Hi there! 👋 Five years on the Costa del Sol and one of my favourite nights of the entire year is this Saturday. Plus a Friday night at one of the most spectacular outdoor venues on the coast, and a couple of things that are very much not on the tourist radar. Here's what I'm actually planning to go to:
This is the one I tell every new expat to put in their calendar. For five hours on Saturday night, the whole of Málaga's historic centre becomes an open-air cultural festival — and it's completely free. Museums stay open late (Picasso, Pompidou, Carmen Thyssen, Museo de Málaga), there are outdoor concerts on Plaza de la Merced, projections on the Cathedral façade, night-time tours of the Alcazaba, jazz and flamenco in the streets. The 17th edition this year is themed "El futuro se escribe con música." Wear comfortable shoes — you'll walk a lot and you won't want to leave.
If you don't know Paco Candela, just trust me on this one. One of Spain's most beloved flamenco-copla voices performs at the open-air Marenostrum stage at the foot of Sohail Castle — capacity 18,000, warm May night, one of the most spectacular outdoor venues on the entire Costa del Sol. The kind of evening that ends with everyone around you singing every word and you wondering why you didn't know this music existed before. €33.
Possibly the most fun-looking thing on the coast this weekend. All day at the Benalmádena Skatepark: surfskate competition, graffiti art contest, 2v2 freestyle dance battle, calisthenics demos, free workshops for all levels, and a live concert by Vince Sopale at 21:00. Completely free, all day. If you've got kids, teenagers, or you're just curious — go.
Classical dressage, vaquera horsemanship, flamenco dance, fire acts, all inside the historic Fuengirola bullring. It's the kind of show that photographs beautifully and feels properly Andalusian. If you're looking for something to bring visiting family to that they won't see anywhere else — this is the one.
🧀 Also: Mercado de Quesos Coín Sunday from 9:00 — free entry, 35+ cheese producers from across Andalusia. Sunday free museums from 14:00 (Alcazaba, Picasso, Pompidou). And for theatre lovers — Memorias de Adriano with Lluís Homar at Teatro del Soho, Friday and Saturday at 19:00.
Have a wonderful weekend on the Costa del Sol ☀️
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Andreea ❤️