Very festive Town Hall Square

Christmas arrived in Benidorm yesterday as the lights were officially switched on by the Mayor, Agustin Navarro and the fiesta queens at the Town Hall square - named Plaza de Navidad, or Christmas Square for the festive period.

Crowds watching the puppet show

The ceremony kicked off a little after 6pm with a children´s Christmas themed puppet show on the specially erected stage - which was totally packed out and kept the young ones totally spellbound. A video showed the Three Kings cleverly incorporated into the performance and they promised to come back on the night of the 5th January, laden down with presents for all the good children!

On the night of the 5th there will be a fantastic float parade, starting at Dove Park in the Old Town, marking the arrival of the Three Kings. When the children go home that night they leave straw and carrots out for the donkeys - in much the same way that children in the UK leave them out for Rudolf, before going to bed. Then when they wake up on the 6th - which incidentally is a Bank Holiday here they have either been left a present, if they have been good or a sack of coal if they have been naughty!

Mayor in the middle

Once the puppet show was finished the Mayor gave a short speech - possibly short because he had a sore throat and then invited the fiesta queens up onto the stage, where they all counted down with the audience for the lights to be switched on.

And as is the norm, no ceremony in Spain is complete without the requisite firework display - at least it was dark so they could be seen! The crowds all cheered and clapped their approval at the end then went and enjoyed the various children´s activities, such as inflatable bouncy castles, fairground rides and trampolines as well as several stalls lining the approach to the main square.

The Ice Rink is already in position under a huge tent, but no ice yet, however it will be ready and open for Saturday - and you will be able to hire skates there but remember to bring your gloves!

It was a lovely festive atmosphere, with lots of very excited children - oh to be young again! The stalls, ice rink and children´s rides will be open every day until 7th January, the day when children here in Spain go back to school. One of the busiest stalls happen to be the churros stand - which had a long queue of hungry people waiting!