July 30, 2023
It’s summer and the Costa del Sol is packed with attractions every night of the week, everywhere you look. Last Friday (July 28), there were two irresistible ones right by my doorsteps: a flamenco show on an open space and a food truck festival, both in Benalmádena’s Arroyo de la Miel. How could I choose or resist? No way, I went to both!
Table of Contents
Food trucks festival
The first one I went to was the Food Truck Festival “Sabores del mundo sobre ruedas” (Flavors of the world on wheels). It started at 7 PM, but I got there later; after all, 7 is still hot in the Costa in the summer! It featured 8 trucks of different places of the world, as the name of the event and their poster states clearly; it also had live music shows, a play area for kids, with inflatables, and a small street market.
This was the second time I went to this event. The first one was last year – the Food Truck Festival was actually the only event I went last year, mainly because I was more in the mood of completing our move to Spain than ready to start living the Costa del Sol fully. I wasn’t looking for activities or events, and therefore didn’t know of almost any; still, both in 2022 and in 2023, I found this one without effort.
Publicity
Very different from the Ferias and most of the other events, Sabores del Mundo was being advertised long before the occasion, both o last year’s edition and on this one.
Not only they did it ahead, which allowed for planning (and daydreaming – Arepas! Empanadas! Yummm…) they also did it well – their poster states what is to be expected, both in Spanish and English. And looking good. Congratulations to the designer team behind this poster!
Location
Plaza Pueblosol, sometimes called by it’s official name, Plaza Adolfo Suárez, is a place where many events happen in Benalmadena. It is right by the train station Benalmádena-Arroyo de La Miel so it is easy to find, and it has a big of a playground. Keep this location in mind if you are planning to come to Benalmádena:
Play, food and show
Now to the event itself. Last year’s was bigger and had more space to sit and more attractions for kids. The attractions were more expensive than you would find at the Feria or in Parquelandia, but I guess it is to be expected from a Festival. Nevertheless, last year they were packed with children; this year, not so much.
The food, well, you see, again, it is a Festival… There were lines on each food truck and I have the impression that the food was served a bit too fast, maybe in an attempt to speed up the service. Last year I ate an undercooked (veggie) burger and, this year, an underheated pastry. I think next year I’ll only have drinks – painful, as I’m a food truck groupie. On the good side, there were many vegetarian options, which is a great plus for this Mama.
The shows I saw were good. The area in front of the stage was lined with food trucks on both sides, and in the middle, there were tables for people to seat and eat. And that is where it gets complicated, because people that were eating could not talk to their peers due to the volume of the show happening right in front of them. In my opinion, if it were only shows – like the ones jampacked with people dancing during the last Feria, in the same Plaza Pueblosol – or only food trucks & kids play area, with a bit of background music, it would have been better overall.
Despite that, the area was full, and it was difficult to find a space to sit. The ambiance was joyful; I think with the proper expectations this event is certainly fun – and yes, I’ll go next year, if it happens again. I noticed that besides the play area being smaller, there were less tables and people this year compared with the previous one (though, when it comes to the amount of people, I must say that this year I went there on daytime, while previously I went at night; it can make a difference). I recommend that, if you are around, go and take a look. 😉 Let me know how you liked it in the comments!
Flamenco Show
Food in the belly, I headed to the Flamenco show. How exciting it is to know a Flamenco show is gonna happen soon and near? And more, in Andalucía, the birthplace of Flamenco! And supported by the city council (therefore, legit) and for free!!!! Wow! I was counting the minutes, and this event surpassed my expectations.
There where actually two flamenco shows in the night, organized by the Peña Flamenco La Repompa of Benalmadena (peñas are associations of professionals that promote a cultural activity and collaborate in creating events) with support of the Ayuntamiento de Benalmadena.
Calle las Flores
The location of the shows was perfect: they happened in a small open air square at Calle Las Flores, backed by a small residencial playground and bordered by a pub. On regular days, the little square is an extra play area for the kids, but chairs were made available for the audience, and a stage was built for the occasion. The exact location of the show:
This street is where we did our Residence papers, in the Police; also where the foam and water slide of previous Ferias happened and was also part of the route of the Romeria de San Juan. I bet I didn’t find the bonfires in the Feria because I didn’t come here that night. So, the next time an event says only “in the streets of Arroyo”, I’m coming to Calle Las Flores for sure! If this was intended to be a secret, only to be known by locals, now it’s out: Calle Las Flores is the heart of Arroyo de La Miel, the largely residencial and traditional business center of Benalmadena.
Delia Membrive’s show
The first Flamenco show was performed by the amazing Flamenco singer from Benalmadena, Delia Membrive, with Joselito Pérez on the guitar and beats by Cristóbal Garcia and Antonio Luque “Canito”. Delia sang with passion, heart and soul; the guitar was magnificent and Garcia and Canito completed the group harmonically – and with a smile. They all seemed to enjoy being there and to perform with pleasure. It was a delight. A tiny little bit of their show below:
Laura Santamaría and Miguel El Rubio’s show
The second show was probably the most anticipated of the night, with dance performances from the very talented couple Laura Santamaría and Miguel “El Rubio”, both spectacular. Videos will explain more than I could, so, for your delight:
To know more…
The shows were impressive and made me long for more. I checked on-line and found out that though Flamenco shows happen at town-sponsored festival like this one, there seems that currently there is not a venue offering shows regularly in Benalmadena (except maybe for hotels, like the show on Estival Torrequebrada).
There was Patio Flamenco , but they are currently closed for the season; I’ll update when they inform when the next one starts – if you know, please tell me in the comments or send me an e-mail; there also used to be Flamenco Benalmádena, but they now moved to Marbella! And if you want to learn Flamenco, check La Sultana, that offers courses of Flamenco among many more dance classes.
Next: 4 Magical Arabian days
