The summer rush has eased, but the town certainly hasn’t gone quiet. In fact, the October calendar is packed with art in the Old Town, live music in the squares, theatre and cinema, guided tours, weekly markets and five days of Moros y Cristianos celebrations.
There are also plenty of the ordinary Calpe things that make a good October day — a wander around the market, a visit to the fishing port, a walk past Las Salinas or simply stopping for coffee in the Old Town and seeing what is happening around you.
So, diaries out. Here’s what’s happening in Calpe this October.
October gets going properly on Saturday 3rd, and you could easily make a day of it.
La Calle del Arte takes over Calle Santísimo Cristo in Calpe’s Old Town from 10am to 2pm, with another edition later in the month on Saturday 17th.
At 11am, the Newbridge Gospel Choir performs in Plaza Colón.
Then at 12 noon, Unió Musical Calp Ifach begins an itinerant concert from Plaza Miguel Roselló.
The day finishes with the 23rd Musical Exchange Concert Series at the Auditori at 8pm, featuring traditional dolçaina and tabalet music.
And because it’s Saturday, the weekly market is running too.
That’s quite a lot to fit into one day.
The music continues on Sunday.
Xaranga La Xarlotà starts an itinerant concert from Plaza Miguel Roselló at 11am, bringing the music out of the auditorium and into the town.
At 12 noon, a breast cancer charity walk departs from Plaza Mayor, with registration listed at €10 in the October programme.
It should make for a lively first weekend of October around the centre and Old Town.
There’s plenty happening during the following week too.
On Wednesday 7 October at 7pm, Joaquín Caserza presents Conversations With My Mind at the Auditorium, with free admission subject to capacity.
On Thursday 8 October, the 200 Years of Photography (1826–2026) exhibition opens at the Casa de Cultura. It runs until 31 October, so there’s plenty of time to catch it during the month.
Also on the 8th, Tandarica: Stories With Threads takes place at 6pm at Saló Blau, again with free admission subject to available seating.
Then comes 9 d’Octubre, the Day of the Valencian Community.
Calpe marks the occasion on Friday 9 October at 8pm in Plaza Mayor, with the ceremony for the Premi Jaume Pastor i Fluixà, 9 d’Octubre and Medalles de la Vila.
On Saturday 10 October at 8pm, Francisco y Tamara present Únicos at the Auditori in the Casa de Cultura. It’s a charity concert in aid of ADICALP, with a €5 donation.
On Thursday 15 October at 8pm, Calpe’s 15th International Autumn Music and Dance Festival comes to the Saló Blau at the Casa de Cultura.
Tickets are listed at €15, with a three-concert subscription available for €36.
It’s another nice example of how Calpe’s cultural calendar carries on well beyond summer.
La Calle del Arte returns to Calle Santísimo Cristo on Saturday 17 October, from 10am until 2pm.
Later that day, Amma’s Way is showing at the Casa de Cultura Auditorium at 7pm.
Admission is free subject to capacity, with voluntary donations supporting Embracing the World.
This is the big one.
From Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 October, Calpe celebrates its Moros y Cristianos festivities in honour of the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor.
If you’re in Calpe during these dates, it’s worth making time for the celebrations.
This is one of those weeks when the town feels very different from an ordinary October week, and it’s a chance to experience one of Calpe’s important local traditions.
The detailed programme is available from Calpe’s tourist information offices and the municipal website.
Official Calpe/Calp Moros y Cristianos or October programme
You don’t necessarily expect an evening at London’s Royal Ballet & Opera when you’re deciding what to do in Calpe.
But on Tuesday 27 October at 8.15pm, the Auditorium at the Casa de Cultura hosts a live broadcast of Manon from the Royal Ballet & Opera in London.
Admission is free, subject to availability.
October finishes with another musical evening.
On Saturday 31 October at 7.30pm, guitarist Darío Gonzalez and cellist Alfons Rochera perform Sérénade at the Auditorium in the Casa de Cultura.
Admission is free subject to available seating.
But that’s not the only reason to head out on the 31st. There are also guided activities taking place during the day, so you could make quite a full Saturday of it.
If you’ve walked around Calpe plenty of times but never really stopped to find out what you’re looking at, October provides a good excuse.
There are free guided tours of Calpe’s historic centre on selected dates:
Advance registration is required.
There are also outdoor tours focusing on the distinctive Ricardo Bofill buildings on 3, 10, 11 and 31 October at 10.30am.
Calpe’s historic centre also has theatrical guided tours on Friday 2 and Friday 16 October at 7pm, while guided visits to the Baños de la Reina are available with times confirmed when registering.
Calpe Tourist Information, Guided Tours
These are particularly good if you’ve been coming to Calpe for years but realise you’ve never actually looked properly at some of the places you regularly pass.
Then there are the weekly routines.
The flea market takes place every Wednesday from 9am to 2pm, in the new parking area between Avenida País Valencià and Avenida Rumanía.
The Saturday market runs from 8am to 2pm. Fruit and vegetables are in the parking area on Calle Petit in the Old Town, while clothing and accessories are on Avenida Rumanía.
October 2026 gives us five Saturdays — 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 October — so there are plenty of opportunities for a market morning.
Here’s one that even some people who know Calpe well may not have done.
The fish auction at the Fishermen’s Guild is listed from Monday to Friday, between 4.30pm and 5.30pm, at the fishing harbour.
There is a €1 donation benefiting the guild’s pensioners, and the programme advises checking the biological fishing closure dates before visiting.
Calpe’s fishing port is such an important part of the town that this is a particularly interesting way to see another side of it.
Calpe’s History and Archaeology Museum on Calle Santísimo Cristo and its Contemporary Art Gallery in the Old Town Hall are listed as open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 2pm and 4.30pm to 7pm, with free admission.
Combined with the photography exhibition running from 8–31 October, there’s enough here to turn an afternoon wandering through the Old Town into something a little different.
Coffee afterwards is optional.
Although we’d recommend it.
October can also be a lovely time to enjoy Calpe outdoors, whether that’s around Las Salinas, along Arenal-Bol and La Fossa, around the port or looking up at the Peñón and finally deciding that today is the day you’re going up there.
One practical point if it is: visiting the Peñón de Ifach requires an advance reservation.
So that’s one October plan worth making before you put your walking shoes on.
If you’re filling the diary, some of the key dates are:
And that’s before you add the Wednesday flea market, Saturday market, museums, guided visits, Zumba sessions, boat excursions and everything else that forms part of an ordinary October week in Calpe.
This is the side of Calpe we particularly enjoy at this time of year.
Some days there’s a major fiesta taking over the town. Other days it’s simply a market in the morning, flamingos at Las Salinas, lunch somewhere you like and perhaps a concert or walk through the Old Town later on.
If you’re already living here, spending October at your second home or visiting Calpe this month, there’s plenty going on away from the beach.
And if you see the Hamiltons Calpe team while you’re out and about, come and say hello.
Please note: dates, times and availability can change. For activities requiring registration and for the full Moros y Cristianos programme, check with Calpe Tourist Information before attending.
