Europe Day Celebrations Come to Torrevieja on May 9–10 — Free Gala, Live Music and a Petanque Tournament

A Multicultural Weekend on the Costa Blanca

Torrevieja — one of the most internationally diverse towns on the Costa Blanca — is marking Europe Day with a full weekend of free events on May 9–10, 2026. Organised by the city council's Department of the Presidency and Department of International Residents, the celebrations bring together residents from across Europe for two very different but equally enjoyable events.

Saturday May 9 — Gala Evening at the International Auditorium

The centrepiece of the weekend is a free gala evening on Saturday, May 9 at 7:00pm at the International Auditorium in Torrevieja.

The evening opens with local group Sette Voci, who will perform a selection of Eurovision songs before leading the official ceremony with the European Union Anthem. The show closes with a performance by María Isabel — the Spanish Junior Eurovision Song Contest winner — who will perform her popular songs to round off the night.

Admission is free, but invitations are required and available from culturatorrevieja.com from April 30. A complimentary bus service runs from Gregorio Marañón Avenue at 6:30pm, returning after the event concludes.

Sunday May 10 — Petanque Tournament

Sunday brings a more sporting flavour, with an international petanque tournament at the Rocajuna urbanisation courts, running from 9:45am to 4:00pm.

Teams representing Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Belgium and other European nations will compete — with Belgium arriving as defending champions, having won the 2025 tournament. It is exactly the kind of relaxed, sociable competition that suits a sunny Sunday morning in Torrevieja.

A Town Built for This Kind of Weekend

Torrevieja is one of Spain's most genuinely multicultural municipalities, home to large communities of British, Swedish, Norwegian, German and Eastern European residents alongside its Spanish population. Europe Day — celebrated annually on May 9 to mark the anniversary of the 1950 Schuman Declaration — is a natural fit for a town whose daily life already plays out across multiple languages and cultures.

For expats on the southern Costa Blanca, it is a free, well-organised weekend event worth putting in the diary.

Gala invitations: culturatorrevieja.com (available from April 30)
Bus departure: Gregorio Marañón Avenue, 6:30pm on May 9

This article is based on reporting from Alicante Today, published April 29, 2026.