LGBT+ Benidorm · checked 15 Oct 2026
Gay Benidorm: the Old Town scene, Pride and what to know
Benidorm has had a gay scene since the late 1960s, and it is one of Spain's biggest. Almost everything is in a few Old Town lanes around Carrer Santa Faç and Carrer d'Alacant, open every night of the year, usually from 7–8pm until 2–4.30am. Pride 2026 ran from 1 to 6 September; the 2027 dates are not out yet.
Brenda says
“Start with a drink on a terrace on Santa Faç about 9pm, catch a drag show at 11 or midnight, and finish at Mercury or Poco Loco after 2am. The bars sit in a few lanes a few minutes apart, so you can't get lost. Book your room early for Pride week.”
Key facts
| Gay quarter | Old Town: Carrer Santa Faç, Carrer d'Alacant, Quatre Cantons, Carrer Sant Vicent, Carrer Sant Miquel |
|---|---|
| Scene dates from | Late 1960s. Two plaques on Carrer Santa Faç (unveiled 16 May 2025) mark the first venues |
| Benidorm Pride 2026 | 1–6 September 2026, 16th edition, more than 20,000 visitors expected |
| 2026 parade | Saturday 5 September, 4:30pm from Levante Beach, 18 floats |
| Pride 2027 | Not announced as of 15 Oct 2026; early September is the usual slot |
| Typical bar hours | About 8pm–2am; late bars and clubs 11pm–4.30am (2025 listings) |
| Gay-popular beach | Racó del Conill, a clothing-optional rocky cove towards Villajoyosa |
| Spanish law | Same-sex marriage since July 2005 (Ley 13/2005); LGTBI equality and trans law since March 2023 (Ley 4/2023) |
| Recognition | 2025: first town in the Valencia region named an LGBTQI+phobia Free Space |
| Emergency | 112. Tourist assistance (SATE): 965 85 13 11 |
The Old Town walk: 13 bars in a few lanes
Open the walk in Google Maps ›About 850 m end to end, in walking order. Hours are from listings dated 2024–2025: check them on the day.
| Venue | What it is | Address | Hours (date of listing) | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensations | Bar, music videos | Carrer d'Alacant 41 | Daily 8pm–2am, Fri–Sat to 2.30am (Feb 2025); 'from 8pm, 7 days a week' (Pride site 2026) | Pride 2026 sponsor |
| El Papagayo | Terrace bar | Carrer Santa Faç 31 | Tue–Sat 8.30pm–1.30/2.30am, Sun 4pm–8.30pm, closed Mon (Feb 2025) | Pride 2026 |
| Oliver's Bar | Bar | Plaça de la Constitució | Check on the day | Pride 2026 sponsor |
| Brief Encounter | Bar, Spanish music | Carrer Santa Faç 21 | Daily 8pm–1.30am, Fri–Sat to 2.30am (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| Company Bar | Terrace bar | Carrer Jaume Ferrer Nomdedéu 16 | Daily 5pm–2am (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| Casper's Eatery & Bar | Bar-restaurant, British food, opened 2004 | Old Town | Check on the day | Pride 2026 |
| Bar 69 | Cocktail bar | Old Town | Check on the day | Pride 2026 sponsor |
| Jimmy's Bar | Early bar | Carrer d'Alacant 11 | Daily 7pm–2.30am (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| Mercury | Disco, dark room | Carrer d'Alacant 10 | Daily 11pm–4.30am (May 2025) | Pride 2026 |
| GSpot | Cocktail bar | Carrer Sant Vicent | Daily 7pm–2am (Feb 2025) | Pride 2026 |
| Poco Loco | Drag shows, late bar | Carrer Sant Vicent 10 | Daily 10pm–4.30am (Feb 2025) | Pride 2026 |
| Almirante | Late drag shows | Carrer de la Palma 13 | Thu–Sun from 9–10pm to 4–4.30am (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| Kafee Klee | Drag cabaret, book ahead | Carrer del Pal 9 | Tue–Sun 8pm–2am, closed Mon (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
More venues
| Venue | What it is | Address | Hours | Open? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escape Bar | Late bar | Carrer d'Alacant 18 | Daily 11pm–4am (Feb 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| H2O Sauna | Sauna, jacuzzi, bar | Calle Tomás Ortuño 46 | Tue–Sun 3pm–9pm, €12 (Aug 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| Molino | Cabaret, drag, strip shows | Avenida Beniarda 2 | Check on the day | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
| KUMA | Bear cruise bar | Check address | 10.30pm–3.30am, closed Tue (Jul 2025) | TravelGay listing; check 2026 |
"Pride 2026" means the venue is on the official benidormpride.com 2026 site as a venue or sponsor. Not listed: the mixed British bars on the Strip that put on drag acts, which are welcoming but are not gay bars. We found no women-only or lesbian-run venue we could verify.
Benidorm Pride
The 16th Benidorm Pride ran from 1 to 6 September 2026, with 18 parties. Kika Lorace and La Prohibida headlined. No 2027 dates had been announced by 15 October 2026; it ran 1–7 September in 2025 and 1–6 September in 2026, so expect the first week of September. Old Town rooms fill early.
| Tue 1 – Wed 2 Sept | Parties in Old Town bars |
| Thu 3 Sept | Pool Party and Divas Disco, Auditori Julio Iglesias |
| Fri 4 Sept | White Party at the auditorium, after-party at Rockstar |
| Sat 5 Sept | Parade from Levante Beach at 4:30pm, then the Main Stage party |
| Sun 6 Sept | Closing parties in the Old Town |
Beaches
Benidorm has no official gay beach. Levante, Poniente and Mal Pas are mixed town beaches, and nobody looks twice at a same-sex couple. The gay-popular spot is Racó del Conill, a small, rocky, clothing-optional cove towards Villajoyosa, reached by a narrow road or a hilly coastal path. There is a seasonal beach bar and nothing else: no lifeguard and no toilets. Recent visitors say it is now much more mixed than it was.
The law and staying safe
Same-sex couples have been able to marry and adopt in Spain since July 2005. Ley 4/2023 bans LGTBI discrimination, including in tourism and hospitality. The UK Foreign Office calls Spain "a generally tolerant and progressive place for LGBT+ travellers". The usual resort risks apply to everyone: drink spiking, pickpockets on the Strip and fake police. Spain has strict rules on sexual activity in public places, including beaches, and you can be fined.
Where to stay
We could not verify a gay-only hotel. The Old Town quarter is a short walk from the Old Town hotels and from Levante. For quiet and no children, look at the adults-only hotels. If noise bothers you, avoid rooms over Carrer Santa Faç and Carrer d'Alacant, where bars run until 4.30am.
When to go
- Early September: Pride week, the busiest and dearest week for Old Town rooms.
- May–June and late September–October: warm sea, bars open, cheaper than August.
- Late January–February: Benidorm Fest, Spain's Eurovision selection, with a big gay fan crowd.
- Winter: most Old Town bars stay open all year; terraces are quieter.
Sources
- benidorm.org, 26 Aug 2026: Pride 1–6 September
- Benidorm Pride official site
- benidorm.org, 16 May 2025: Santa Faç plaques
- Turespaña: LGBTQI+phobia Free Space
- Visit Benidorm LGBTQIA+
- TravelGay: Benidorm gay bars (2024–2025 listings)
- Ley 13/2005 (BOE)
- Ley 4/2023 (BOE)
- FCDO Spain: safety and security
Checked 15 Oct 2026. Walking distance is our estimate (straight line plus 30%). Route map: Google Maps, live. Pins: OpenStreetMap.