In Torrevieja this week, there is ballet in the form of the Christmas favourite, The Nutcracker, which is in the Torrevieja Municipal Theatre on Wednesday. The UMT youth band of Torrevieja perform their Christmas Concert at the Palacio de la Musica on Thursday.

Throughout the week in Torrevieja there are activities for the kids, then on Thursday, on the Paseo Vistalege, there will be Divertijoven on Paseo Vistalegre, at 5:30 p.m., before the action moves to the main stage in the Plaza de la Constitution for the Casa de Andalucía Christmas Zambomba, at 8:30 p.m. Christmas Zambomba, in case you don´t know, involves Christmas tunes accompanied by an instrument of the same name, a Zambomba, a kind of drum-looking instrument, very popular in the flamenco scene, which (listen below) sounds a little bit like a tuneful elephant (not an insult). So, mix flamenco, singing, Christmas and elephants, and you know what to expect. A good time.

On Friday, the kids can attend a workshop to help them write to Santa in La Mata at noon, and entertainment in the Plaza de la Constitución, where Lucía España will perform in the evening.

However, with all of that so far, it is important not to peak your excitement too soon, as on Saturday, Santa Claus is coming to town, available in his house from 11:00, before joining in with the parade dedicated to the big man from 6:00 p.m. from the Virgen del Carmen Centre.

It will then hopefully be an early night for Santa as he will be back in his house on Sunday, welcoming children, for which we sincerely hope he realises he has a big night ahead of him, and he will need to allow time to get back to the North Pole, pick up all of our gifts, and return before we wake up next day.

It’s worth noting that Christmas Eve is not only an important day for Santa but is one of the most important days in the traditional Spanish celebrations, where families gather together for a late meal to celebrate. As such, shops close early and even many bars remain closed for the important time, in order to allow for that togetherness.

Santa is also appearing in Guardamar throughout the week, again with a special celebration on Friday, and the Santa Train joining in the fun on Sunday. There’s also a student party on Friday.