Alicante Gastronómica 2026: A Visitor's Guide to the Rice, Tastings and Free Showcookings (2–5 October)

The essentials

The 8th Alicante Gastronómica runs from Friday 2 to Monday 5 October 2026 at IFA – Fira Alacant.

Opening hours and closing times are on the organiser's site, alicantegastronomica.com, so check them before you go.

The €2 wristband

Entry is free, but every visitor needs a €2 smart wristband.

• It is personal and non-transferable, and it is valid for all four days.
• It is also how you pay at every stand. You top it up online at alicantegastronomica.com or at counters and machines inside the fair.
• The full €2 goes to Alicante Gastronómica Solidaria, which cooks meals for vulnerable people across the province.
• If you buy online, you can collect the wristband until 5 October at Carrefour, at Tescoma or at the Cámara de Comercio de Alicante. Picking it up in advance lets you skip the queues.

Getting there from central Alicante

The fairground sits between Alicante and Elche, so it is not walkable from the city centre.

Bus and parking information for the fair is in the official practical guide on alicantegastronomica.com. Read it before you set off, especially if you are going at the weekend.

The city council stand: 40 free activities

Head for Pabellón 2, Acceso 4. The stand is run by the council's Hostelería y Comercio department, and its activities are free. Rice is the main theme, with five different rice dishes to taste. The rest of the programme includes:

• traditional cocas
• wine and cocktail tastings
• chef masterclasses
• children's workshops
• two showcookings of this year's city champions, the best croqueta and the best patatas bravas

Some activities have limited places and must be booked through the official programme.

Friday 2 October

Beaton Brut opens the stand with a showcooking of arroz negro de sepionets with Iberian papada. Moncho Riquelme of Casa Riquelme then leads a rice workshop.

Saturday 3 October

• La hora de la paloma con Anís Tenis, a cocktail paired with a tapa
• Wines from Bocopa and the Alicante DOP
• Un paseo por Alicante, cocktails by Sylvarum Cocktail Bar
• A masterclass on Mediterranean salted fish

Sunday 4 October

Chef Norik Kocharyan showcooks Brasad'or's croqueta, voted the best in Alicante for 2026. Chef Ernesto Frutos of Alma Cocina Viajera also cooks rabbit.

Monday 5 October

The stand closes with the best patatas bravas of 2026, made by Vino y Más.

Also on the stand

• Horchata with coca de almendra from Kiosco Peret
• Coca de mollitas from Horno Hermanos Guardiola
• Coca amb tonyina from Santa Bar
• An arepa Reina Pepeada
• An artisan ice-cream masterclass by Lanette Helados

Mercalicante also takes part. Times for the children's workshops are listed in the official programme.

Back in town: the winning croqueta and bravas

Brasad'or: best croqueta 2026

The winner is Brasad'or's croqueta de cecina de vaca madurada, made with cured aged beef and served with pomegranate mayonnaise. It took the 2nd Alacroqueta by public vote on 19 April in Plaza de Séneca, after 150,000 croquetas were sold over five days.

Vino y Más: best patatas bravas 2026

Vino y Más won the first Alasbravas, held from 25 to 27 September in Plaza de Séneca. The winning dish is potato with smoked kimchi and an alioli of confit garlic and lime.

Cheos came second. Brasad'or took third with its Patatas bravasador, so it is a good place to try both categories in one visit.

Opening hours, the wristband details and individual session times can change, so check before you go on alicantegastronomica.com and the council's site, alicante.es.