Alicante is preparing to celebrate Christmas: program of events

Alicante is finalizing preparations for the Christmas holidays. For December and early January, the City Council has planned more than 60 events united by the motto «Feel the greatness of Christmas». We will tell you about the most interesting events of the festive program, which are definitely worth visiting. 

Official switching on of the festive illumination

On Friday, November 29, Alicante will host the official switching on of the Christmas lights. The City Council has placed the button that turns on all the illumination near the huge Christmas tree in the Plaza de la Constitución. Exactly at 19:00 will shine more than 2.5 million LED lights, decorated 120 streets of the city. This year in Alicante installed several hundred light installations, including – 468 arches, 365 stylized lanterns and 29 signs Happy Holidays. Also, more than 70 trees were decorated with lights, the main among which is the 18-meter spruce on Constitution Square. 

In 2024, the lighting of the Christmas lights in Alicante will take place a week later than usual due to the tragic events that took place in Valencia. During the event, Alicante singer Ines Dominguez will perform a cover of the song “Hallelujah,” and flashlights will be lit on participants’ cell phones in memory of the victims of the hurricane.

Santa Claus House Opening

Santa Claus will arrive in Alicante as early as this week and will live for almost a month in a house built especially for him in Plaza Séneca. Its opening will also take place on Friday, November 29. At 19:00 the elves will bring the first visitors to Santa. Reservations for tickets to Santa Claus’ house began as early as November 20, and within a week they were all sold out. 

Opening of the Christmas creches 

The first Christmas creche in Alicante can be seen on Saturday, November 30. It was installed in the El Portalet Palace on Labradores Street

On Wednesday, December 4 at 18:00, the creche installed by the Association of Creche Makers of Alicante (Asociación de Belenistas de Alicante) will open. Traditionally, it was installed in the corridor of the City Council. But this year, due to the renovation of the facade of the City Hall, which is in a state of disrepair, it was moved to Espacio Seneca (the old bus station). By the way, here you can also visit the children’s exhibition “Shoes and the Christmas Alphabet” on January 5.

Also scheduled for Wednesday is the opening of a creche with four biblical scenes at Plaza de la Muntanyeta.  

The opening of the giant creche at Plaza del Ayuntamiento

On Saturday, December 7, the Guinness Book of World Records giant creche will be unveiled at Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The huge composition, 14 meters high, is the work of Hogeras artist José Manuel García Esquiva and his team. According to a study conducted by Agencyeo.eu, the unveiling of this creche was the most popular Christmas event of the Valencian community according to Google queries.

At 18:00, an hour before the opening of the giant creche, there will be a free concert in the square located between Rambla de Méndez Núñez and Explanada.

The monumental creche will be joined by the six giant angels that decorated the city last year. This time they will again be installed in different neighborhoods of Alicante to create a festive atmosphere.

Read also: 7 Places to Celebrate a Merry Christmas in Spain

Opening of the ice rink at Plaza del Puerto

The ice rink, which has always worked in the bullfighting arena, will open this year in Plaza del Puerto on December 5. Its exact schedule is not yet known. But unless the organizing company wants to change anything, the rink will be open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Last year, tickets cost from €6 for 30 minutes of skating.  

Procession in honor of St. Nicholas

On Friday, December 6, Alicante will honor its patron saint with a solemn procession. The procession in honor of St. Nicholas will depart from Concatedral de San Nicolás at 11:45 after the festive mass. The route of the procession goes along the Rambla to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. 

Opening of the Campamento de las Carteras Reales (Camp of the Three Kings)

From December 26 to January 4, the Campamento de las Carteras Reales (Campamento de las Carteras Reales) will be open in Plaza Gabriel Miró. In 2024 they have been chosen as the silver medalist of the World Coastal Rowing Championships, Lucía Navarro, singer Inés Domínguez and the president of the organization Alinur, Nuria Coves. According to tradition, the messengers will receive letters of wishes from the children addressed to the Three Kings. To attend the camp and deliver the letter, you must pre-register at alicante.es from December 18.

New Year’s Eve on La Rambla

Children and adults will be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve on December 31 near the big stage that will be located on Rambla de Méndez Núñez. The children’s party will take place from 10:30 to 13:30. Little guests will enjoy a masquerade, a holiday show, inflatable boat rides, lots of fun and a rehearsal of the chimes. 

The adult party will start at 23:00 and will last until 4:00. The program will include a New Year’s Eve greeting and a live music concert by the Athena Orchestra. 

Read also: Christmas in Catalonia and Barcelona — festive traditions and events

Parade of Messengers of the Three Kings (Desfile de las Carteras Reales)

On January 4 in Alicante will be held a parade of messengers of the Three Kings. Lucía Navarro, Inés Domínguez and Nuria Coves will lead a solemn procession from the bullfighting arena to the Rambla-Explanada. Here, on the big stage, they will also collect letters from children. 

Parade of the Three Kings (Cabalgata de Reyes Magos)

On January 5 around 5:00 pm, the Three Kings – Herman Schwarz (Melchior), Ignacio Galli (Gaspar) and Fernando Candela (Balthazar) will arrive at the port of Alicante. They will then travel to the bullfighting arena where the children’s show will take place and greet the children from the stage. Afterwards, the Three Kings will lead a solemn procession to the plaza del Ayuntamiento, where they will again greet the children from the stage. 

Around 5,000 plastic chairs will be placed along the parade route. Those wishing to enjoy the parade in comfort can book seats from December 26 at the price of 3 euros at vivaticket.es.

Earlier we reported: November 28 in Barcelona will light up Christmas lights

Earlier we reported: Madrid’s Naviluz Christmas bus will begin running on Nov. 29

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Photo from todoalicante.es