The Javea fiesta calendar: the festivals worth planning your trip around

Javea does not celebrate quietly. The town runs on a fiesta calendar that starts on the water in January and ends with fireworks over the port in September. I plan my own year around these weeks, partly for work and partly because they are the best free show on this coast. These are the four you should know.

How fiestas work here

Every fiesta follows the church calendar, so the core dates barely move from year to year, while the full programmes appear only weeks in advance. Expect street processions, live music, fireworks and food stalls, and expect shops to close on the main days. If your visit overlaps a fiesta week, do not fight it: park the car, walk everywhere and join in.

January: the Three Kings arrive by boat

On the evening of 5 January the Three Kings do not ride into Javea, they sail in. The boat docks in the port, where the first parade starts, and a second procession runs through the old town later that evening. Children collect sweets by the kilo; adults collect churros. It is the calmest of the big fiestas and the most local one: January visitors often have the whole spectacle almost to themselves.

June: Fogueres de Sant Joan, fire for midsummer

Around 24 June, Javea celebrates midsummer the Valencian way: large sculpted figures go up in the streets, and at the end of the week they burn. Add beach bonfires, firecrackers at all hours and open-air concerts. The burning night is loud, crowded and completely worth it. Keep dogs indoors and book your restaurant table well ahead: see where to eat in Javea.

July: Moors and Christians

In the third week of July, Javea stages its Moros y Cristianos: two costumed armies parading with music, mock battles included. The costumes take months of work and the gunpowder is real enough to feel in your chest. The main parades run through the port area in the evening; come an hour early for a curb-side spot near the sea, or watch the smaller daytime events with children.

The tradition belongs to the whole region: Alcoy runs the most famous version in April. Javea's is smaller and easier to see up close.

Late August to early September: Mare de Deu de Loreto

The patron saint of the sea closes the season. From the last week of August into the first days of September, the port neighbourhood celebrates with processions, a decorated fishing fleet, concerts and one of the best firework shows of the year, shot over the water. This is Javea's own fiesta more than any other: the fishermen's quarter honouring the Virgin who watches their boats.

Planning around the fiestas

Exact dates shift by a few days each year, so check the town agenda once your travel dates are set. Every fiesta week also brings extra street stalls and night markets: our guide to the markets of Javea tells you where they usually stand. For the region-wide picture, from Easter processions to the Bonfires of Alicante, read our Costa Blanca fiesta guide.

About the authorMilo Schuijt

Milo Schuijt is an entrepreneur and DJ on the Costa Blanca. He writes about the places where he lives, works and plays: from beach bars to the housing market.