Benidorm Fest will have a new date, an alternative to Eurovision

Spain’s decision to leave Eurovision in 2026 left a lot of people wondering what would happen to Benidorm Fest in the future. One among them was what would happen to Euroclub, the festival that takes place in the tourist hub of the Valencian Community in May. This is the biggest party in the country to watch the final of the European contest. One idea that is being talked about is to keep the concerts going with a new festival.

The goal of this new concept is to fill the void left by the old format and strengthen the city’s brand in the spring. Nuria Montes, the general secretary of Hosbec, is hopeful about this “second chance” for a city that is totally committed to hosting this event. This is clear from the fact that hotels are already booked for the fifth edition of the competition organised by RTVE with the Generalitat and the City Council.Montes says, “If Spanish Television replaces this participation with another festival also held in Benidorm with a top-level musical lineup, all related to Eurovision and the Benidorm Fest, I think it could be a tremendously interesting musical event.”

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One thing that makes them good is that they have organised Euroclub before. In 2024, a festival featuring a lot of bands and a live broadcast of the final with Nebulossa on stage in l’Aigüera Park drew a huge crowd. In 2025, this event lasted for two days and drew thousands of people.

The May concept isn’t a mistake; it’s meant to take use of the city’s strengths at that time of year. May is a lot better time for big shows than January or February, which are freezing.

Montes talks about the calendar’s benefits: “May is almost summer, springtime, good weather, being outside, and the chance to do things with a much bigger group of people.” The general secretary said that this shift will allow for a different strategy from the one used for the winter galas.

The Benidorm Fest’s musical success shows that a carefully chosen group of artists who only focus on them can work. The festival’s appeal is clear after four editions and blockbusters like “Ay mamá” and “Nochentera,” which didn’t win their respective editions.

There was considerable doubt at first about how the visits would affect Benidorm Fest if it removed its direct association with Eurovision. However, Montes defends the quality of the performers and the reach of their songs outside the contest.The Hosbec spokesman says, “It’s true that the winning songs from past editions have been hits for their performers no matter where they finished at Eurovision.” She gives the example of Melody’s performance of “Esa diva” last year, which got “a tonne of plays and was used at parties all over Spain.”

The hotel industry is already getting ready for this new challenge, sure that Benidorm will be able to draw music fans all year long. The city wants to make sure it stays the best place in the country for music tourism.

Nuria Montes says this is another proof that the destination can bounce back: “We think Benidorm is the perfect example of a typical sun and beach destination that has been able to reinvent itself and combine its success with another type of product.”

The city’s hotels have already agreed to the plan. The secretary of the employers’ group said, “They are definitely willing to work together and take part in any events that will increase demand.”

The May festival will help the city strategically by letting it expand the reach of Benidorm Fest and take advantage of the Eurofan trend in an area with nice weather and a better chance of drawing in crowds.

city. Montes admits that he would have loved to keep “normal conditions” where the winner goes straight to Eurovision for its international audience, but he views this May festival as a great chance for the city.Montes said that we’ll see what Televisión Española chooses in the end. The decision leaves the door open for an event that promises to turn Benidorm’s spring into an extension of the musical fever that is presently sweeping the city.