Los Alcazares is set to celebrate diversity on the shores of the Mar Menor with the return of its annual Pride celebration. Running from Monday, July 6 to Saturday, July 11, this third edition of “El Mar Menor vibra con Orgullo” promises nearly a week of events dedicated to the LGTBIQ+ community, equality, and respect.

Star-studded line-up at Plaza de la Feria

The main stage at Plaza de la Feria will host as many as 30 diverse acts throughout the week. Acclaimed artists Nebulossa and Malena Gracia will top the star-studded bill, alongside popular performers like Satín Greco, Le Cocó, Pitita, Kuve, and Keunam.

The festival’s major highlights begin on Thursday, July 9, with the Gala Míster Orgullo del Mar Menor. This is followed on Friday by the colorful Gala Divas y Reinas. The celebrations reach their peak on Saturday, July 11, starting with a lively parade along the seafront at 19:00, marching from Plaza del Espejo to Plaza de la Feria.

Following the march, Mayor Mario Pérez Cervera and the “Lo tienes claro?” Association will deliver a pride manifesto, setting the stage for an opening speech and a massive closing gala, featuring unforgettable musical performances.

Highlighting health and advocacy on the coast

In addition to the fun aspect of the event, it will also have another main focus: public health. All day on July 10, and in the morning of July 11, organisers will provide quick, confidential, and free HIV tests at the Town Hall, available for anyone who wants to take one.

Local businesses along the Los Alcazares promenade are also actively participating, with many hosting themed events, decorative displays, and special promotions to welcome the influx of international and local visitors.

This vibrant coastal celebration will successfully blend high-energy entertainment with important advocacy, welcoming residents and visitors to honour equality and have fun together. Organisers suggest that anyone interested in attending arrive early to the event, and enjoy one of the most colourful and fun celebrations in the town’s local summer calendar.

Every country has its own way of fuelling matchday. Steak pies in England. Scotch pies in Glasgow, bags of pipas in Spain and sizzling choripan in Argentina, food is as much a part of the experience as are the roars from the stands. Food matchday traditions are part of what make football culture so unique.

England, the home of the pint and the pie

No country is more closely associated with football food than England. For generations, supporters have gathered in local pubs before kick-off, pint in hand, before heading to the ground for a hot pie. It’s a tradition that dates back to the late 19th century, when football clubs grew alongside Britain’s industrial towns and a hearty pie offered an affordable meal on a cold afternoon.

Today, pies are still a fixture at grounds across the country, classic steak and kidney and steak and ale, with Birmingham’s famous Balti Pie earning cult status among supporters.

Modern stadiums may now serve gourmet burgers and loaded fries, but for many supporters nothing beats the simple comfort of a pie and a pint before the first whistle.

As one Reddit fan put it “Football without a pie just doesn’t feel right.”

Scotland, where the Scotch Pie reigns supreme

Right far up north, the Scotch pie, a small, double-crust pastry traditionally filled with seasoned minced meat, has long been Scotland’s signature stadium snack and remains to this day a matchday institution. Macaroni pies, steak pies and sausage rolls are also popular choices

UEFA even notes that England and Scotland both love their pies and locals will happily debate the differences between them for hours, a rivalry almost as fierce as some of the matches themselves.

Spain, the kingdom of Pipas

Spain absolutely owns the sunflower seed. Few football traditions are as recognisable as supporters cracking open bags of roasted sunflower seeds, or pipas. The familiar crunch of shells has become part of the soundtrack at stadiums across Spain, and because fans eat pipas by the handful, stadium floors in Spain are famously left completely white with a literal “snowstorm” of discarded seed shells by the 90th minute. Many fans also arrive carrying a freshly made bocadillo, filled with jamon serrano, tortilla española or chorizo, with a cold cana before the match completing the experience.

Germany, bratwurst before kick-off

German football has arguably one of Europe’s best matchday experiences, and the food is no exception. Outside Bundesliga grounds, the unmistakable aroma of sizzling bratwurst fills the air long before kick-off.

