In mid-July, Alicante overflows with avant garde jazz at its Fijazz Festival, where both home grown musicians and musicians from all over the world gather together in the Alicante Regional Council Auditorium to offer their best compositions.
Musical giants come together in a unique festival for soaking up the rhythms of fusion jazz at the hands of acclaimed and experienced composers offering delightful fusions of traditional jazz with progressive rock, classical music or ideas such as that of the Valencian Ximo Tébar, who has even created his own genre by fusing jazz and flamenco with Mediterranean themes. A real treat for jazz lovers.
In its fourth year, this festival held in the city of Alicante grows in reputation and attendance year after year thanks to its avant garde programme. Composers of the calibre of Chick Corea, pianist and winner of 16 Grammy awards and trendsetter for over forty years, as well as the charismatic virtuoso Stanley Clark, one of jazz, fusion and funk's most important double-bass players, are some of the stars who have played at Fijazz Alicante in recent years.
Previous years have also seen new works from artists such as Dave Holland, renowned master of the genre and who has collaborated on many projects with masters such as Miles Davis, John Surman, John Mclaughlin, Thelonius Monk, Elvin Jones, Roy Haynes, Stan Getz and Gary Burton, amongst others. In his thirty year career at the forefront of jazz, Holland has won two Grammys and since 1999 has been chosen year after year as Best Double-bass Player in the DownBeat Critics Poll
Performances from Mike Stern and saxophonist Bill Evans, both nominated many times for Grammy awards, as well as artists who have collaborated with jazz and pop greats like Mick Jagger, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Jaco Pastorius. Not forgetting the work of young Japanese jazz composer and pianist Hiromi, world renowned for her technical virtuosity and energetic performances.
With the charming city of Alicante as a backdrop, Fijazz is an unmissable event for lovers of jazz, fusion and music in general.
Take two days with more than 20 hours of the best national pop and rock of recent decades, 150,000 watts of sound and a stage that grows in size each year and you have the next edition of Benidorm's Iberia Festival.
The fourth weekend in September, is when Altea celebrates its festivities in honour of the Most Holy Christ of the Sanctuary (el "Sagrario" in Spanish), alongside the Moors and Christians festivities in honour of Saint Blas, the Town's Patron Saint. These festivities have been held since 1979 and include proclamations, missions, reveilles and parades.
The old town centre of Altea is the setting for the Handicrafts Fair that is held every year in the square in front of the Church in this little Alicante town.