Nude beach claim leaves La Cala residents red-faced after April Fool’s prank

La Cala residents were taken for a ride this week after a Facebook post claimed that Mijas Town Hall was set to vote on turning part of the beach into a nudist area, only for it to later emerge that the whole thing was an April Fool’s prank.

The post, which quickly got tongues wagging online, announced: “Today the Mijas Town Hall will take a vote on allowing a piece of the beach in La Cala to be used as a nude beach. This has been in the works for some time, but now finally they will take a vote, more info to come!”

Some residents believed the post was a real discussion taking place

For a while, plenty of people seemed to believe it.

In a seaside town where beach life is practically a local institution, the suggestion that part of La Cala could be set aside for nude sunbathing was always likely to cause a reaction. Some readers were amused, others were baffled, and a fair few were less than impressed at the thought of such a change being quietly pushed through with a nudist beach only a short distance away in Cabopino.

The wording of the post only added to the confusion. By mentioning a supposed town hall vote and hinting that plans had been under discussion for some time, the message sounded official enough to fool more than a few people scrolling through their feeds.

April 1st sees regular pranks being played to start rumours

As often happens on April 1st, social media did the rest. The rumour spread, reactions rolled in, and before long locals were debating whether La Cala was really about to join the list of beaches with a more liberated dress code, or lack of one.

Once it was revealed that the post was a joke, the mood shifted with people seeing the funny side and giving credit for a prank that certainly got attention. If the aim was to get people talking, it certainly worked!

For anyone still wondering, there was no real council vote, no official proposal, and no confirmed plan to turn part of La Cala beach into a nudist zone.