If you are planning to spend New Year´s Eve on the Costa del Sol, you will find a wealth of things to see and do.  Whether you decide to stay home to see in the New Year or join the thousands of revellers who pack the town centres of Fuengirola, Marbella and Benalmadena, you are sure to have a great time.

New Year celebrations in Spain are special and unique. A holiday mood sets in as New Year’s Eve approaches. A special fiesta packed with noise and fun hits the air.

The 12 grapes at midnight tradition in Spain
Each city in Spain has its own particular place where people stand waiting for the New Year. The most important place is located at La Puerta del Sol, a big square in the capital Madrid . In the square, crowded by thousands of people, a centenary clock is lowered starting at 23:59:48. In nearly all Spanish houses, people watch on TV (narrated by famous Spanish singers, actors, actresses, etc.) this countdown and each person has a small glass, or recipient, with twelve green grapes. Each grape is eaten for each second left to the New Year.

Having lived on the Costa del Sol for 15 years, I still haven´t managed to master the ´eating of the grapes´ at midnight on the 31st, and still manage to get grape juice, skin and pips all down my front before I manage to swallow a couple.
The twelve grapes of luck have been a Spanish tradition since 1909 when, in December of that year, a group of Alicante wine producers came up with the idea to sell a huge amount of grapes from an excellent harvest.
The tradition is that a grape has to be eaten with each bell that strikes at midnight on the 31st December, which will lead to a year of prosperity. Each grape should be eaten with each strike of the bell, although this rarely happens, due to the difficulty of the task. The 12 grapes are also linked to the Puerta del Sol clock tower in Madrid, where the tradition started and where the new year is announced each year.

Countries with special links to the Spanish culture and language also celebrate the New Year with eating grapes at midnight, including many South American countries.

New Years Eve in Marbella and Puerto Banus
We like to arrive in Marbella around 9pm and make the most of the fabulous tapas bars in and around the town before joining in the madness at Orange Square at midnight. If you enjoy a busy, loud and lively atmosphere on New Year´s Eve, there is no better place to go than Orange Square, Marbella, followed by a night club tour of Puerto Banus, where the action continues until well into the next day.

Some of our favourite tapas bars in Marbella include the Taberna del Pinxto, La Valencia, Gorki and Gambrinus. Specialities include: stuffed baby red peppers at La Valencia, superb seafood salad at Gambrinus, succulent Serrano ham at Gorki and fabulous camembert and sweet onion toast at the Taberna del Pinxto.

Clubs in Marbella New Years Eve
If you prefer fine dining, entertainment and live music on New Year´s Eve, you can of course take advantage of some of the finest restaurants in Marbella and Puerto Banus – although they don´t come cheap.  Personal recommendations would include: Pasta da Bruno, in Cabopino, Marbella and San Pedro, the Fondue Lounge in Elviria, Rosmarino, Elviria and The Puente Romano Hotel on the Golden Mile. Wherever you choose to celebrate New Year´s Eve, you can make a real night of it by finishing off in one of the fabulous clubs in Puerto Banus and along the Golden Mile. Dreamers is the perfect party hotspot for lovers of house music, and Tibu and Glam will also be hosting special nights to celebrate the new year.
If you decide to stay in Marbella, and clubbing is not your scene, join in the fun at Orange Square and then enjoy a bar-hop around town, where you will find plenty of late night bars open until the small hours of the morning. Marbella at midnight on New Year´s Eve is not for the faint- hearted, so if you prefer a quiet time, don´t venture into the streets.
This year we plan to eat at home and then hit the streets about 11pm, which gives us enough time to get to Orange Square, without having the expense of eating out first. If you like a drink to celebrate the New Year in style, take a bottle of champers with you to drink at midnight.

What to do in Marbella on New Year´s Day
If you are feeling up to it on New Year´s Day, or you fancy a hair of the dog to get rid of your hangover, check out some of the great local Marbella restaurants that serve brunch. Some of the larger hotels also serve a champagne brunch from 10am, so if you are lucky enough to have the day off work, make the most of it and keep the party going.
If you want to clear the cobwebs away, enjoy a stroll down the beach or a trip up to the Refugio de Juanar, near Ojen, where you can enjoy the local flora and fauna of this nature reserve, while enjoying the fresh mountain air. You can reach the reserve by taking the Ojen road north of La Cañada Shopping Centre for around 15 minutes and following signs for El Refugio de Juanar to the right.

If you are a ski fan, check out the conditions at the Sierra Nevada, which you can reach within 2 hours of Marbella. You can hire equipment directly from the ski shops at Sierra Nevada and also pre-book ski school for the young ones if you need to. A round of golf is also a great way to celebrate New Year´s Day, and many of the Costa del Sol courses get booked up well in advance.

Christmas and traditions Costa del Sol
In Spain as well as other Spanish-speaking countries, the tradition had always been to observe Christmas Day as a solemn religious occasion, reserving Three Kings Day or Día de los Reyes for partying and exchanging gifts. However, in many Hispanic cultures today gifts can be given on Christmas Day, as well, which is great for the kids and expensive for their parents. Gifts can also be given on Three Kings Day or as a double celebration.

The Three Kings Marbella
The Three Kings come to Marbella (instead of Santa Claus) on the evening of the 5th January, and if you are lucky enough to be on the Costa del Sol during this time, take a stroll down to the town centre on the evening of the 5th January to enjoy the processions. Children line the streets as floats carrying the 3 Kings wind their way through the streets, in a colourful parade of music and colour. The Kings throw sweets to the children lining the streets, and the whole procession starts around 6-6.30pm. Legend has it that the 3 Kings arrive by sea, and then deliver presents to Spanish children on the night of the 5th while they are sleeping (similar to Santa Claus delivering gifts to English children on Christmas Eve).
January 6th is a national holiday in Spain when, once again the bars and restaurants and packed with Spanish families and tourists who want to make the most of this special day for the children.

Family fun in Marbella and Puerto Banus
However you plan to celebrate New Year´s Eve in Marbella or Puerto Banus, you will find plenty of things to do for the whole family. A superb choice of bars, restaurants, hotels and self-catering accommodation can be found in and around Marbella, and whether you decide to cook at home or celebrate with the masses in Orange Square, you will not be disappointed. One thing that can´t be guaranteed at this time of the year is the weather, so make sure you bring a brolly so you don´t get washed out on New Year´s Eve, and if you plan to take advantage of the free cava in the square at midnight, take a taxi.
If you are still planning to visit the Costa del Sol for New Year´s Eve but haven´t yet booked accommodation, consider renting a villa for a group of friends or family, as this can work out cheaper than a hotel stay and give you the freedom and independence to go where you want with no time restrictions. The fabulous range of facilities, amenities and things to do on the Costa del Sol, even in winter, keep this southern Spanish resort at the top of the ratings when it comes to holidays in Europe. Whether you are coming with the family, with your partner or with a group of friends, make sure you celebrate New Year´s Eve in style in Marbella and Puerto Banus.