What to do in Alicante in enero

Carnival takes over the Rambla with the massive 'sábado ramblero' costume parade on February 14, the city's big pre-Lent blowout.

Holy Week kicks off on Palm Sunday, March 29: 27 processions of National Tourist Interest parade past with figures like El Morenet and the Procession of Silence.

The Santa Faz Pilgrimage on Thursday, April 16 draws around 330,000 pilgrims along the 8 km from the Co-Cathedral of San Nicolás to the monastery —five centuries of tradition with rosemary sprigs and mistela wine.

The May Crosses fill the downtown squares and churches with flower altars, the festive overture to Alicante's spring.

The Bonfires of Saint John, June 20-24, are Alicante's defining festival: dozens of papier-mâché monuments go up in flames during La Cremà on the night of the 24th as the whole city heads to the beach.

The Summer Brass Festival opens July in Plaza del Ayuntamiento (the 2nd to the 6th), and the 'Verano de Músicas' series strings together 21 free concerts through mid-August.

The Altozano Moors and Christians parade from August 12-16, the festive finale of the neighborhood season with its Moorish and Christian embassies.

Alicante's velvet season: the sea hits its warmest point of the year, nearly 77°F, and you can swim in mild water without August's crowds.

October 9, the Day of the Valencian Community, fills the city with folk dances, a Municipal Band concert, and a fireworks display over the harbor.

The ROS Film Festival, November 14-22, screens international sci-fi shorts about robots —a wonderfully niche Alicante affair.

The Plaza del Ayuntamiento's Guinness-record Nativity scene and an 18-meter tree on the Explanada anchor a Christmas of over a hundred lit-up streets.