5 chefs serve free tapas in Alicante over five days this month

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• A free food event is bringing five Costa Blanca restaurants to Alicante to cook live and hand out tapas on five days between 14 and 22 September 2026.
• AEMET has activated orange warnings over the northern Alicante coast for the risk of flash floods and even waterspouts, according to the Olive Press.
• Open-Meteo forecasts a clear, dry Monday 14 September 2026 in Alicante city, with a low of 20 and a high of 28 degrees.
• Alicante is planning a new rail station, Alicante Norte, that could one day serve both the AVE and a future coastal line, according to TodoAlicante.
• The Colegio de Enfermeria de Alicante is running a free online course on preventing household accidents from 24 September to 24 October 2026.

Today's essentials

5 chefs serve free tapas in Alicante over five days this month. Five restaurants from across the province cook live and hand out free tapas at Le Cerca in Alicante on 14, 15, 16, 21 and 22 September 2026, with entry and tasting completely free, according to TodoAlicante.

The showcase is the fourth edition of La millor tapeta del mon, held at Le Cerca (the Centro de Recursos de Consumo run by Alicante city council), a short walk from the Mercado Central. Each day a different chef prepares a signature tapa in front of the public, explains how it is made, and then serves it to anyone who turns up. TodoAlicante reports the event is put on jointly by Alicante city council, the provincial hospitality employers association APEHA and the Patronato de Turismo Costa Blanca.

The five sessions run like this: Monday 14 September, La Fava by Fran Burgos (Benidorm) at 11am; Tuesday 15 September, Seis Perlas (El Campello); Wednesday 16 September, El Caragol de Francesc (Alcoi); Monday 21 September, HB (Torrevieja); and Tuesday 22 September, E-Tika (Altea). Only the opening slot at 11am is confirmed by the source, so treat the later start times as still to be announced rather than fixed.

There is real pedigree behind the line-up. La Fava by Fran Burgos opens the week with its tapa Entre la Serra Gelada y nuestra Illeta, the same dish that took the professional jury prize at the XVI Concurso de Tapas y Pinchos de Benidorm held from 19 to 28 June 2026, according to El Periodico Benidorm.

If you cannot make it into Alicante, the participating kitchens are worth knowing in their own towns: La Fava in Benidorm and Seis Perlas in El Campello both sit on the coast served by the TRAM light rail out of Alicante, while El Caragol de Francesc in Alcoi lies inland in the mountains and E-Tika in Altea and HB in Torrevieja round out the north and south of the province. Le Cerca itself, near the Mercado Central, is walkable from Alicante's Mercado TRAM stop and the central bus routes.

What this means for you: this is a rare chance to eat award level tapas for nothing and watch the chef make them, so arrive early on the days that interest you because the tasting is first come, first served. Two sessions are still ahead after this week, HB (Torrevieja) on 21 September and E-Tika (Altea) on 22 September 2026, according to TodoAlicante, which gives you time to plan a trip around them.

Weather today

A clear, warm and dry day across the Costa Blanca. Open-Meteo forecasts a settled Monday 14 September 2026, with clear skies, no rain and light winds from Alicante city down to the coast.

In Alicante city, Open-Meteo expects a low of 20 and a high of 28 degrees under clear skies, no rain and a breeze topping out around 13 km/h: a comfortable day for the tapas showcase or a walk to the Mercado Central, with light clothing enough and a water bottle handy.

Along the wider Costa Blanca the picture holds, with Benidorm on the southern coast running from 19 to 28 degrees under clear skies and a gentle 10 km/h wind. Inland around Ibi, Open-Meteo notes early fog and a fresher range of 16 to 27 degrees, so if you are heading up into the hills first thing expect low visibility that should burn off as the morning warms.

Transport & traffic

• Alicante airport passed 12 million passengers. Alicante-Elche airport crossed the 12 million passenger mark back in 2016, a milestone AlicanteOut cites as a sign of the Costa Blanca's tourism strength. The figure, reported by AlicanteOut, is a useful benchmark rather than fresh news: hitting twelve million travellers in a single year underlines why flight connections into Alicante stay dense and why the surrounding accommodation market keeps growing. For anyone flying in and out regularly, that scale is what keeps routes frequent and competitive across the year.
• A new Alicante Norte station is on the drawing board. Alicante is studying a new station, Alicante Norte, that could serve both high-speed AVE trains and a future coastal line, according to TodoAlicante. TodoAlicante reports the project as a plan rather than a finished scheme, so no opening date or budget is confirmed. The interest for residents is the ambition behind it: a second major rail hub combining the AVE with a possible Tren de la Costa would change how people move between Alicante and the towns up the coast, though for now it remains a proposal to watch.

What's changing for you

• Free online course on preventing home accidents. The Colegio de Enfermeria de Alicante is running a free online course on preventing domestic accidents from 24 September to 24 October 2026, open to residents across the province. According to elperiodic, the course is aimed at the general population of Alicante province, not just healthcare workers, and costs nothing to join. If falls, burns or household safety are a concern in your home, this is a concrete step you can take: sign up through the Colegio de Enfermeria de Alicante ahead of the 24 September start date to secure a place.

Local news to know

• An Alicante-built AI to watch over shipping. A team in Alicante is developing a maritime 'oracle', an artificial intelligence designed to anticipate threats to ports and commercial shipping routes, according to elperiodic.
• The best places to reach by boat from Alicante. AlicanteOut has rounded up the Mediterranean destinations you can reach by boat from Alicante, one of the perks of living on or visiting this stretch of coast.
• Benidorm Pride 2026 wrapped up on 6 September. Benidorm Pride 2026 ran from 1 to 6 September, with a Pool Party, the N Divas Disco, a White Party, the parade and a Main Stage After-Party, according to Life in Benidorm.
• AEMET flags orange storm warnings up the coast. The Olive Press reports that AEMET has activated high-risk orange warnings across the Barcelona pre-Pyrenees, the Girona Pyrenees and the northern Alicante coast, over the risk of flash floods and even waterspouts.