In Spain, banks, government buildings etc plus many of the shops and commercial centres in Alicante are closed on public holidays. In addition, some bars and restaurants outside the main tourist areas of Alicante may also close. However all the hospitals and emergency services in Alicante remain open.
Public Holidays In Alicante
In Spain, each one of the autonomous provinces has regional holidays in addition to the standard national Public holidays and, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, it will probably be celebrated on the nearest weekday. Also, if the public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, it is usual to make a very long weekend by taking either the Friday or the Monday off as well. These local holidays are usually a celebration of certain Saints. Below is a list of the Public Holidays in the Alicante area for 2011.
1 January – New Years Day In Alicante
New Years Eve in Spain is great fun and one of the best places to see it in Alicante is in the town hall square. For more information on New Year in Alicante, please see here.
6 January – Epiphany In Alicante
On the eve of January 5th, the Three Kings Parade is held, where the 3 Wise Men parade through the Alicante streets on horses or camels. This evening is also known in Spain as Los Reyes Magos. This holiday is one of the most important days in the Spanish calendar and, for more information, please see here.
19 Mar – Fathers Day In Alicante
In Spain, Father’s Day is held on 19th March to mark the feast of St. Joseph, the father of Jesus. In the weeks leading up to this day, schoolchildren spend a few hours a day preparing a gift for their fathers.
22 and 25 April – Good Friday and Easter Monday In Alicante
Easter is one of Spain’s most and deep-rooted celebrations and the streets of Alicante come alive with religious celebrations and parades. For more information, please see here.
1 May – Labour Day In Alicante
Labour Day is a holiday given to recognize and celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. This also ties in Alicante with the May Crosses (Cruces de Mayo), for more information please see here.
5 May – Santa Faz In Alicante
A colourful, religious pilgrimage in Alicante. Fore more details on the Santa Faz pilgrimage in Alicante please see here.
24 Jun – San Juan In Alicante
This festival of San Juan is celebrated in many Spanish cities and towns, however the largest celebration is here in Alicante, where it is considered probably the most important festival in the city! For more information on the Hogueras De San Juan, please see here.
15 August – Assumption Day In Alicante
The Feast of the Assumption is probably the biggest and most well known public holiday in Spain and celebrates the departure from this life of the Virgin Mary and the Assumption of her body into heaven. The holiday starts on 11th August 11th, culminating on the 15th with the procession of the Virgin de Agosto through Alicante’s streets. In Elche, about a 15 minute drive from Gran Alacant and Alicante is Elche, which hosts a massive firework display (Nit de L’Alba) on 13th August using around 17,000 kilos of gunpowder!
9 Oct – Valencia Day In Alicante
On 9th October 1238, King James I of Aragon entered Valencia and liberated it from 500 years of Moorish rule and created Valencia as an autonomous country. Therefore this day is now one of the region’s most important holidays.
12 Oct – Columbus Day In Alicante
This is Spain’s national holiday and is held every year on October 12th to commemorate the exact date when Christopher Columbus first set foot in America and there is a huge parade in Madrid and various celebrations in Alicante.
1 Nov – All Saints Day In Alicante
This day is known as All Saints (or All Souls) Day here in Spain and is the day that relatives lay flowers on the graves of their dead.
6 Dec – Constitution Day In Alicante
Constitution day is a celebration of the day Spain became a democracy as, in 1978 the Spain approved a referendum defining the Constitution of Spain, setting out how the government would be run, what powers they would have and therefore determined how Spain is run today.
8 Dec – Immaculate Conception In Alicante
This Spanish holiday is one of additional church services in and around Alicante and is based on the belief that when becoming pregnant, the Virgin Mary did not have sex as such, but she was ‘filled by god’ and therefore the conception was ‘immaculate’. As this is only 2 days after Constitution Day, many Alicante citizens take the whole week off!
25 Dec – Christmas Day In Alicante
In Alicante, and the rest of Spain, whilst Christmas Day is special and is therefore a public holiday, Christmas Eve is traditionally the family feast day, with the children not traditionally receiving presents until the 6th January from the Three Kings. But these days, children in Alicante are lucky as they also have Papa Noel (Santa Claus) and therefore today children in Alicante expect Papa Noel to deliver them presents on Christmas Eve as well! For more information on Christmas in Spain, please see here.
So, as you can see, whenever you visit Alicante with Alicante Holiday Villas, there will be plenty of things for you to do in Alicante!
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