This is a music festival where the artist who will represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest is chosen. This year the event was held in the first week of February.
In July 1959, the first Spanish Song Festival was held in Benidorm. In its first and most successful editions, it featured new figures of the time such as Raphael, Julio Iglesias, Dúo Dinámico, Karina, Rosa Morena and Víctor Manuel. However, between 1972 and 1985, the press strongly criticised the decline in the quality of the songs, and so from 1986 to 1992 the festival was cancelled. In 1993 the competition resumed and in 2004 an attempt was made to bring the festival to an international level by changing its name to the Benidorm International Song Festival, but its media impact was still meagre.
In 2022, this festival raised the bar again. And now it brings together Eurovision fans and spectators from all over the world who come to the coast of Benidorm (Alicante) to enjoy live music, concerts and parties. The contest is always broadcast on local television.
According to the mayor of Benidorm, during the Benidorm Fest celebrations every year there has been an increase in commercial activity and hotel and food prices go up. At a time when the month of February is not considered the most touristy month for many cities in Spain, this festival is one of the main reasons for tourists and locals to come to this city of skyscrapers on the Mediterranean coast.
