Tardeo in Alicante City

Tardeo is a whole new way of socialising that has become hugely popular among Alicante locals 

As if the nightlife wasn’t enough for the locals of Alicante city, a new form of leisure called ‘tardeo’ has been developed on Saturdays in which the usual evening activities such as eating tapas, having a drink with friends in bars and dancing in nightclubs have been brought forward to during daylight hours in the early afternoon on Saturday.

Every Saturday at midday crowds of locals between the ages of 25 and 40 congregate by the entrance to Mercado Central on Plaza 25 Mayo in the city centre of Alicante. The ‘tardeo’ begins here, with everyone taking turns to queue up with their groups of friends downstairs on the bottom floor of the main central marketplace to purchase their ‘tapeo’, usually consisting of plates of cured ham, sliced cheese, bread and plenty of bottles of Alhambra beer. The 'tapeo' is sold from various stands which advertise themselves through flyers showing their cheap ‘tapeo’ offers, which are handed out to the hungry tardeo-goers on entering the marketplace.

By 13:00 the Plaza 25 Mayo is noisy and atmospheric with masses of people standing together socialising and sharing their food and drinks with one another. Sometimes live bands come to the square and play alongside the crowds, and it is normal to see people dressed up very elegantly with ladies in high heels and men with smart shirts as if they were about to go for sophisticated meal, drink cocktails or dance the afternoon away in a night club, because that is exactly what they do next.

After 4’o’clock in the afternoon the Plaza 25 Mayo is totally deserted, as the locals move onto either a tapas restaurant to eat a heavier meal with their friends or head straight to the popular street, Calle Castaños, as quickly as possible to secure themselves a table outside in one of the bar terrazas so that they can continue the afternoon with a round of minty mojitos followed by some extra-strong “gin-tonics”.

From 16:30 onwards Calle Castaños, home to a number of cocktail bars and nightclubs, is completely brimming with people celebrating tardeo, with every terraza table in every bar occupied by groups of Alicante locals consuming beverages, laughing and sharing stories.

By 6’o’clock in the evening all of the nightclubs along Calle Castaños are filled with people dancing to popular latino tunes, whilst outside the late- afternoon sun is still shining brightly, giving ‘tardeo’ novices quite a shock as their eyes have to readjust to the bright light again after dancing inside a dimly lit club with disco lights, giving them the impression that it is already the night time.

The locals particating are known to carry on partying until around 22:00 or 23:00, before making their way home at a reasonably early hour on a Saturday evening and getting a good night’s sleep, allowing them to make the most of their Sunday without being tired.

This relatively new phenomenon has now become a well-established part of Alicante culture, and has even spread to nearby cities such as Murcia and Albacete, whose residents have likewise started to see the advantages of this ‘daytime nightlife’. Not only do the locals benefit from ‘tardeo’ by being able to socialise whilst not wasting the next day, but also business in numerous local tapas bars and restaurants has been thriving thanks to the high demand every Saturday, to the point where most restaurants in the city centre are now advertising their own ‘tapeo’ offers to accommodate the locals. 

Visitors interested in getting involved in ‘tardeo’ are advised to arrive at Plaza 25 Mayo by Mercado Central as early as they can from midday so that they can purchase their ‘tapeo’ and a drink before everything runs out in the market place stalls. Outside in the plaza visitors will spot people handing out flyers with food offers on them on which there will be a ‘puesto’ number indicating the market stand number from which the food can be purchased down inside Mercado Central.

Most of the ‘tapeo’ stands are located on the bottom floor of the market, which can be accessed by the main escalators in the entrance. Visitors are also advised to bring loose change for purchasing their food, and to not carry too many personal belongings with them to the plaza as instead of there being tables and chairs, everyone is stood standing to consume their ‘tapeo’ which they hold in their hands.

The majority of the nightclubs along Calle Castaños and the adjacent streets are free to enter, although if visitors are wishing to sit down on a table outside along the street it is best to arrive at Calle Castaños before 16:00, as tables become occupied very quickly. However, even if there is nowhere to sit down it is definitely worth going inside one of the bars or clubs to have a dance with the friendly locals and (if you’re lucky) get offered a free drink!