Thousands of rowdy British revellers dressed up as nuns, inflatable penises and gimps have taken to the streets of Benidorm for the annual ‘bad taste’ Fancy Dress Party.
The event in the city’s famed English zone is billed as Europe’s biggest costume party and expects to draw as many as 30,000 visitors.
Now in its 34th year, the festival has become a regular fixture for British tourists, who have been flocking to the Mediterranean city on Spain‘s east coast since the 1960s.
However, the event which has become known as a front against wokery with previous attendees coming dressed as Just Stop Oil protesters and migrants in inflatable boats, has this year taken a heartwarming turn.
The lively parade has put charity in the spotlight with revellers collecting funds for those hit by Spain’s devastating floods.
Attendees this year were snapped dressed as nuns, gimps and Wonder Woman as they partied on the streets of Benidorm.
Another two men donned inflatable penis costumes and were pictured joyfully dancing in foam.
Meanwhile a group of attendees appear to have gone as disco balls, wearing sparkly silver outfits.
Another pair of attendees dressed as a Heinz ketchup bottle and a can of baked beans.
Wonder Woman and a group of cavemen and women also made an appearance, while a chicken was seen mingling amongst a number of Spanish musicians.
The costume party is held every year on a Thursday and features various kinds of music, paella and colourful floats.
It began more than 20 years ago and has been growing in numbers ever since, with similarly outrageous costumes seen in previous years.
The event hit the headlines in 2021 when 20,000 revellers took to the streets in spite of a covid ban.
Pictures from the event that year showed tens of thousands of people rubbing shoulders and not a face mask in sight. One video even showed a group of men walking down the street dressed up as channel migrants, wearing life jackets and carrying an orange inflatable dingy boat.
It was a triumphant return to form for the event which is expected to raise cash for the victims of the Spanish floods.
Two weeks ago flash floods in the Valencia region killed more than 220 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Clean-up efforts in the area are still underway with more bad weather thought to be on the way.
Moreover, last Friday residents in Cadaques in the northern Spanish province of Girona woke up to a scene of destruction after 32 cars were washed away by flood water.
Many ended up piled on top of each other by a bridge in front of the town casino, with at least one of the smashed-up vehicles appearing to belong to foreign tourists because of the number plate that was clearly visible.
