Thousands of Brits stage unofficial Benidorm Fancy Dress Party

Thousands of Brits ignore ban and stage their own unofficial Benidorm Fancy Dress Party after annual event had cancelled as Covid cases rise in Spain

  • Thousands of British tourists descended on the Spanish seaside resort of Benidorm yesterday
  • The revellers travelled to the holiday destination to attend the annual ‘Fancy dress Party, held in the town
  • Local reports suggested this year’s event had been cancelled, so British holidaymakers staged their own
  • Unable to close the event down, local police officers were forced to monitor instead turning people away

Rowdy Brits have ignored a ban on an annual costume event in Spain and chosen to hold their own event in the streets of Benidorm, with tens of thousands of people rubbing shoulders and not a face mask in sight.

Local media including NIUS reported that over 20,000 people, largely Brits, attended the annual ‘Fancy Dress Party’ in the Spanish seaside resort of Benidorm on Thursday.

According to local media outlet Actualitat Valenciana, the event had been officially cancelled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but British revellers decided to hold it anyway, and the police, unable to prevent it, could only patrol it.

As many as 20,000 holidaymakers, many of them Brits, descended on the Spanish holiday destination of Benidorm to attend the annual ‘Fancy Dress Party’

The event itself had been cancelled for 2021, but the costumed crowds decided to hold their own unofficial event instead

Thousands of people took to the streets in bright and wacky outfits as they looked to make the most of the trip to the Spanish seaside resort

Dressed up as a group of police offers, these holidaymakers posed with other revellers for photos in the middle of the crowded street

A variety of costumes, including nuns and Roman emperors were on display at the costumed event yesterday

Taking inspiration from pop culture as well, people turned up to the unofficial event in creative costumes

Locals were reportedly angered by the huge crowds in Benidorm after the official party had been cancelled

Even children’s fairytale stories inspired some of the outfits yesterday, with two people arriving as Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf

It seemed some people had the same idea, with this trio seemingly wearing very similar outfits, inspired by Alice in Wonderland

It was estimated that as many as 20,000 people arrived in Benidorm for the costumed party, which police officers monitored throughout the course of the day

As of yesterday, Spain had a total of 5.07million confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic and 87,804 deaths.

Of these figures, 6,315 cases and 29 deaths had come in the last 24 hours. 

Despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases, locals were dismayed to see throngs of Brits flocking together in such numbers that they no could longer fit in the bars and spilled out onto the streets instead.

Photos taken at the event show not a single face mask in sight, despite the latest statistics showing a coronavirus infection rate of 353 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants.

The Costa Blanca capital’s infection rate is an astonishing four times higher than the average for the wider Valencian Community, and it is believed tourism is largely to blame.

According to NIUS, the authorities had tried to avoid the party spilling out onto the streets at all costs, but in the end, the pubs filled up and they were simply unable to contain the numbers.

The huge crowds of people could be seen brushing shoulders with one another as they mingled in Benidorm’s streets

There were almost no face masks visible on the faces of any of the people who attended the costume party yesterday

Benidorm’s annual Fancy Dress Party is regularly a big hit with Brits, who have been flocking to the Mediterranean tourist destination in large numbers since the package holiday explosion in the 1960s

As of yesterday, Spain had a total of 5.07million confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic and 87,804 deaths. Of these figures, 6,315 cases and 29 deaths had come in the last 24 hours

Despite the uptick in COVID-19 cases, locals were dismayed to see throngs of Brits flocking together in such numbers that they no could longer fit in the bars and spilled out onto the streets instead

Taking inspiration from the smash-hit Korean Netflix show Squid Game, these two holidaymakers turned up dressed as characters from the show

Photos taken at the event show not a single face mask in sight, despite the latest statistics showing a coronavirus infection rate of 353 cases for every 100,000 inhabitants

Pre-COVID, the annual costume event attracted up to 50,000 revellers, according to Actualitat Valenciana

A woman is seen dressed as a bag of jelly beans as she walked through the crowds of party-goers

The unofficial event held in Benidorm this year attracted people of all ages, with everybody in attendance prepared with a costume

Despite no masks or social distancing being followed, people appeared to be having a good time at the unofficial event yesterday

Benidorm’s annual Fancy Dress Party is regularly a big hit with Brits, who have been flocking to the Mediterranean tourist destination in large numbers since the package holiday explosion in the 1960s.

Pre-COVID, the event attracted up to 50,000 revellers, according to Actualitat Valenciana.

The costume party is held every year on a Thursday following the Major Patron Festivities of Benidorm Costumes and features various kinds of music, paella and colourful floats.

This event, which fills the streets of the so-called ‘English quarter’ every year, is billed as Europe’s biggest fancy dress party.

It began more than 20 years ago and has been growing in numbers ever since, with similarly outrageous costumes seen in previous years.

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