Mijas International Festival 2011: Music, Culture and More…

Mijas International Festival 2011It looks like Mijas is the place to be at the moment. Last week the pretty white village hosted their popular Blues Festival and this weekend, residents and visitors alike can enjoy the 23rd edition of the Mijas International Festival.

This colourful event is ideal for all the family, with lots of activities for kids and plenty of food and drink for the adults!

There will be twenty different nationalities taking part in this years festival with the celebrations taking place in three separate zones: The blue zone in the La Muralla Gardens; the red zone in Plaza Virgen de la Peña (in front of the Townhall) and the green zone in Plaza de la Constitución.

Each of these stages will be provide live entertainment in the form of musical performances and traditional dances; we’re talking Mexican Mariachis, Celtic music, Indian dances and, of course, Flamenco music and dance.

As well as the three stages, visitors will be able to wonder around the 19 different stands, each representing a different culture or country; typical foods, drinks and traditional handmade goods will all be available for people to purchase. I hear they are also going to have 2 giant Argentinian and Uruguayan BBQ’s; those guys don’t mess around when it comes to BBQ’s… a definite must!

If you like street parades, make sure you don’t miss some of the fantastic ethnical street parades planned over the weekend: Dragons from Korea, Colombian Carnival as well as parades from Bolivia, Senegal and a whole host of other countries!

The fun starts at 9pm on Friday the 10th June and continues until Sunday evening (12th June). Please note that in Saturday and Sunday the Festival kicks off at 1:30pm.

Entrance to the Festival is Free and the Town Hall have arranged special parking areas with free shuttles; they are obviously expecting large crowds!

Definitely a good option if you’re looking to do something different this weekend!

If you do happen to go, please let us know what you thought of the Festival.

 

Head Down to La Carihuela for the “Día del Pescaito”: Free Fish and Beer Anyone?

Día del PescaitoOur neighbouring town of Torremolinos celebrates the 24th edition of its annual “Día del Pescaito” where tourists and visitors to the famous La Carihuela strip will be treated to 12.000 kilos of fish delicacies from the Málaga region.

It’s a thoroughly recommended couple of hours where you’ll be able to try some of the famous and typical fried fish dishes which La Carihuela is famous for. Best part is that it’s all free – and you get to wash it all down with a cool beer!

The party starts at 1 pm and goes on until 5 pm; I recommend you get there early if you don’t want to miss out! This event is organised by the Torremolinos Tourism Delegation with the collaboration of the local business associations of La Carihuela-Montemar and has become one of the town’s most popular celebrations.

Live music and young hosts dressed in typical costumes handing out free flowers contribute to a very enjoyable afternoon on the Carihuela!

 

 

New Video from Spanish Tourist Board Shows Wonders of Andalucia

Last month, the Spanish Tourist Board (Turespaña) launched 13 new videos on their Youtube channel.

These impressive videos all form part of the new “Spain Timelapse Series”. They have been produced using a special photographic technique called “Timelapse” which consists in taking photos (they took over 300,000 photos to prepare the 13 videos in the series) at a much lower speed than that of reproduction. This means that when the whole sequence of photos is reproduced, reality seems to have been fast forwarded, creating a video with somewhat peculiar and “different” effects.

I’ve embedded one of the videos below which shows the beautiful area of Andalucia, albeit from a more modern and innovative point of view.

The video showcases the regions cultural attractions, it’s most emblematic cities, the wide choice of hotels and accommodation – from charming rural hotels in the interior to 5 star wonders on the shores of the Mediterranean – and, of course, the wide range of entertainment and services that visitors can enjoy in this wonderful part of Spain.

So, what do you think of the video?

 

Don’t Miss the 5th Blues Festival in Mijas Village

Mijas Blues FestivalThis weekend, visitors to the traditional village of Mijas wont be spending their time visiting the usual tourist attractions and riding on the famous Mijas donkeys! This weekend, the town has lined up a fantastic event which has the makings of a great weekend of music and fun: The Mijas Blues Festival.

