Costa Blanca
3rd edition of TapaFest inspired by the artists of the Benidorm Fest

Valencian Community Tourism, through the Exquisite Mediterranean, collaborates in the third edition of TapaFest, the gastronomic competition parallel to the Benidorm Fest that began on January 24 and is held until February 2. An event that has the participation of 21 Benidorm hotel establishments that compete for the tapa with the fastest rhythm of the competition, and which has so far distributed around 6,000 tapas.
This is an event organised by the Association of Bars, Restaurants, Cafes and Nighttime Entertainment of Benidorm (ABRECA), in collaboration with the Generalitat, through L’Exquisit Mediterrani, the Benidorm City Council, Conhostur and the Repsol Guide, and which this Friday presented the awards for this 2025 edition.
The regional secretary of Tourism, José Manuel Camarero, wanted to highlight that “the Benidorm Fest has consolidated itself as an international platform that, in addition to showcasing musical talent, highlights local gastronomy with the parallel event Tapa Fest.”
Along these lines, he stressed that “through L’Exquisit Mediterrani, Benidorm has shown the world the quality of its products and the creativity of its chefs, fusing tradition, music and innovation in each award-winning tapa.”
In this context, José Manuel Camarero pointed out that “the Benidorm Fest and, in parallel, the Tapa Fest are being fundamental for the deseasonalisation and diversification of tourism, which is contributing to a notable increase in hotel occupancy and an increase in the turnover of the hospitality industry”. In this regard, he recalled that, in its 2024 edition, the Benidorm Fest achieved a direct economic impact of 2.5 million euro, 65% more than in its first edition, held in 2022.
For the regional secretary of Tourism, “these results are the fruit of collaboration between the public and private sectors, an effort that continues to generate success in the city of Benidorm”. Finally, he congratulated the winners of the Tapa Fest 2025 “for their talent” and thanked all the participants “for making this event possible, which will continue to be a benchmark for gastronomic tourism in Benidorm”, he added.
The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez; the president of Abreca, Javier del Castillo, and the manager of the association, Irene Carreño, also participated in the awards ceremony.
Tapa Fest 2025 award winners
The ‘Flamenquín Deluxe’, from Taberna Andaluza, has been the star tapa of the III Tapa Fest Tapas Competition. The public, with their votes, has chosen this option as the best tapa among the proposals of the 21 participating establishments. This delicacy is a crispy roll of Iberian ham stuffed with cheese and dates, coated with breadcrumbs and quicos, accompanied by Pedro Ximénez and honey and mustard aioli.
The second prize went to Linaje de Castilla with its tapa ‘Las 3 bellotas’, and the third award went to DNI Ibéricos with ‘Nuestra Diva’.
This year, in addition, a special prize has been awarded by the jury made up of Antonio Crespo, Paco Juan, the two from the CdT Network, María Ritter from Guia Repsol and Julio Moreno from the Llar del Pescador, which went to the La Fava Restaurant for its ‘Coca Vasco-Valenciana’, an incredible mixture of coca with salmorreta jam, roasted garlic praline, confit cod and its pil-pil.
To close the day, a double ticket has been raffled for the final gala of the Benidorm Fest, which will be held this Saturday, February 1st.
The 21 participating establishments in this edition of the Tapa Fest, which will continue to offer the best of our tapas until this Sunday, February 2, are: Cervecería L’Abadia, Linaje De Castilla, Terraza Bahía, Shija Sabores De Los Balcanes, Freiduría Los Peces , Pinocho Playa, La Cava Aragonesa, El Rincón De Ribera, Playa La Pinta, Malaespina, La Fava, Marisquería El Puerto, DNI Ibéricos, Restaurante El Mesón, Taberna Andaluza, La Tapería Grupo Aurrera, La Brasería Aurrera, El Bodegón Aurrera, Pintxos Aurrera, La Tabernita Del Sur and Arrocería La Marina.
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Costa Blanca
There will be fewer terraces, stricter opening hours, and no more 24-hour opening hours in the middle of Alicante at night.

