Mijas will mark World ALS Day with a charity event built around an enormous pastry creation. Residents and visitors can join in the day from 6:30pm on Saturday 20 June at the boulevard car park in La Cala de Mijas, where baking, music and fundraising will all come together for an important cause.

A pastry ribbon for a great charity

Local bakeries Salvador and Tejeros will join forces to craft a whopping 100-metre puff pastry ribbon filled with semi-cold cream. Slices will be sold to attendees, with every euro going directly towards research into Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), known in Spain as ELA. A separate drinks stall will also operate on site, with its takings contributing to the cause.

Music, family and community spirit

Organisers want the evening to feel inclusive to everyone, so a stage will host a performance from Víctor Rojas’s dance group, giving families another reason to stay and enjoy the atmosphere.

Mijas mayor Ana Mata, who unveiled the initiative with Benalela association president Juan Carrasco and social inclusion councillor Mari Francis Alarcon, stressed how vital research remains given that patients typically survive just three to four years after diagnosis.

A disease without a cure

ALS destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, gradually robbing patients of the ability to move, eat, speak or breathe, even though mental faculties stay sharp throughout. Roughly 4,000 people live with the condition in Spain, where doctors record around 900 new cases each year, typically among those aged between 40 and 70.

Ranking as the third most common neurodegenerative disease in the country, behind Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, ALS results in fewer overall sufferers than its prevalence might suggest, simply because of how aggressively it progresses.

How to join in

No entry fee applies, so anyone keen to support the cause need only turn up from 6:30pm this Saturday and buy a pastry slice or a drink at the venue and enjoy the evening

For more information on World ALS day and the debilitating condition, visit the ALS website directly.

Spectacular public displays are a staple of Andalucian fiestas, celebrations and traditions, but over the last few years, local town halls and regional authorities have quietly but firmly tightened rules across the board. Driven by a mix of intense summer wildfire risks, environmental protection, and a growing push for pet safety, unauthorised fireworks are restricted almost across the entire coast.

If you are planning a celebration, want to know where displays can take place or just want to stay on the right side of local law if hosting your own, you need to know exactly where the bans apply.

Local firework rules across Costa del Sol towns

Town halls hold the ultimate power to regulate or entirely veto fireworks, resulting in zero-tolerance zones depending on which side of the area you live in.

Mijas – A strict town hall order completely bans fireworks and firecrackers in all public spaces, streets, squares, and parks. Regional safety laws make them strictly illegal across Mijas Pueblo and all surrounding hillside urbanisations to eliminate wildfire risks.

Marbella – A zero-tolerance policy applies to all inland urbanisations bordering green zones (including Elviria, Cabopino, Nagueles, and Sierra Blanca). Strict town hall permits are required for any alternative spaces, meaning unapproved setups are entirely off-limits.

Fuengirola – Pyrotechnics are off limits across residential and public zones. Driven by local animal welfare bylaws, the city maintains a blanket restriction on noisy fireworks to reduce community stress.

Torremolinos – The town hall enforces an explicit ban on high-decibel firecrackers and general pyrotechnics across built-up urban zones, coastal promenades, and residential streets.

Estepona – Fireworks are entirely banned near protected coastal habitats and along beaches featuring vulnerable natural dune systems.

Manilva – Usage is strictly prohibited across all rural, countryside, and vineyard areas bordering rustic land.

If you are trying to keep family pets calm during the local fiesta season, our practical guide to helping pets cope during fireworks season covers essential safety steps to mitigate severe stress.

Why Andalucian forest laws trigger absolute summer bans

The heavy hitter behind these restrictions comes directly from regional environmental law, and it catches many expats by surprise. Every year from June 1 to October 15, strict Andalucia summer fire prevention measures come into force. Under these rules, all activities involving fire, explicitly including fireworks, are completely banned in forest areas and anywhere within 400 metres of forested land.

Because so many coastal urbanisations are built right up against the hillsides, this 400-metre buffer zone automatically rules out fireworks for thousands of local villas. If your property backs onto a hillside or a valley green zone, lighting a firework during the dry summer months is a serious legal offense.

Strict rules for beaches, summer festivals, and town displays

A common misconception is that the open sea provides a natural safe zone for setting off rockets. In fact, launching fireworks on any Costa del Sol beach is illegal without explicit town hall and coastal authority permits. If you are wondering why councils can host massive festival displays while residents face a total ban, it comes down to controlled safety. Official displays take weeks of planning and are launched away from forest zones, usually from concrete fairgrounds or wide-open beaches. Crucially, they require dedicated fire crews and police stationed right at the launch pad to instantly douse stray sparks, an emergency safety net private residents cannot replicate on a villa terrace.

No exceptions for World Cup celebrations

With football fever gripping the coast, many fans might want to mark a big win with celebratory rockets or street firecrackers. However, as reported here, fireworks exploding in Spain as World Cup 2026 begins, national celebrations do not grant a loophole for private pyrotechnics.

Because the tournament runs directly through the high-risk wildfire season, local police are on high alert. Setting off unauthorised fireworks from your property or on the street after a match carries the exact same zero-tolerance penalties and heavy fines, so it is best to leave the pyrotechnics to the official fan zones.

Fun, friends and finery at La Sala. Credit: ACM