Altea is gearing up for their annual Moors & Christians parade – which take place this coming weekend. It is a massive affair, with two separate parades – on Saturday evening at 8pm it is the turn of the Christians and on Monday 23 September, at 8.30pm the Moors.

Probably the best vantage point is along the main road where the town hall is – not the N332. If you don’t have a car then either take the No 10 bus to the very last stop or the tram, getting off at ‘Garganes’, directly behind the town hall.

The costumes are truly spectacular – hired from specialist shops and cost hundreds of euros and the face painting is like you’ve never seen before, incredibly skilful. The parades take a good couple of hours and there are bands, dancers and probably a couple of horses or camels too. If you can’t get to Altea then Benidorm will be holding their Moors & Christians parade on Saturday, October 5.