Benidorm beach wars return as tourists race to claim the best shoreline spots in middle of night

A 6am alarm might sound like the start of a very early flight, but for some holidaymakers in Benidorm it means only one thing: get to the beach before everyone else. A video circulating on social media on Friday, August 7, has once again put the spotlight on the daily scramble for the best places on the sand, with tourists arriving while much of the resort is still waking up.

What follows is a familiar summer ritual. Chairs, towels and parasols head down to the beach before the heat really gets going, with the coveted first line facing the Mediterranean treated by some as holiday gold.

Benidorm’s so-called Beach Wars are nothing new, but the scenes returning during August 2026 call into question why nothing has been done about this phenomenon. Similar battles have been reported repeatedly in recent summers, while other Spanish resorts and even beaches around Naples in Italy are now dealing with their own versions of the same problem.

Te levantas para ir a la playa en Benidorm y tienes un ejército de jubilados que te han plantado mil tumbonas en primera línea mientras están desayunando en el apartamento. pic.twitter.com/15PCm4cInu

— Alt Right España 𝕏 (@AltRightEspan) August 6, 2026

Benidorm’s beach battle starts before dawn

Spanish TV have reported that some people in Benidorm are getting up early specifically to put their parasols in the first row of Levante Beach. The report described the practice as a summer obligation for some beachgoers and warned that leaving belongings to claim space could lead to fines.

Another television report from laSexta, which filmed people arriving at around 7am to put up parasols before returning to their hotels. One holidaymaker explained that he was claiming the space first, with his wife coming down later.

Now, on August 7, 2026, social media footage has given the familiar argument another outing as early risers compete for prime positions on the beach.

The August 7 social media post

Is reserving a beach spot actually illegal in Benidorm?

There is an important wrinkle here. Benidorm’s beach regulations do not simply contain a sentence saying that putting up a parasol without sitting underneath it is automatically illegal. Instead, the local bylaws cover issues including private use of public beach space, unauthorised occupation and the removal of objects that have been installed irregularly or are causing conflict.

That distinction matters because reports about the practice have not always agreed on exactly what can be fined.

Spanish media reported in 2023 that Benidorm had not issued a single fine that summer specifically for putting up parasols to reserve a place, with the council saying there was no explicit rule banning that precise action. Earlier local rules, however, have contained provisions concerning occupation of the beach and the removal of items causing problems.

Benidorm’s regulations provide for fines that can reach thousands of euros for the most serious beach-related offences, although that does not mean somebody who puts down a towel at dawn automatically faces a €3,000 fine. Benidorm’s beach regulations do not simply contain a sentence saying that putting up a parasol without sitting underneath it is automatically illegal.

For visitors, the practical message is simpler: don’t assume that leaving equipment unattended gives you permanent rights over a patch of public sand.

Calpe takes a harder line on early parasols

Benidorm is not the only Spanish resort wrestling with the issue, with councils across the country introducing their own rules on leaving towels, parasols and chairs on the sand.

Calpe offers a much clearer example of a Spanish resort trying to stop the dawn dash. Under its coastal-use rules, chairs, sun loungers and parasols cannot be installed before 9.30am. Items put on the beach before that time can be removed by the police, while owners can also face a complaint from the authorities.

Calpe’s rules go even further during the day. Beach equipment left without its owner for more than three hours can also be removed, with the council saying the measures are intended to prevent people from effectively reserving sections of public beach while they are elsewhere.

Complaints about people claiming stretches of sand before other beachgoers arrive have been a recurring summer issue in the resort. That creates an interesting contrast with Benidorm. In one of Spain’s busiest resorts, the argument centres on how existing rules should be interpreted, while Calpe has a much more straightforward time restriction.

Naples is fighting its own ‘umbrella cheats’

Spain certainly does not have a monopoly on beach wars. There have been recent reports on a dawn operation at Laghetto beach in Torre del Greco, near Naples, where authorities seized 40 parasols, deckchairs and other items used to reserve prime positions on a free-access beach.

Italian media have given the people behind the practice a colourful nickname: furbetti dell’ombrellone, or roughly ‘umbrella cheats’. Local police said the unattended equipment amounted to unauthorised occupation of public maritime space. Fines can reach €500, while similar operations have taken place in other Italian coastal regions.

Another operation at Mappatella Beach in Naples on July 10 saw authorities seize 13 umbrellas, 17 steel poles, 21 plastic chairs and six tables in a crackdown on an unauthorised beach-equipment rental operation.

Italy’s problem therefore goes further than just a few holidaymakers wanting the best view of the sea. Public access to increasingly crowded beaches is becoming a bigger summer argument.

Britain’s sunbed stereotype takes another hit

Poolside sunbeds have long provided another version of the same holiday battle. A, found that 33 per cent of British holidaymakers admitted reserving a sunlounger with a towel. The figure was higher among French and Italian respondents, at 45 per cent, while 38 per cent of Germans admitted doing the same.

Majorities across the countries surveyed considered the practice unacceptable, showing just how divisive the annual towel battle has become.

Why the Beach Wars keep coming back

Benidorm’s popularity is at the heart of the problem. Levante and Poniente are huge urban beaches, yet the most desirable strip is always the sand closest to the water. During August, when hotels, apartments and beaches are packed with visitors, being able to put your towel down exactly where you want it can feel like winning the holiday lottery.

Mallorca has taken a rather different approach this year, introducing digital bookings for sunbeds and parasols at several beaches in Calvia. Rather than racing down before breakfast, visitors can reserve their equipment using a mobile system.

For Benidorm visitors, however, the old-fashioned battle is still very much alive. As August 2026 reaches its busiest weeks, the question remains the same: how early is too early to claim a patch of sand?

For some holidaymakers, apparently, the answer is the middle of the night.