Halloween is a new tradition in Alicante, Spain, but Todos Los Santos, on the 1st of November, has been around for ages. Let’s go to see the differences and how Alicantinians are embracing Halloween.
Halloween is a big festivity in most English-speaking countries. The influence of that cultural party has been exported to Spain through films, costume parties, business opportunities and foreigners living in the country. But this is not how Spaniards originally celebrated Halloween.
Halloween in Alicante 2026 – Confirmed Events
Family Halloween Events
🧙 Kids & Stories – Halloween, Room on the Broom in Teatro Principal
Halloween Trips from Alicante
🎢 Terra Mítica Special Halloween Terror
🎡 Feria de Todos los Santos de Cocentaina
Día de Todos los Santos
Traditionally, the Spaniards celebrate el Día de Todos los
There are many traditions that some people, mostly older people, follow. One of the biggest is going to the cemetery to visit their loved ones who are no longer with us. People would go and give them a beautiful bouquet of flowers to show their respect and remind them they will never be forgotten. They usually like spending time with the family as well. They would go to the countryside or enjoy some hot chestnuts.
Some Special Sweets for the Occasion You Should Try
There are some sweets that are important for this day, like Huesos de Santo, which translates to Bones of Saints. They are traditionally prepared only in this period of the year.
Another typical sweet is buñuelos con crema. They are little sweet and fried balls made of flour (mainly) and filled with cream made of milk, eggs and corn flour.
There are a few other traditions. A good summary is on the Spanish embassy in the USA website.
Is Halloween a Public Holiday in Spain?
All Saints’ Day is a bank holiday in most of Spain, so it is even easier to celebrate Halloween night and el día de todos Los Santos.
In Spain, there are 3 types of bank holidays: national, regional and city bank holidays.
The Spanish call bank holidays festivos. Examples of national bank holidays are Todos los Santos on the 31st of October (see below for 2026), Navidades (Christmas) on the 25th of December and a few others.
Examples of regional bank holidays are Andalucia’s Day on the 28th of February or Valencian Community Day on the 9th of October, which Alicante also celebrates.
A couple of examples of the city’s bank holidays would be Santa Faz in Alicante -whose date changes every year, but it is always a bank holiday- or the 19th of August, the day Malaga was incorporated into the Castilian Crown.
In 2026, the 1st of November is a Sunday, so it is not a bank holiday in Alicante/Comunidad Valenciana. When the bank holidays day is a Sunday, each Autonomous Community can move the festive day to the next day -Monday- or to any other day in the year. In Alicante and Comunidad Valenciana, the bank holiday has been exchanged to the 24th of June the Hogueras de San Juan festival instead.
Halloween in Alicante
As a general rule, in Alicante and in Spain, people love celebrations and parties. There is a very wise meme saying, “They say Halloween is not a Spanish party, but what is more Spanish than joining all parties?” Jokes apart, Halloween has been growing as a party on the 31st of October at a quick pace. You can expect parties, people in costumes, and city-hall organised events all around the city centre. AlicanteOut.com has a few of them where you can assist. Pumpkins are not as present as they would be in other countries, but they are still not impossible to find in supermarkets. So don’t be shy if you like to prepare them to put some candles on them.
Halloween in Alicante is a sort of big party, bigger and bigger year after year, so you can expect it to be this year as big as it has ever been. Don’t be scared by the people you will find on the streets, organising a party at your house or going to any other organised party. Spaniards will love it.
If you really want to be an Alicantinian expert, you can drive to the nearby city of Cocentaina. It is 37mi (60km) away from Alicante. They prepare a concentration called Feria de Todos los Santos, or Fair of All Saints. Dates from 1346, one of the oldest fairs in Spain. You can expect agricultural expositions, food, children’s activities, traditional Arabic and Christian markets and many other traditional activities and spectacles. It is a good example of a living story. In 2026, the edition number 680 will take place from the 30th of October to the 1st of November. More info is on this Wikipedia page and on its
Truco o Trato
Yes, you guessed it, Truco o Trato translates to Trick or Treat. Everyone in Spain knows how it works thanks to the movies. The tradition of children going from house to house to ask for sweets is not as big as in the United States or the UK. Nevertheless, door-to-door tirck-or-treat it is increasingly common among families, schools, and organised neighbourhoods. In 2025, the neighbourhood La Florida organised a route for children in a joint effort with 40 high street stores. Children could visit them for the trick-or-treat question. And proudly, my family is ready every year for children ringing the bell: “¡¿Truco o
As you can see, if your country celebrates Halloween, Alicante and Spain will make you feel at home. You will enjoy the advantage of the bank holidays. You will