Christmas in Benidorm: What's Open, Lights, Weather & Tips

Christmas in Benidorm is mild, sociable and properly festive, and plenty stays open on Christmas Day: most hotels and lots of bars and restaurants, especially the British and Irish ones. Expect daytime highs of around 16-17°C in late December, chilly evenings, and a Christmas square with an ice rink, a market and a big nativity scene.

It's not a white Christmas, obviously. But a sunny Christmas morning walk along the front, then a long lunch, is hard to beat.

Quick facts

• Christmas Day 2026: Friday 25 December, a national public holiday
• Weather: December highs average 17°C and lows about 8°C (AEMET, Alicante airport). Benidorm by late December is about 16°C by day and 9°C at night (Weather Spark).
• Sea: about 15-16°C by late December
• Daylight: about 9 and a half hours, sunset around 5.45pm
• Rain: about 4 rainy days in the whole of December
• Christmas programme (BeniNadal) 2026: dates TBD. In 2025 it ran from 29 November to 6 January, so expect roughly the last weekend of November to 6 January 2027
• Lights switch-on: TBD, likely the last Saturday of November, 28 November (it was Saturday 29 November in 2025)
• Key dates: 24 December (Nochebuena), 25 December, 31 December (Nochevieja), 5 January (Three Kings parade, 2027 time and route TBD)

What's open in Benidorm on Christmas Day?

More than you'd think. Benidorm is a year-round resort, and the hoteliers' association Hosbec has had well over 80% of the town's hotel beds open in recent winters. Christmas is a busy week for them.

• Hotels: open, and most do some kind of Christmas Day meal or entertainment. If you're on half board, ask what's included on the 24th and 25th.
• Bars and restaurants: lots open, particularly British and Irish pubs and hotel restaurants. Some Spanish family places close, or open for lunch only.
• Shows: in 2025, Benidorm Palace put on Christmas gala dinner shows on 25 and 26 December.
• Shops and supermarkets: it's a national holiday, so assume they'll be shut or on short hours and stock up on the 24th.
• Getting around: the TRAM and buses can run reduced holiday timetables. Check tramalacant.es before you rely on a late tram. Arriving by plane? See Alicante airport to Benidorm.

One thing to know: for Spanish families, the big meal is often on the evening of the 24th, Nochebuena. So Christmas Eve night can be quieter in Spanish restaurants than you'd expect, while British pubs are rammed.

Christmas Day lunch: how to sort it

I'm not going to list menus and prices, because they change every year and half of them aren't out until December. Here's how to get it right instead.

• Book early. Popular places fill up by early December. Walking in on the day is a gamble.
• Decide what kind of Christmas you want. A full roast with crackers is easy to find in Rincón de Loix. A long Spanish lunch with seafood and rice is more of an old town thing.
• Ask what's included. Drinks, cava, coffee, and whether there's a deposit. Set Christmas menus are usually priced per head. For everyday prices the rest of the week, see Benidorm prices.
• Look at hotel restaurants even if you're not staying there. Some open their Christmas meal to non-residents, so ask.

For a Spanish-style meal, it's worth asking at the old town places on Plaza de la Constitució, like La Cava Aragonesa and El Rincón del Ribera. For a pint after, the Shamrock Irish Pub is one of the friendlier British-side pubs. And for a drink with a view on Christmas Eve, try Gran Hotel Bali or La Terrasse. Always check their Christmas opening first.

Christmas lights and the Plaza de la Navidad

The centre of Benidorm's Christmas is the Plaza de SS.MM. Reyes de España, which becomes the Plaza de la Navidad. For 2026 the switch-on date, ice rink and programme are all TBD. Based on last year, expect the lights on around Saturday 28 November and the square open until 6 January 2027. Here's what happened in 2025:

• The lights and the tree were switched on on Saturday 29 November at 7pm, with a show by the children's singer Gisela. In 2024 the switch-on was 6 December, so the date moves.
• The square was open from 29 November to 6 January, with an outdoor ice rink, kids' rides, live shows and a Christmas products market.
• Most days had traditional games from 12pm to 2pm and children's shows at 6pm, including on Christmas Day.
• The Casa de la Navidad at the Casa-Museu l'Hort de Colón hosted Papá Noel on set dates through December.

The 2026 programme, usually called BeniNadal, is TBD. The council usually publishes it in November. Keep an eye on benidorm.org.

