More than 5,000 people dressed in white and came together in Torrevieja for a night of music, dancing and fundraising at this year’s Fiesta Blanca. The hugely popular celebration once again demonstrated the strength of the city’s international community while raising money to support the fight against childhood cancer.

Thousands dress in white for Fiesta Blanca

More than 5,000 people dressed in white and packed Torrevieja’s market grounds for a night of music, dancing and fundraising at this year’s Fiesta Blanca.

The hugely popular event brought together residents and visitors of all nationalities, with the city’s international community out in force for one of the biggest dates on Torrevieja’s social calendar.

As the evening on October 6 went on, the venue filled with thousands of people enjoying the party and showing just how strong Torrevieja’s international community can be when it gets behind a good cause.

Ticket sales support childhood cancer fund

But Fiesta Blanca is about much more than having a good time.

Organised by the Asociacion Benefica contra el Cancer Fiesta Blanca Torrevieja, the event also raised money to support the fight against childhood cancer, with €5 from every ticket going to the childhood cancer fund at Sant Joan de Deu Barcelona.

With more than 5,000 people attending the event, the scale of the turnout provided a major platform for the fundraising cause while bringing different parts of Torrevieja’s community together.

Belgian singer Christoff entertains the crowd

Belgian singer Christoff De Bolle was one of the stars of the night and proved a big hit with the crowd, who enjoyed an evening packed with live music and entertainment.

Torrevieja mayor Eduardo Dolon also joined the celebrations alongside International Residents councillor Gitte Lund Thomsen and Social Welfare councillor Oscar Urtasun.

The combination of entertainment and fundraising helped create a lively evening while keeping the event’s charitable purpose firmly at its heart.

Organisers thank volunteers and supporters

Organisers thanked the volunteers, sponsors, institutions and everyone who attended for helping to make the event such a success.

The large turnout highlighted the popularity Fiesta Blanca has built in Torrevieja and the support it receives from residents and visitors from different nationalities.

With more than 5,000 people joining in, Torrevieja certainly showed that community spirit never goes out of fashion.

Elche is making headlines for food, investment and sport, with a local restaurant crowned home of Spain’s best tortilla and work beginning on a major parking upgrade in Altabix. Meanwhile, runners preparing for the second Elche-Alicante International Marathon face a change of plans after the November event was postponed because of the newly scheduled general election.

Elche restaurant crowned home of Spain’s best tortilla

Spain’s best tortilla is being served close to home after an Elche restaurant took the national title at Alicante Gastronomica.

Celia Clara Correia, from La Teulada restaurant, won the 2026 Campeonato de Tortilla de Patatas, beating 20 other cooks from across Spain in the final at IFA-Fira Alacant.

Her winning tortilla uses Galician potatoes and gourmet eggs, with particular attention paid to achieving a creamy, juicy centre while keeping each slice firm enough to hold its shape.

The recipe was not an overnight success. Correia and her team spent months refining the balance between potato and egg, including changing an earlier version based on egg yolk to one using whole eggs.

Second place went to Alejandro Oliveira of La Falda de Chamberi in Madrid, the competition’s 2025 winner, while Carlos Boado of El Caserio de Tion in A Coruna finished third.

Alicante province was well represented among the 21 finalists. Dana Rotaru of Nou Pinet in Alicante shared fourth place, while Pedro Juan Sanchez represented La Muralla on Tabarca.

The result puts La Teulada at the top of the national rankings for one of Spain’s most familiar dishes, giving Costa Blanca residents the chance to sample the country’s newly crowned champion without travelling far.

More than 400 improved parking spaces for Altabix

More than 400 improved parking spaces are being created in Elche as work begins to transform a rough plot beside the Altabix Local Police headquarters.

The €623,568 project will upgrade an 8,500-square-metre site already used informally for parking but currently consisting of unpaved ground which can become difficult to use during wet weather.

Work is expected to take three months, with completion planned before the end of the year.

The finished car park will be surfaced, marked and illuminated, providing 275 general parking spaces and 117 spaces for Local Police vehicles. A further 10 spaces will be reserved for people with reduced mobility.

The police parking area will be physically separated from the public section and equipped with controlled access and security cameras. Trees will also be planted to provide natural shade across the site.

Elche Mayor Pablo Ruz said residents had been requesting improvements to the parking area for around 12 years.

The project forms part of wider investment around the Altabix-University area, where recent improvements have included a new pedestrian footbridge over the railway and the fully electric M urban bus route.

Once completed, the scheme will replace the existing temporary parking arrangement with a properly surfaced and organised facility.

Elche-Alicante International Marathon postponed

Runners preparing for the second Elche-Alicante International Marathon will have to wait a little longer. The event originally scheduled for Sunday, November 29, has now been postponed.

Alicante and Elche councils announced the decision after the planned race date coincided with the newly scheduled general election. Both councils and organiser Club Atletico Montemar are now working to find a replacement date, which will be announced shortly.

The marathon links the two cities over the traditional 42.195km distance. Last year’s inaugural event attracted thousands of runners and spectators along the route.

Organisers had already redesigned the course for the second edition, aiming to create a faster race. The planned route starts near Elche’s Palacio de Altamira, with the first 20km through the city and a new section passing through the Palmeral.

Runners then face a largely flat, slightly downhill 18km stretch towards Alicante before the final four kilometres take them through the Explanada de Espana, Plaza del Mar and Postiguet beachfront to the finish at Plaza del Puerto. The redesign removes several climbs previously encountered during the closing stages in Alicante.

A new date has not yet been confirmed, with registered runners advised to await further information from the organisers.

Alicante residents who regularly separate their food and organic waste could be rewarded with a substantial reduction in their annual rubbish bill. Through the city’s Tu Haces Alicante system, households can earn discounts of up to 20 per cent simply by recording regular use of the brown organic waste containers throughout the year.

Regular brown-bin use unlocks 20% discount

Alicante residents could cut their annual rubbish bill by up to 20 per cent simply by making regular use of the city’s brown organic waste containers.

The saving is linked to the Tu Haces Alicante system, which records household deposits of food and other organic waste through either a physical card or mobile phone app. More than 20,000 people are now registered with the app.

To qualify for the maximum 20 per cent reduction, households must record at least four organic waste deposits a month during ten months of the year, making a minimum of 40 qualifying deposits. Only one deposit per day counts.

Smaller discounts available with fewer deposits

Smaller reductions are also available. Eight qualifying months can earn a 15 per cent discount, five months 10 per cent and three months 5 per cent.

The deposits recorded during one year determine the reduction applied to the following year’s bill.

This means residents do not necessarily need to meet the requirements for the full 20 per cent saving to benefit. Regular participation at a lower level can still result in a reduction in the household rubbish charge.

Mobile app replaces physical waste card

Residents can use the Tu Haces Alicante app on their phones to open the electronically locked organic waste containers, rather than carrying the physical card.

The app also allows users to report street cleaning problems, follow their progress and request collections of unwanted bulky household items.

Using the app also makes it easier for households to keep track of their participation and see whether they are making enough qualifying deposits to secure a reduction for the following year.

Everyday recycling can reduce annual bills

For households already separating their food waste, remembering to register those brown-bin deposits could therefore turn an everyday trip to the bins into a useful saving.

With the maximum discount requiring at least four qualifying deposits during ten months of the year, regular use of Alicante’s organic waste system could ultimately reduce the following year’s rubbish bill by as much as 20 per cent.