Book free D*na Festival workshops in Dénia, 26-27 September

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Dénia has opened free bookings for the 9th D*na gastronomic festival, running at the seafront Marineta Cassiana on 26 and 27 September.
• Open-Meteo forecasts scattered showers across the Costa Blanca on Thursday 17 September, with highs of around 25 degrees in Alicante city.
• The Diputación de Alicante has confirmed it will build the long-awaited CV-740 bypass around Benitatxell.
• Calp has cleared the final administrative step so the Generalitat can assess the plot offered for the town's second health centre.
• Benidorm faces a busy weekend from 18 to 20 September, with the Disco Festival and an international dance competition on the calendar.

Today's essentials

Book free D*na Festival workshops in Dénia, 26-27 September. Registration for the free workshops at Dénia's D*na Gastronomic Festival opened on 17 September, ahead of the event's ninth edition on 26 and 27 September at the seafront Marineta Cassiana, according to La Marina Plaza.

The festival is directed by Dénia chef Quique Dacosta, holder of three Michelin stars, and the workshops are free but capped by limited places, La Marina Plaza reports. Bookings run through the official site, dnafestivaldenia.com/programa, so if you want a seat you sign up now rather than turning up on the day. This is the practical hook for the whole weekend: the talks and tastings you can actually attend are the ones you reserve in advance.

The line-up is unusually deep for a provincial festival. Ferran Adrià will close the event with a talk titled 'Reflexiones en el D*na Festival', focused on sharing culinary knowledge, and the programme also names Paco Roncero, Susi Díaz, Óscar Molina, Alberto Ferruz, Nazario Cano, Ausiàs Signes, Carolina Álvarez and Juan Manuel López, alongside Quique Dacosta himself. Food writer Anna Terrés and lawyer-cook Paola Freire are billed too, giving the schedule a mix of high-end kitchens and everyday gastronomy.

As for where and what: the Marineta Cassiana is a seafront site in Dénia (Marina Alta, province of Alicante) spread over more than 800 metres, hosting showcookings, workshops, talks and tastings across the two days, according to La Marina Plaza. The producer side is built around Valencian staples (wine, olive oil, vermouth, coffee, horchata and cocktails), with 24 producers and artisans, 20 restaurants and three spaces devoted to rice from the Marina Alta and the wider region. Dénia runs the festival through its Fundación Dénia Ciudad Creativa de la Gastronomía, part of its status as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy.

What this means for you: if you live anywhere between Calpe and Dénia, this is a rare chance to sit in on masterclasses from names like Adrià and Dacosta without paying an entry fee, but only if you book the workshops early on dnafestivaldenia.com/programa, since seats are limited. Dénia is easy to reach by car and by the TRAM line from Alicante and Benidorm, so a day trip on either 26 or 27 September is realistic even without staying over. The festival itself takes place on 26 and 27 September at the Marineta Cassiana, per La Marina Plaza, so that weekend is the one to keep free.

Weather today

Showers likely across the Costa Blanca, highs near 25 degrees. Expect scattered showers across the Costa Blanca on Thursday 17 September, with Alicante city between 21 and 25 degrees and a 63% chance of rain, according to Open-Meteo.

In Alicante city the day stays mild, ranging from a low of 21 to a high of 25 degrees, with patchy showers, a 63% chance of rain and a light breeze reaching 12 km/h. Inland around Elda it is a touch cooler, from 17 to 24 degrees, and wetter, with rain probability at 75%, so keep an umbrella handy if you are heading up-valley.

On the southern coast at Santa Pola the range mirrors the city (21 to 25 degrees) but the sky is a little kinder, with rain chances down to 48% and a stronger sea breeze up to 17 km/h. Overall it is a light-jacket day with a real risk of a passing shower: worth planning outdoor time for the drier gaps and carrying rain cover just in case.

Transport & traffic

• CV-740 bypass around Benitatxell finally confirmed. elperiodic Alicante reports that the president of the Diputación de Alicante has guaranteed the long-awaited bypass of the CV-740 road at El Poble Nou de Benitatxell will go ahead. For drivers and residents in Benitatxell this is the news the town has waited on for years: the CV-740 ring road is being pledged as a firm commitment rather than a study, per elperiodic Alicante. In practice a bypass would pull through-traffic out of the village core, which today funnels cars along the existing CV-740, easing congestion for locals and for anyone driving between the coast and the inland Marina Alta. The exact timeline and budget were not detailed in the announcement, so the concrete gain is the political guarantee that the project moves forward.

What's changing for you

• Calp clears the last step for its second health centre. As reported by elperiodic Alicante and La Marina Plaza, Calp town council has approved the final procedure needed for the Conselleria de Sanidad, the regional health department, to assess the plot offered for a second health centre. If you live in Calp, this is the administrative green light that lets the Conselleria de Sanidad study the viability of the land the town wants to hand over for a new centro de salud. Nothing changes at your current health centre today, but it is worth tracking: the next real move is the Conselleria de Sanidad's assessment of the site, which decides whether a second centre actually gets built. Keep an eye on council announcements if you rely on Calp's public health services.
• Free 'Camina' walking programme restarts in Dénia. The free 'Camina' physical activity programme returns for the 2026/2027 season across Dénia, La Xara and Jesús Pobre, with walks setting off at 9:30, according to La Marina Plaza. This is an easy, no-cost way to stay active if you are based in Dénia or its districts of La Xara and Jesús Pobre: the guided health walks are free and start at 9:30, so all you need to do is turn up ready to walk. It is aimed at building regular movement into the week, which makes it a simple entry point for newer residents wanting to meet people and learn the area on foot. Check the local council channels for the specific meeting points and days as the season gets under way.

Local news to know

• Ex-councillor Toni Gallego summoned as witness in Les Naus case. TodoAlicante reports that the judge in the Les Naus case has called former councillor Toni Gallego to testify as a witness, following his confession before the commission at Les Corts.
• ADDA symphonic season opens with 'Natura'. AlicanteOut flags that the ADDA·Simfònica in Alicante opens its 26/27 symphonic season with 'Natura', a programme pairing Dvořák, Saint-Saëns and Beethoven under conductors Carles Marín and Nayden Todorov.
• 'Cómicas' brings stand-up to Alicante's Teatro Principal. Per AlicanteOut, a stand-up show billed as 'Cómicas', showcasing some of today's leading women comedians with a light, contemporary humour for all audiences, is coming to the Teatro Principal in Alicante.
• Benidorm Pride 2026 ran from 1 to 6 September. Life in Benidorm has published a quick guide to Benidorm Pride 2026, held from 1 to 6 September, taking in the Pool Party, Ñ Divas Disco, the White Party, the parade and the Main Stage After-Party.

Tonight and tomorrow, the Costa Blanca

• Packed weekend in Benidorm, 18 to 20 September. Life in Benidorm previews a busy weekend in Benidorm from 18 to 20 September, headlined by the International Competition CSB 60 Anniversary and the Benidorm Disco Festival. Life in Benidorm flags plans for all tastes across Friday to Sunday, with the CSB 60 Anniversary international competition and the Disco Festival among the main draws, so it is a strong weekend if you are near the resort and after some nightlife or a spectator event.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow