If you are yearning to visit a music festival with all the clout of the big UK heavyweights like Leeds and Reading but don’t want the risk of having to dance in torrential rain or traipse through sodden fields, then Benicàssim may have the answer. Located 92.2 km south of
Valencia Airport, Benicàssim is a beautiful port town and beach resort on the east coast of Spain which each year hosts the Benicàssim International Music Festival. Past acts have included Radiohead, Blur, The Chemical Brothers and Depeche Mode.
Originally launched in 1995, the Benicàssim festival will this year run for four days from the 16th to the 19th July and boasts yet another phenomenal line-up. Headlining are Oasis, Kings of Leon, Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, who are supported by a wealth of incredible talent including Paul Weller, Lily Allen, Mystery Jets, 2 Many DJs and the White Lies. Aside from the music acts there are a plethora of other activities to keep visitors entertained both around the venue and on the streets of Benicàssim itself. These range from art installations to short films and fashion shows, as well as examples of Spanish dance forms both traditional and contemporary.
One of the big pluses of this festival is that it offers revellers the opportunity to stretch the experience out into a full blown holiday, as the 4 day weekend camping tickets actually provide for 9 days of camping all for the ticket price of £160 (day tickets are £ 67.50). This really gives people a chance to explore the region to its’ fullest and make the most of the Spanish weather and nearby beaches while here. There are several ways of getting to Benicàssim, although flying into Valencia Airport is the most popular means.
Flights to Valencia are available from 12 UK airports including Bournemouth, Bristol, Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle.
For those arranging a
Valencia Airport car hire then it is a fairly straightforward 55 minute drive north along the coast to the event ground. Alternatively you could pay 25€ and join the festival’s FIBERClub, which, along with other exclusive advantages, entitles members to use the festival bus service. These shuttle buses run from the airport to the festival ground every hour Monday to Friday between 10am and 10pm and on the Monday and Tuesday after the festival between 7am and 5pm.
If you have not signed up to become a member then there are three other main alternatives. A
Valencia Airport private transfer can be pre-booked and means you will be met in arrivals by a driver and whisked off straight to the event, while cheaper options come in the form of the buses and trains. Fortunately there is a train station right in Benicàssim which has direct connections from most of the major cities such as Valencia, Barcelona, Alicante, Gerona and Madrid. Although these RENFE trains do not run direct from Valencia airport there is a metro train which transfers passengers to the main Valencia train station in just a few minutes and then it is approximately an hour on to Benicàssim.
Click here to find RENFE train times.
Unlike the trains, buses from the major cities do not go direct to Benicàssim but instead stop at Castellón Bus Station. From here buses run roughly every 15 minutes to Benicàssim between 6.15am and 10.30pm.
Click here to find bus times and fares from the major cities. The exception to the bus and train rules tends to be
Reus Airport, which is the second closest airport to the festival at a distance of 167.5km. Ryanair offers flights to Reus from 17 different places in the UK including Durham, Inverness and Liverpool but both train and bus routes from Reus go to Tarragona first before go onto Benicàssim (or Tarragona, Castellón then Benicàssim in the case of the buses).
For Reus to Tarragona bus times click here. Driving to the festival in a
Reus Airport car hire would take around 1hr and 40 minutes.
Other then Reus and Valencia, the nearest airports are
Barcelona Airport,
Alicante Airport,
Girona Airport and
Madrid Airport. Train and drive times between Benicàssim and each of these airports is roughly the same, give or take 20 minutes. The travel time from Barcelona is around 2½ hours, from Alicante 2hr 50mins, from Gerona 3hr 30mins and from Madrid 4hr and 40mins.
An altogether longer option for those not wanting to fly but travelling from the UK is to go by coach, a journey of around 31 hours if departing from London. Tickets are available though
National Express and
Eurolines.