Benidorm kicks off the 14th Rice Days this Friday with 24 participating establishments

A total of 24 Benidorm establishments are participating starting this Friday, October 17, in the 14th "Rice Days," a conference launched this Monday at El Torrejó Municipal Centre, which will once again set a new record for the number of registered restaurateurs. The city's mayor, Toni Pérez, participated in the presentation of this fourteenth edition alongside Pablo González, president of the Cooperative of Bars, Restaurants, and Cafeterias (Cobreca); Licinio García, sponsor of "Benidorm Gastronomic 2025", restaurateurs and members of the municipal council.

The 14th Rice Days will take place from Friday, October 17th, to Sunday, October 26th. Over the course of these ten days, the public will be able to sample a wide variety of menus featuring rice as the main course, making it one of the most popular culinary initiatives among local and foreign audiences. All menus will have variable prices starting at 25 euros and will include, at a minimum, a starter in keeping with the region's native cuisine, a main course (rice), dessert, and a drink.

Pablo González, representing Abreca-Cobreca, emphasized that, "like every year, we look forward to this moment with great excitement, because talking about rice in Benidorm means talking about our roots, our families, Sundays spent around a paella, and the flavors that unite us." He also emphasized that "if last year was spectacular with 23 participants, this year we're breaking a record again with 24 restaurants joining together to experience this great rice festival" and that "they're going to fill Benidorm with aromas of broth, sea and mountains, and with the desire to enjoy our cuisine."

Finally, he emphasised that this year, "we celebrate Abreca's 40th anniversary, 40 years supporting local gastronomy, championing flavours, and demonstrating that when we work together, Benidorm shines even more."

Licinio García, sponsor of "Benidorm Gastronómico 2025," joined these demonstrations, adding that "rice dishes are a very important dish in Benidorm, especially because we have a great sea in which to catch good fish for good bottoms."

For his part, the city's mayor, Toni Pérez, praised Benidorm's gastronomic offering, "a great attraction for our city," and Abreca's work over these 40 years. “The Rice Festival is one of the most anticipated in Benidorm, a festival that was originally planned for a time when business was slowing down a bit,” he recalled, adding that “fortunately, business is decreasing less and less because our city, our restaurants, are doing better and better.”

The mayor emphasised that we have just wrapped up “a very good summer” and that “the 25th year is reaping very significant numbers, especially in terms of business, turnover, and profits.” Pérez recalled that the city "has once again broken the record for people registered with Social Security in July and August, with more than 36,600 registered" and that, in contrast, "we continue to be the city of more than 40,000 inhabitants with the lowest unemployment rate in the province of Alicante, in the entire Valencian Community, and one of the lowest in Spain," factors that he attributed, in part, to the pull of the hospitality, catering, and leisure industries.

He also publicly invited residents and tourists to participate in these 14th Jornadas de los Arroces de la Tierra (Rice of the Land) because "they unite tradition, innovation, and a great deal of exploration." "Talking about rice in Benidorm and in our region is talking about something more than a gastronomic product and much more about a fundamental part of our way of being and understanding the world."

As for the participating establishments, these are: La Marina Rice Restaurant, Bahía Azul, Bolikki, El Mesón Brewery, El Bodegón Aurrera, Mediterranean Garden, La Arrocería de la Mejillonera, La Brasería Aurrera, La Cava Aragonesa, La Fava, La Pinta, La Pinta Beach, Lino, Mal Pas, Malaspina, El Puerto Seafood Restaurant, Nautic Playa, Posada del Mar, Club Náutico Restaurant, Esturión Restaurant, L’Aroma Restaurant, Sinatras Diverse Centre, Andalusian Tavern and Bahía Terrace.

Commemorative days of the '700th Anniversary'

Before concluding the presentation, Toni Pérez announced a new activity that will take place outside the "Benidorm Gastronómico 2025" calendar. This event was initiated by Abreca-Cobreca, the Department of Tourism, and the 700th Anniversary Commission to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Benidorm's founding as a municipality with its own legal entity.

The event, titled "Menjars del Nostre Poble," will be held at the end of November, with the official launch taking place in the coming weeks. The mayor indicated that today is the opening of all establishments interested in registering to participate and explained that the objective of this initiative is "to offer the most typical gastronomy of our town" to the general public.