The belén (nativity scenes)

A belén is a nativity scene, and in Spain they're a big deal. Some are huge, with whole model villages. Benidorm had two main ones in 2025, both free:

• The monumental belén in the Plaza de SS.MM. Reyes de España, right in the Christmas square.
• The traditional belén of ACR La Barqueta at their base on Calle Tomás Ortuño 62, from 8 December to 6 January, open 10am to 1pm and 5pm to 9pm.

Up by the old town castle viewpoint, Plaza de Santa Ana, there were also giant Three Kings figures, around 10 metres tall. Good for a photo.

Christmas markets in Benidorm

Set your expectations: these aren't German-style markets with glühwein and wooden huts. They're small and local, but nice for a wander. The 2026 market dates are TBD, so expect something similar to 2025.

• Plaza de la Navidad market: Christmas products and gifts, next to the ice rink.
• Porrat Navideño, Parque de Elche: local products, crafts, sweets, toys and decorations, from 29 November to 6 January in 2025.

The regular weekly street markets are a separate thing. Our Benidorm market days guide has which market runs on which day.

If you want a bigger day out, Alicante's Christmas is a short TRAM ride away. See Christmas in Alicante, or Benidorm or Alicante? if you're still deciding where to stay.

Christmas Eve in Benidorm

The 24th is a good day to be out. In 2025 there was a pre-Christmas party from 11am in the Plaza de la Navidad with a bar, snacks and inflatables for kids, and a "Tardebuena" afternoon party from 12.30pm on Calle Santo Domingo in the old town (our old town bars guide has where to carry on). Daytime parties like this are big in Spain, so do your celebrating at lunchtime and get back for dinner. The 2026 Christmas Eve events are TBD.

Weather at Christmas

Benidorm in late December is about 16°C in the day and 9°C at night. On a sunny day out of the wind, it feels warmer than that, and you'll see people in T-shirts on terraces. After sunset, around 5.45pm, it gets cold quickly. Bring a warm jacket and a jumper. Our winter packing guide has the rest. December only gets about 4 rainy days, but if you land one, here's what to do in Benidorm when it rains.

Can you swim on Christmas Day? The sea is around 15-16°C. Some brave people do a quick dip. Most of us paddle, then go to the pub.

After Christmas

• New Year's Eve (Thursday 31 December): the 2026 programme is TBD. Last year it was a big party on the Levante seafront, with Big Ben's chimes at 1am for the Brits. See New Year's Eve in Benidorm and Alicante.
• 2 to 5 January: in 2025 there was a Three Kings camp in the gardens around the town hall.
• 5 January: the Gran Cabalgata, the Three Kings parade, in the evening, which is Tuesday 5 January 2027. The 2027 time and route are TBD. In 2025 it ran from Parque de Elche to the Auditorio Julio Iglesias. For Alicante's, see our Three Kings parade guide.

For more on the town, see our Benidorm area guide.

FAQ

Is Benidorm good for Christmas?

Yes, if you want mild weather, a sociable crowd and a lot still open. Expect highs of about 16-17°C, cool evenings, a Christmas square with an ice rink and a big nativity scene, and plenty of hotels and bars doing Christmas Day.

What's open in Benidorm on Christmas Day?

Most hotels and a lot of bars and restaurants, especially the British and Irish ones and the hotel restaurants. Christmas Day is a national holiday in Spain, so plan on shops and supermarkets being shut or on short hours and stock up on the 24th.

Is Benidorm warm at Christmas?

Mild in the daytime, cold at night. Weather Spark has Benidorm's late-December highs around 16°C and lows around 9°C. Sunny lunchtimes on a terrace feel warmer than that.

Does Benidorm have a Christmas market?

Yes, two small ones in 2025: a Christmas market in the Plaza de la Navidad (Plaza de SS.MM. Reyes de España) and the Porrat Navideño craft and gift market in Parque de Elche, both from late November to 6 January. The 2026 dates are TBD, so expect something similar.

When are the Benidorm Christmas lights switched on?

TBD. It changes each year, but based on last year expect around the last Saturday of November, which would be 28 November 2026. In 2025 the switch-on was on Saturday 29 November at 7pm in Plaza de SS.MM. Reyes de España, and in 2024 it was on 6 December. The council hasn't confirmed the 2026 date yet.

Is Christmas Day a holiday in Spain?

Yes, 25 December is a national public holiday. In 2026 it falls on a Friday. 26 December isn't a holiday in the Valencian region.

Book lunch now. Thank me later.

Planning the rest of the winter? See December · January · February · March · Benidorm in winter