Served in a bread roll with mustard, bratwurst is the classic choice, often accompanied by a giant pretzel and a locally brewed beer. It’s straightforward, satisfying and perfectly suited to watching the game

Argentina, football meets the barbequed meat

In Argentina, some of the best football food isn’t found inside the stadium but on the streets surrounding it. As supporters make their way to the ground, vendors fire up grills serving choripan, a grilled chorizo sausage in crusty bread topped with chimichurri. Empanadas are another matchday favourite, an easy snack to enjoy while soaking up the atmosphere.

North America. A taste of the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has shown that football food is not restricted to pies, burgers and hot dogs. Across the United States, Canada and Mexico, supporters have been able to try the dishes each host city is known for, turning every match into an opportunity to experience local flavours as well as world-class football. Visitors have sampled everything from Texas barbecue and Philadelphia cheesesteaks to Canadian poutine, Miami’s famous Cuban sandwiches and authentic Mexican tacos.

Every stadium has its own flavour

Of course, these are just a few of football’s matchday food traditions. Dutch supporters are known for bitterballen, crispy, deep-fried meat croquettes that pair perfectly with a beer. In Italy, fans often grab pizza al taglio (pizza sold by the slice) or freshly made panini before heading to the stadium, while in Portugal, the bifana, a garlic and white wine-marinated pork sandwich is a matchday favourite. Belgian supporters rarely say no to a cone of crispy frites, traditionally served with mayonnaise, and in Brazil, coxinhas (golden chicken croquettes) and pão de queijo (warm, chewy cheese bread rolls) are popular pre-match snacks.

As football grips countries across the globe during the World Cup 2026 , cuisine will vary, but back home in your home ground, what do you eat at your matches?

Expatriates and international workers living in Spain may be in for a stark reality check following a recent ruling by the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country. The court has dismissed the appeal filed by a Ryanair pilot in Biscay, after he claimed tax exemption for work performed abroad, arguing that most of his flight time was spent outside of Spain. This ruling may shatter a belief common among cross-border professionals, digital nomads, and airline crew members about income taxes while physically working outside of Spain.

The argument: Ryanair pilot spent most of his daily life outside Spain in 2022

The pilot, according to local outlet El Diario Vasco, had aimed to reduce his personal income tax settlement for the 2022 fiscal year by €20,940. The Ryanair pilot is a tax resident in Biscay, and argued that since most of his work was carried out beyond the country’s borders and directly benefited the Irish airline, he met the requirements for the tax exemption outlined in the region’s legislation.

To talk numbers, the pilot received a gross salary of €124,382 in the 2022 fiscal year, and had €43,360 withheld for personal income tax (IRPF, as it is known in Spain). He had applied for the exemption to reduce his taxes by €20,940.

The pilot also cited a Supreme Court ruling from April 2025, regarding crew members of Spanish Navy warships operating in international waters.

Basque court rejects appeal

However, the ruling issued by the Basque court rejected the claim, ruling that the pilot’s workplace was located at the Barcelona-El Prat airport in Catalonia, from where he started and ended his workday on a daily basis. The court found that all the flights piloted by the Ryanair employee departed from and returned to Barcelona on the same day, and the payments of income tax were made and declared for tax purposes by Ryanair’s representative office in Spain.

According to the ruling, as El Diario Vasco reports, pilots and other workers linked to commercial airlines are all assigned a “base” from which they operate, and this is the determining factor to establish where their work activity is carried out daily.

The Basque Country High Court of Justice also rejected the comparison to the crew members of the Spanish Navy warships, stating that the situation was “completely different” and that, to qualify for this exemption, it is not enough merely to travel outside of Spanish territory, but the workplace must also be located, even temporarily, abroad.

What this means for expats who travel for work: Tax exemptions may not apply, even if you spend most of your time outside Spain

For many expatriates working in Spain (especially those who are high-earning, consultants, or regional remote workers), this case highlights the distinction between travelling for work and displacing the workplace. People who live in Spain but travel, even frequently, to other countries for meetings, client pitches, or other obligations, cannot automatically assume that income is exempt from taxes.

That is to say, if your contract is with a Spanish subsidiary, you get paid into a Spanish bank account, and you return home to your Spanish residence at the end of the day or week, Hacienda will still review your tax obligations as if you had never left the country; if your ‘home base’ is here, so are your tax obligations.