Benalmádena's Oktoberfest craft beer festival draws big crowds

Several thousand people descended on Benalmádena at the weekend to enjoy the town’s popular Oktoberfest, a German craft beer festival which was held in Arroyo de la Miel.

The event began on Friday and continued until Sunday, and visitors enjoyed live music and entertainment, German cuisine, a multitude of family activities, and, of course, plentiful different brands of typical Bavarian beers.

Organised by Birra Arte and the town hall, the festival was visited by the town’s mayor, Juan Antonio Lara, who said “it was a great party”.

The weekend was enjoyed by local residents and people who had travelled from other parts of the Costa del Sol and Malaga province, along with a steady flow of foreign tourists.

The mayor explained that initiatives of this type “attract a large influx of people” at a time when the “number of visitors to the town begins to a drop off”.

Londoners Ken and Maureen Swift, who had travelled to the Costa del Sol town for their summer break, told SUR in English that they had "really enjoyed the day".

"We have been coming to Spain for many years, so we are partial to local beers, but its nice to have a change every now and then," Ken said.

Lara pointed out that his council will continue to promote an autumn programme throughout the coming weeks in order “to fill our streets with leisure and fun”.

The next event will be the celebration of World Tourism Day (27 September), which will be marked with a series of activities in the Castillo El Bil Bil in Benalmádena Costa.