This new Acoustically Saturated Zone (ZAS) will soon be in effect in Alicante. It will change the city’s nightlife, leisure activities, and traditions. It was just passed by the city council. This measure changes the times that bars, restaurants, pubs, and clubs close in some parts of the Old Town and the Centre, like Calle Castaños. It also gets rid of the well-known shops and bars that are open 24 hours a day.
Additionally, as part of the ZAS Master Plan, the Alicante local police will carry out a special surveillance operation on behalf of the Department of Security “to ensure compliance with closing times and the removal of terraces or tables and the dissolution of crowds of people in the vicinity of the premises once they are closed,” as agreed upon.
These rules say that bars, pubs, and restaurants in the city heart will have to close at midnight on Fridays, Saturdays, and the night before holidays in the Old Town and between Portal de Elche and Calle Castaños. For their part, discos will close at 3am. From Sunday to Monday, bars will close 30 minutes earlier, at 1:30am, and discos will close at 1am.
On Bonfire Night and holidays like Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and Twelfth Night, these hours will not be in effect. The hours of operation on these dates will be set by a city decree. During the summer, the door will be opened a bit more. In half an hour, tables and chairs can be set up in the neighbourhood public space from 8 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., but all furniture on the terrace or table must be taken down at 12:30 a.m.
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Costa Blanca
Alicante Crime: Fewer cases but more Violence

With a 0.7% decrease in recorded offences over the previous year, crime in the province of Alicante had a minor overall dip in 2024. However, a recent Ministry of the Interior report found that robberies, sexual offences, and violent crimes have all climbed.
Increase in Violent Crimes and Murders
The 81.8% increase in homicides and murders, which went from 11 in 2023 to 20 in 2024, is the most concerning number. On the other hand, homicide attempts decreased by 19.7%. In the meantime, there were 1,413 recorded occurrences of attacks and rioting, a 20.1% rise.
Additionally, sexual offences increased by 5.1%, with 1,008 cases reported. Other sexual crimes rose 6.5% to 786 instances, whereas penetration-related rape cases (222) decreased by a small 0.5%. This increase, according to the Ministry, is partly due to victims’ increasing awareness and willingness to disclose crimes.
An increase in drug crimes and robberies
Alicante province witnessed a 10.5% increase in robberies involving violence and intimidation, with 2,207 instances, while the country’s robbery rates decreased. The enhanced efforts by law enforcement against drug trafficking networks are reflected in the 3.6% increase in drug-related crimes, which reached 1,145 reported instances.
Trends in Cybercrime and Fraud
Overall, cybercrime decreased by 0.1%, remaining largely unchanged. However, following a significant spike in 2023, computer fraud incidents decreased by 1.9%. Other cybercrimes increased from 2,121 to 2,431 cases, a 14.6% increase.
Reduced Home Theft and Burglaries
At 5,699, there was a significant drop in residential burglaries, which was 9.2% lower than in 2023. With 26,416 recorded occurrences, thefts—one of the most frequent crimes affecting locals—also decreased by 2.2%.
Crevillent and Petrer at opposite ends are crime hotspots.
Crevillent saw the largest increase in crime among the municipalities, with 1,057 reported offences, or a 15.6% increase. Petrer, on the other hand, experienced the biggest drop in crime, with 851 recorded cases—a 21.9% drop.
Alcoy (5.9%), Aspe (7%), Torrevieja (5.4%), Orihuela (0.3%), and Elche (1.4%) are some places where crime has increased. In the meantime, crime decreased in El Campello (-20.8%), Dénia (-5.2%), Altea (-13%), and Benidorm (-3%).
The increase in violent crimes and robberies is a major worry despite the general decline in crime, underscoring the necessity of ongoing watchfulness and law enforcement initiatives throughout
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This weekend, 250 riders from around the world will be in Elche for the International BMX Open.

This weekend, Elche will be the site of the International Open BMX Racing. This is expected to be the best BMX competition ever, with some of the best riders in the world competing, including Malene Kejlstrup from Denmark, Ruben Gommers from Belgium, Thomas Maturano from Argentina, and Pablo García from Spain, who just won the Indoor de Tours.
The event is being put together by the BMX Alicante Race Team with help from the Unión Ciclista Ilicitana and with the City Council’s help. It will happen on February 15th and 16th at the BMX track at the Miguel Hernández University. The goal of this event, which has different races for kids, adults, and the best riders, is to get more people to play BMX in the city and help the local business and tourism.
People from Germany, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Slovakia, Venezuela, Portugal, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Ecuador, and Finland, as well as different parts of Spain, have already stated that they will be running.
Over the two days, the event will have a variety of categories and challenges. On Saturday, it will be open from 9:00 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sunday, it will be open from 9:00 am to 16:00 pm. A food area, a Fan Zone, and a place for shops and vendors will also be there. Through entreticket.es, you can get tickets.
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