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

Consum announces the opening of new stores in Aldaia, Alaquàs, Sueca, Xàtiva, Massanassa and Torrevieja

Consum expands its operations in the Valencian Community and announces the opening of additional stores in six towns throughout Valencia. The Valencian cooperative’s comprehensive network of supermarkets in the region is further enhanced by these new openings.

New Consum stores are scheduled to open in Valencia in 2025

The following are the new stores that Consum will establish in the towns of Valencia:

Alaquàs

Aldaia

Massanassa

Sueca

Xàtiva

Torrevieja (Alicante)

Three of the stores that were acquired from Kuups last year have enabled the establishment of some of these new supermarkets. These have already been assigned an estimated opening date:

Massanassa (C/ Medi Ambient), which is scheduled to commence operations at the conclusion of May.
Alaquàs (Av. Blasco Ibáñez) and Aldaia (Av. Miguel Hernández) will launch under the Consum brand in the middle of the year.
Consum intends to maintain its pace of establishing 53 new supermarkets in 2025, including 18 of its own stores and 35 Charter stores, as well as to execute 31 renovations and expansions.

In 2024, Consum achieved revenues of €4,707.03 million, a 7.3% increase, and profits of €108.7 million, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. These figures substantiate the business model advocated by the Valencian cooperative, which is founded on price competitiveness, a diverse selection of leading brands without sacrificing the quality of its own brand, and a steadfast dedication to ensuring customer savings through discounts and gift vouchers. More than €62.2 million has been allocated to this initiative.

Antonio Rodríguez Lázaro, the CEO of Consum, stated that “these results are indicative of the dedication of our entire team, the confidence of our customers, and our capacity to adjust to change while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

It maintained its sixth position in the national classification of distribution companies by surface area throughout the year, increasing its market share by 0.1% to 4.7% of the national market. Nielsen reports that its market share by sales in its area of influence is 13.45%.

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The El Raso, Guardamar celebrates with a Tapas Route and concerts between May 15th and 17th

The programme for the third edition of the Guardamar del Segura City Council’s festivities has been unveiled in collaboration with the residents’ association of the El Raso Urbanisation, an area that is home to a significant number of international residents.

Between May 15th and 17th, the El Raso Urbanisation will commemorate its festivities with a Tapas Route and concerts. The festivities will take place on Thursday, May 15th and Friday, May 16th, and will feature an International Tapas Route featuring twelve establishments, which is two more than the previous year. María Venerdi, the Councillor for Festivals, has announced that participants will be able to experience tapas and a drink for 3.50 euros. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to participate in a drawing for a variety of rewards and vote for their preferred tapa on the “Tapaporte.” Last year’s edition saw the sale of over 7,000 tapas, as emphasised by the local organisers.

José Luis Sáez, the mayor of Guardamar, has emphasised the significance of “neighbourhoods becoming increasingly integrated into the dynamics of the municipality,” and he has noted that this event has “consolidated itself and become a great gastronomic celebration for the municipality.”

The city council will also offer a transport service that will travel to all participating venues in order to simplify the process of travelling.

Auditorio del Campo will host a grand celebration on Saturday, May 17th, commencing at 6 p.m. The event will feature a variety of musical groups, including the Costa Blanca Singers, who will serve as the opening act.

The charitable nature of these festivities has been emphasised by the Guardamar councillor for Festivals. The El Raso festival committee has sold T-shirts for the Tapas Route at a price of 10 euros. The proceeds of these sales, in addition to those from the bar service on the 17th, will be donated entirely to charitable causes, including the ‘El Milagro de Ver’ Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing eye health in developing countries, and to those impacted by DANA in Valencia.

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Elche joins the national protests for Palestine on May 10th

Tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, the Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee has scheduled a demonstration in accordance with the national mobilisations under the slogan “Move for Palestine.” The march will commence at 7:00 p.m., and the rally will be held at the Chimeneas de L’Algeps in Elche at 6:30 p.m.

The initiative aims to denounce the situation in Gaza and Palestine as a whole, and to encourage citizens to demonstrate their solidarity and demand genuine action to halt the violence. The Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee extends an invitation to all individuals, irrespective of their gender or age, to participate in this collective demonstration.

As part of a coordinated campaign to increase awareness of the situation in Palestine and demand an end to the violence and occupation, this mobilisation is one of a series of demonstrations that have been organised in various cities throughout Spain.