Starting tomorrow Saturday 4th June and continuing until late on Sunday evening (5th June), the main square of Mijas will become the centre stage for some of the best Blues music.

This exclusive event has been jointly organised by Ain’t Nothin But the Blues Bar in London and the Mijas Town Council Foreigner’s Department; anyone planning on attending will be happy to know that all the music is FREE J, just make sure you turn up early as they’re expecting large crowds!

Here’s a quick look at the line ups for the weekend: (more…)

Four Benalmadena Beaches Receive Blue Flag Status

Blue Flags for Benalmadena Beaches

Blue flag Flying on 4 Benalmadena Beaches

For the first time in history, Benalmadena has received four awards for the quality of its beaches; it is now the municipality with the most Blue Flags on the Costa del Sol!

For those of you who may be unaware of what this means, the Blue Flag is awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). It is voluntary eco-label which is awarded to over 3450 beaches and marinas in 41 countries around the world.

The award of a Blue Flag beach is based on compliance with 32 strict criteria covering the following aspects: (more…)

The James Bond Show at the Moonlight Theatre

James Bond show at Moonlight theatreJames Bond fans, or to be more precise, fans of the music from James Bond films, are in for a real treat this weekend. On Saturday evening (28th May) Trevor Brooks and his team at Entertain in Spain will be presenting their latest production which pays tribute to songs from all the favourite James Bond films.

Entertain in Spain put on two shows last year in our Moonlight Theatre and both were extremely popular: The “Back to the 40’s” show and “The Christmas Show”. This new show will be no exception with its state of the art visual effects and video, as well as some of the Coast’s most talented singers and performers.

The show starts at 8:30pm (we recommend you get there early to get a good seat) Tickets are 15€ for adults and 10€ for children and can be purchased at the Sunset Beach Club Leisure Desk or online at www.entertaininspain.es.

 

European Darts Championship: Radikal Darts

European Radikal Darts Championship BenalmadenaAre you a darts fan? Yes! Well, this weekend, you won’t want to miss the “Radikal Darts” Spanish and European Darts Championships which will be held at the Torrequebrada hotel (just a few minutes walk from Sunset Beach Club).

More than 2000 darts fans will flock to Benalmádena to take part in this unique championship organised by the Spanish Darts Confederation; over 100 of these players will be staying at Sunset Beach Club J Many will be travelling to the Coast to enjoy some sunshine and their favourite hobby, whereas others, will be attracted by the chance to win some cash; there will be a prize pot of 30.000 Euros!

The most curious fact about this tournament is that it involves the use of the “Radikal Darts” dart board; a special electronic dart board which allows players to play and compete over the internet. Thanks to this innovative technology, many of the players taking part in the tournament actually qualified from the comfort of their local puds! The Radikal Darts system allowed for scores to be collected over the internet…technology at its best!

Two watch the Spanish Championship, just head down to the Torrequebrada hotel at 10am on Friday the 20th May; the European Championship starts on Saturday 21st May at the same time.

If you are planning on attending the Darts Championship and need accommodation, we’ve got some great value apartments starting at €63 per night. To book, please visit www.sunsetbeachclub.com .

 

Photos of the Cudeca Walkathon 2011

Cudeca WalkathonLast Sunday morning, the promenade in front of Sunset Beach Club was a busy hive of activity; hundreds of people (800) had gathered for the 2011 edition of the Cudeca Walkathon.

Every year, this popular event attracts large numbers of local residents, eager to help raise money for this much-needed charity!

Apart from the walking, there were plenty of fun activities organised for all participants: games for children, several large paellas, live music, to name but a few!

I decided to head down to the promenade at 10:30am – just before the first group of walkers set off on their 10 km route – to take some photos. (more…)

Video: Cudeca Walkathon 2011

Here’s a short video clip we prepared with a collection of photos and short video clips from hte successful Cudeca Walkathon held on Sunday on the promenade in front of Sunset Beach Club.