In mid-August, the town of Teulada-Moraira holds a medieval market, which is very popular and well attended.
There are some 70 craft stalls, displaying long-forgotten skills and crafts now given a new lease of life. Whole families gather round to watch blacksmiths, engravers, silversmiths, wood carvers, lace makers and weavers producing traditional products to the delight of both young and old.
At the Teulada medieval market attention to detail is paramount; you'll find excellent food, items for the home, cosmetics and jewellery. You can buy regional cold meats made in the traditional way, such as longaniza sausages, cheese, sweets and pastries. There are even home-made drinks! Products related to bee-keeping are also popular at the medieval market; from natural beeswax candles to royal jelly, honey from different flowers, lip balms and so on.
Visitors can browse the natural products on sale or join in the educational activities which run all day: a minstrel reciting a poem, a jester playing with a child, a diabolo juggler and a fire eater amazing the crowds. What more could you ask for?
There's also a place for exotic products from far away lands: artisan chocolates with added spices, herbs to make infusions, different types of bread or liqueur made from forest fruits.
Special mention must go to the tin, copper, leather, straw and wooden goods such as signs, mirrors, belts, baskets, slippers, straps ribbons and espadrilles.
It's getting late, how about something to eat. You'll find something tasty here and at a good price. There are stalls with ovens or wood fired barbecues grilling ribs, steaks, chorizo criollo (local sausage) or morcilla (black pudding). There's even hot chocolate to dip your churros (fritters) or rosquillas (doughnuts).
In recent years the Teulada medieval market has made some very interesting additions such as falconry demonstrations, camel rides, shield making for kids, medieval music concerts, belly dancing and blacksmithing and pottery workshops. You'll also find stalls selling clothes and medieval decorations such as embroidered cloth from the Alpujarras in the traditional Moorish style. Want to take a real treasure home?
A piece of advice: don't go home before you've tried a typical Moorish tea. You'll find teashops dotted amongst the stalls.
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.
A meeting point for artisans, visitors and neighbors, who have the opportunity to attend lectures, workshops and activities related to health, organic farming, ethical banking.