What's on: the Costa Blanca in August 2026, the month of fire

August is the month of fire on the Costa Blanca: Elche lights up its sky for the Nit de l'Albà and then performs its UNESCO-listed Misteri, Altea fires its Castell de l'Olla from out at sea, Dénia carries on with its Moros y Cristianos, and the open-air stages in Alicante and Benidorm keep lining up concerts. Your month, town by town.

What's on in August 2026 on the Costa Blanca?

What's the Misteri d'Elx?

A medieval sung sacred drama, performed every August in the Basílica de Santa María in Elche and listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. In 2026, the public dress rehearsals run on 11 and 12 August at 10:30pm and on the 13th at 5:30pm, ahead of the two solemn days: La Vespra on 14 August and La Festa on 15 August, both at 6pm, according to the Misteri's governing board. Online ticket sales opened on 10 July, and seats go fast: do not wait around.

What's so special about Altea's Castell de l'Olla?

The fireworks are not launched from a park but from floating platforms out at sea, facing Olla beach: the sky and the water light up together. The 2026 edition is scheduled for Saturday 8 August at 11:59pm, as part of the San Lorenzo festivities, according to Altea's tourist office. The best spots on the sand go early, and the TRAM tram usually adds extra services that evening: aim for the Altea or l'Olla Altea stops.

What's the Nit de l'Albà actually like?

Spain's biggest participatory fireworks display: on 13 August, the eve of its patron saint's day, Elche fires more than 2,000 kilos of powder and 70,000 rockets over roughly an hour, including the traditional palmeras funded by the town's families, according to Spain.info and Elche town hall. Rooftops, terraces and squares all share the view: find a clear line to the basilica for the palmera de la Virgen, the grand finale.

And the Moros y Cristianos de Dénia?

After Xàbia and Villajoyosa in July, it's Dénia's turn: from 13 to 16 August, parades, embassies, a landing re-enactment and arquebus fire animate the centre and the port, according to Dénia's Moros y Cristianos federation. A logistics bonus: the TRAM (line 9) drops you at the terminus, a short walk from the parades.

What's on musically?

Three nights of free jazz in Xàbia from 2 to 4 August at 10:30pm (Plaça de la Constitució, 23rd edition), Taburete at Benidorm's SkyFest on the 5th, then El Muelle Live at Alicante port with Loquillo on the 15th and Sergio Dalma on the 22nd, ahead of Pablo López (13 September) and M-Clan's 30th anniversary show (25 September) for the back-to-school season.

How do you survive the hottest month?

Same recipe as July, just stricter: the sea in the morning, shade and air-conditioned museums in the afternoon, the streets after 9pm. Everything that matters this month happens after dark anyway. For your Sundays, pick from our day trip ideas (the Algar waterfalls are made for August), and if you missed the start of summer, the July guide is still online.

Programmes can change: check the official details in the links below. See you at the end of August for the September guide.

Sources

• Misteri d'Elx governing board: dates and times for the 2026 performances
• Alicante Plaza: ticket sales open for the Misteri 2026
• Altea Turismo: the Castell de l'Olla
• Pure Costa Blanca: Castell de l'Olla 2026, date and tips
• Spain.info: Elche's Nit de l'Albà
• Elche town hall: the palmeras of the Nit de l'Albà
• FEMMICC: Dénia's Moros y Cristianos federation
• Xàbia town hall: the international Xàbia Jazz festival
• SkyFest Benidorm: programme

Information verified in July 2026. Programmes, timings and addresses can change: always confirm with the official source before heading out. The Daily Costa Blanca is an AI-assisted publication with human review; our editorial team verifies and takes responsibility for every article. Spotted an error? Write to us and we will correct it. How we work.