Alicante markets to close for August 15 public holiday as shoppers urged to plan ahead

Alicante’s municipal markets and street markets will be closed on Saturday, August 15, for the national Assumption of the Virgin public holiday.

The closure affects the city’s four municipal markets at Central, Babel, Benalua and Carolinas, with shoppers being encouraged to plan ahead and make their purchases during the week.

The four markets will remain open during their usual morning hours before the holiday, giving customers plenty of opportunity to pick up fresh produce, meat, fish and other essentials ahead of the Saturday closure.

Street markets open before the holiday

Anyone who normally shops at Alicante’s outdoor markets will also have an opportunity to stock up beforehand.

The Jose Manuel Gosalbez, Carolinas, Benalua and Babel street markets will operate as normal on Thursday, August 13, from 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

The Urbanova market will also open on Thursday afternoon and evening from 4:00 PM until 11:00 PM, giving shoppers another opportunity to visit before the August 15 public holiday.

The temporary closure means residents and visitors who normally do their shopping at the weekend will need to bring their plans forward, particularly those who regularly rely on the city’s municipal and street markets for fresh food and other products.

Closure agreed with market traders

Councillor for Commerce and Markets Lidia Lopez said the decision to close on August 15 had been agreed with and requested by the associations representing municipal markets and street traders.

She encouraged residents and visitors to organise their shopping in advance and support local businesses during the week.

Alicante’s markets play an important role in neighbourhood shopping across the city, offering everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to meat, fish, clothing and household goods.

The council said the annual calendar covering public holidays and exceptional opening days is agreed with the sector, allowing traders and customers to know in advance when changes to normal opening arrangements will apply.

Special openings on other public holidays

Although the markets will close for the Assumption of the Virgin holiday, special openings have been arranged for some other public holidays.

These have previously included dates around Christmas and Hispanic Day, when different opening arrangements have been introduced to meet demand.

For this week’s holiday, however, shoppers are being advised to make their purchases before Saturday and check the usual opening hours of their preferred market before travelling.

The Thursday street markets and normal municipal market opening hours ahead of the holiday will provide the main opportunities to stock up before the August 15 closure.