The best of September in the Costa del Sol

August 26, 2024

September in the Costa del Sol is still very much summer, and probably the best part of summer, when it is still hot enough to spend time on the beach, but not so hot that you fear you can melt (like in August). It is also the time when kids go back to school, so there are less tourists around; the accommodation prices are lower than in the previous month, as are the ticket fares. All this topped up by low chances of rain!

The pace is a bit calmer now, but there is still plenty to see and to do in the Costa! It is, among other things, time of two lovely Ferias, those of Mijas Pueblo and Torremolinos, both great in very different ways.

September in the Costa del Sol - Image of the Feria de Torremolinos, in September 2023

The weather in September in the Costa del Sol

The weather in the Costa del Sol in September is still hot and sunny. The UV index is quite high, but the temperatures start to drop, allowing for a more comfortable experience outside, when compared to August. The average temperatures are still above 20^oC, with the average high reaching above 30^oC most of the days. The beaches are quite inviting at this time of the year, and it is also a great time for long walks by the beach to watch the sunset!

Accuweather graphic of temperatures for September in Malaga — Accuweather graphic for the actual temperatures in Malaga in September 2023.

Weather-related data for September in Malaga (data from Weather2travel):
🏊 sea temperature: +22^oC
🌅 Sunrise times: 07:49 am (September 1) – 08:12 am (September 30)
🌙 Sunset times: 08:45 pm (September 1) – 08:02 pm (September 30)
🌼 Average number of daylight hours: 12
☀️ Average number of sunshine hours per day: 8

The weather information above is for Malaga (city), but as the towns are so close together, you can extend this information to the surrounding areas as well. Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella and Estepona, as well as Rincón de la Victoria, Torrox and Nerja, should not differ much.

Remarkable dates

There are no National Holidays in September in Spain, but there are a few notable days in the Costa del Sol. Both Mijas and Málaga have local holidays on September 9, celebrating the Virgen de la Peña, patroness of Mijas Pueblo. Torremolinos celebrates San Miguel, its own patron saint, on September 30. Both Mijas Pueblo and Torremolinos have fairs around the respective patron dates.

Because of the fairs, the local holidays in both Mijas and Torremolinos are probably not going to affect commerce – if something, they are likely to remain open for longer hours. Malaga (city) may see some shops closed or closing earlier because of the local holiday on September 9.

September 27 is Tourism Day and some of the Costa del Sol cities prepare special events for the occasion. In 2024, Malaga will have an open museums day with more than 30 museums offering free entrance on specific times (you can download the full program, which is in both Spanish and English, on the link above); Torremolinos is offering a guided visit and free entrance to the Botanical Garden Molino de Inca; and Benalmadena is offering two guided visits and a Flamenco show in the Bil-Bil Castle!

Events in September in the Costa del Sol

Culture and Entertainment guides

The best places to look for cultural events are the official monthly entertainment guides of the Town Halls websites and their Facebook counterparts. Some cities update them more frequently than others, and usually information is posted just a few days before the event itself; despite that, they are the most complete source of information about cultural (and sometimes not so cultural) events in each town. Below, a super useful list:

For Malaga city: Visita Málaga guide and Facebook
For Torremolinos: Torremolinos Cultura guide and Facebook
For Benalmadena: Benalmadena guide and Benalmadena Cultura
For Fuengirola: Fuengirola guide and Agenda Fuengirola
For Mijas: Mijas and Cultura Mijas
For Marbella: Marbella and Cultura Marbella
For Estepona: Cultura Estepona and Facebook

Mijas Pueblo Fair 2024

From September 04 to 09, but actually starting already on September 03, we have the Mijas Pueblo Fair 2024, a beautiful and traditional event in the lovely Mijas Pueblo. This fair is special because of the Pueblo itself: Mijas Pueblo is all you would expect of a traditional Spanish Pueblo and then some. The Pueblo is nested about 400 meters above sea level with impressive views of the Costa del Sol and of the sea; it has a botanical route along the former defensive walls and around the Church, lovely cobblestone streets with white houses and flowerpots hanging from the walls.

Walk around and you’ll find squares, stairs, poetry written on the walls and adorned with tiles and unsuspecting arches connecting different times of the Pueblo. On top of that, you can find markets and Flamenco shows happening – all that on normal days. During the ferias, the Pueblo is at its best, manicured to detail and eager to display its culture with pride. Among the events of the Feria, which happen in two different locations of the Pueblo, we can expect lots of music shows, dance, religious events and processions, as well as parades for kids and even inflatable bulls to run from!

Poster of the Feria de Mijas Pueblo, September 2024

Torremolinos Fair 2024

Torremolinos’ Feria de San Miguel happens every year around the end of September. In 2024, the fair will officially happen from September 25 to 29; in practice, though, it started a lot before the publication of the program, with several pre-feria events. In 2023, the pre-feria started 12 days before the 4 days of the Feria itself, making it, altogether, the longest Feria of the Costa del Sol by far.

That happens because Torremolinos is a giant tourist destination, a magnet that attracts people all over Europe (and beyond) to its beautiful and wide sandy beaches lined by one of the best promenades in the world. In the Feria, Torremolinos shows that it is more, a lot more than just a beach paradise.

The Feria is divided in two areas, one around the city center and another in the fairgrounds; the central one has a diverse range of attractions, including a vintage car parade that is quite unique in the Costa (during the pre-feria), as well as traditional food distribution and day-time parades, like the one in the video below:

The nighttime events in the fairgrounds are also plentiful, divided in several tents within a funfair. It includes a large tent for kids, with animation, workshops (like balloon twisting!), magic shows and theater; another large tent dedicated to the seniors and several other tents with a range of shows from traditional Spanish music to Pop and Rock. The feria has even a horse show!!

Conclusion

September in the Costa del Sol is a time to enjoy the summer that still lingers on these shores. The best part of summer, actually. If you are coming to the Costa this month, you are very lucky! You’ll get to enjoy the best of the Costa del Sol weather and two beautiful fairs in one go. I wish you a great time, but I think you’ll have it anyways – just don’t forget your sunscreen and you are good to enjoy!

Next: The best of October in the Costa del Sol

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