's changing for you

• Valencia region reopens the regional funding fight. The Valencian regional government (the Consell) has again criticised the central tax authorities over Spain's regional financing system, demanding a negotiation involving all the autonomous communities, TodoAlicante reports. The row is less abstract than it sounds for residents: regional financing sets how much the Comunitat Valenciana can spend on the health, schools and public services you rely on. A renegotiated deal would not change anything overnight, but it is the backdrop to future decisions on local budgets and waiting times, so it is worth following as talks develop.
• 2 million euros to cut public rents for 2,000 families. The Generalitat Valenciana is putting 2 million euros toward lowering public housing rents for nearly 2,000 families across the Comunitat, according to TodoAlicante. If you rent a public (VPO) home in the region, this aid is designed to bring down your monthly bill. It is worth checking with the regional housing department (Conselleria) or your local housing office whether your household is eligible and how the reduction would be applied to your rent, as the measure targets families already in public housing rather than new applicants.

Local news to know

• Day trips by boat from Alicante. You can reach several Mediterranean spots by boat from Alicante, AlicanteOut notes in a summer round-up of maritime day-trip ideas from the port.
• Novelda tips wanted on r/Alicante. A family of three travelling with a one-year-old is asking r/Alicante for recommendations on where to eat and what to see in Novelda and around the province.
• Job hunting in Alicante sparks a thread. A jobseeker on r/Alicante has shared frustration after months searching through agencies such as Adecco, Randstad and Labora, opening up a discussion about the local employment market.
• Aemet warns of 43C before the heat eases. Spain's State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has warned of 'very adverse' conditions with temperatures up to 43C on Wednesday and Thursday in Alicante province, though the Olive Press reports the extreme heat should ease soon afterwards.

Tonight and tomorrow, the Costa Blanca

• Rain moves tonight's Dénia jazz concert indoors. A rain alert has forced tonight's Dénia Jazz Festival concert to move to the Centro Social, La Marina Plaza reports, keeping its 22:30 start, with the box office open from 20:30 and doors at 21:45.
• Benidorm's weekend of 21 to 23 August. Benidorm lines up a varied weekend from 21 to 23 August, with symphonic music and electronic nights among the plans, according to Life in Benidorm.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow