Circarte: 23 circus shows in 5 towns from October 9

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Open-Meteo forecasts a grey, showery Wednesday 16 September 2026 across the Costa Blanca, with inland Pinoso the wettest spot and coastal Javea the driest option.
• AEMET has issued an orange rain warning for Thursday in the Marina Alta, with the possibility of up to 60 litres per square metre in a single hour, according to La Marina Plaza.
• The Generalitat has launched GVA SUMA-T, a single app that groups Metrovalència, EMT, Metrobús, Renfe Rodalies and Valenbisi, with ticket purchase to follow, as reported by A Punt.
• Regional health authorities have cut mental health waiting lists by up to 66% in Alicante hospitals, TodoAlicante reports.
• Benidorm has secured a 1,125,300 euro grant from the public firm Red.es to develop a new tourism data project, per elperiodic.

Today's essentials

Circarte: 23 circus shows in 5 towns from October 9. The 17th Circarte festival brings 23 contemporary circus shows and activities to 10 venues across five towns in Alicante province from 9 to 25 October 2026, and 16 of the 23 activities are free.

According to AlicanteOut, this 17th edition gathers 14 companies and 51 artists, covering acrobatics, balancing, juggling, clown, trampoline, aerials and the Cyr wheel. The Ayuntamiento de Alicante confirms that 16 of the 23 activities cost nothing, so a full festival day is easy to plan on a tight budget. The five host towns are Alicante, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, El Campello, Beniardà and Benimantell.

In Alicante city, the calendar runs almost daily. The festival opens on 9 October at 4.30pm in Plaza de Argel (Zona Norte) with a circus and face-painting workshop, elperiodic reports, followed on 10 October by a full day at the Centro Cultural Las Cigarreras with a concert, a Freak Show and the piece 'Inquieto'. On 11 October the Alcoy company Bot Project performs 'Sublunar' at Monte Tossal, and on 16 October at 8pm the Valencian creation 'Abans de caure' by Barreto y La Victoria plays at the Teatre Arniches. Families can head to the MUA (Museo de la Universidad de Alicante) for a workshop on 18 October.

The programme also reaches inland and up the coast. Jean Philippe Kikolas takes 'Inquieto' to Benimantell on 12 October at 12.30pm in the square by the Casa de Cultura Felip Miralles, while Beniardà hosts 'Transhumància artificial 3.9' by Circ a Foc Lent at the Bancal Escènic on 17 October. El Campello turns its Casa de Cultura into a circus hub on 24 October with four shows and an inclusive workshop, according to elperiodic.

The grand finale is the Gran Gala Circarte on 25 October at 7pm at the Teatro Principal de Alicante, bringing together seven companies and artists. The Teatro Principal lists tickets at 18 euros (Patio and club), 15 euros (Palco corrido) and 10 euros (Anfiteatro), with a 4x3 deal in the stalls and 50% off for CircoRed members.

What this means for you: if you want a night out that is not another beach bar, most of Circarte is free or cheap, and it runs on weekdays and weekends alike, so you can build a whole October around it without leaving the province. Book the Gran Gala early if you want the paid highlight: it closes the festival on 25 October at 7pm at the Teatro Principal de Alicante, according to elperiodic and the venue itself.

Weather today

Today's weather across the Costa Blanca. Open-Meteo forecasts a grey, showery Wednesday 16 September 2026 in Alicante city, with lows of 20 and highs of 28 degrees, overcast skies, a 38% chance of rain and winds up to 11 km/h.

In Alicante city, keep a light layer or a compact umbrella handy: the cloud cover holds all day and the shower risk sits around 38%, so mornings are the safer bet for anything outdoors before the sky thickens.

Inland, Open-Meteo puts Pinoso between 19 and 27 degrees with light rain and a higher 60% chance of showers, plus gusts up to 20 km/h, so the interior is the wettest corner today. On the southern coast, Javea is milder and steadier at 24 to 26 degrees, overcast but with only a 15% chance of rain and breezes up to 16 km/h, making the coastline the driest option if you are heading out.

Transport & traffic

• Orange warning: up to 60 litres of rain in one hour Thursday. AEMET has issued an orange rain warning, plus an amber alert for storms with possible hail, for the Marina Alta on Thursday, with forecasts of up to 60 litres per square metre in a single hour and 120 in 12 hours, according to La Marina Plaza. That intensity matters for anyone driving or travelling on Thursday: La Marina Plaza notes those totals could fall in just two or three hours, which is exactly the pattern that floods underpasses, cuts secondary roads and turns dry ramblas dangerous fast. If you live around Denia, Javea or Ondara, plan errands and school runs early, avoid parking in low-lying spots, and leave extra time in case coastal and inland routes back up.
• One app for all Valencia public transport: GVA SUMA-T. The Generalitat has launched GVA SUMA-T, a new app that pulls together the information for Metrovalència, EMT, Metrobús, Renfe Rodalies and Valenbisi in one place, with ticket buying due to be added, A Punt reports. For now the app centralises timetables and service information across those networks rather than replacing your travel card, but the promised ticket purchase would eventually let you plan and pay for a trip without juggling separate apps. It is a Valencia-focused tool for now, most useful if your Costa Blanca routine includes regular trips up to the capital by train or metro.

What's changing for you

• Mental health waits cut by up to 66% in Alicante hospitals. TodoAlicante reports that regional health authorities have cut mental health waiting lists by up to 66% in Alicante's hospitals. If you or someone in your household has been waiting for a mental health appointment through the public system, this is the moment to check your status: shorter lists mean referrals that stalled may now move faster. Ask your health centre or the hospital's outpatient service where your case stands, and keep your SIP card and referral details to hand when you call.

Local news to know

• La Sella Open golf tournament reaches its fourth edition. According to elperiodic, the La Sella Open women's golf tournament holds its fourth edition this year and is consolidating as an international reference, in the words of regional sport director Luis Cervera.
• Benidorm lands a 1.1 million euro tourism data grant. Benidorm's town hall has received a 1,125,300 euro grant from the public company Red.es to advance a new tourism data analysis project, elperiodic reports.
• Pedreguer wraps up the European Secure project in Italy. Pedreguer has closed the European Secure project in Italy, sharing experiences with delegations from Italy, Greece, Latvia, Slovenia, Portugal, Serbia, Hungary, Malta, the Czech Republic and Poland, according to La Marina Plaza.
• 'Cómicas' brings women stand-ups to the Teatro Principal. AlicanteOut bills 'Cómicas', a stand-up show gathering some of the moment's best women comedians for a relaxed, all-audiences night of comedy, for the Teatro Principal de Alicante.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow