New Year in Marbella’s Orange Square

In Spain the people have their own set of New Year traditions and they are celebrated in plazas around Spain with great fervour. Marbella is no exception and the place to go on the night of the 31st December is the Plaza de los Naranjos, or Orange Square, which is in the beautiful Old Town.

The New Year’s Eve celebrations are taken very seriously here, by which we mean having fun and partying until the early hours of January 1st. This is enjoyed by the majority of residents who prefer to come out on the streets rather than stay at home to welcome in the New Year.

So, what should you expect if you are a newcomer to New Year’s Eve in Spain. People will start to head to Orange Square late in the evening. If you really want a good position, it is advisable to be in or around the square earlier on and there are plenty of bars and restaurants where you can enjoy drinks, tapas or a full meal before heading into the square itself. Of course, many will be very busy and if you want a sit down meal, it is best to book a table well in advance.

Once people gather in the square, they will wait for the clock to chime the last midnight hour. You must come prepared with a carton of 12 grapes so that you can participate in the Spanish tradition of eating one grape on every chime of the clock. It is supposed to bring you great luck for the coming year, especially if you manage to eat all 12 grapes by the time the clock has finished chiming. This will bring you prosperity and good luck. However, achieving this feat of eating all the grapes in time is not as easy as it sounds. Some have a knack for it, whilst others struggle, but the important thing is the taking part.

The coming of the New Year is followed by fireworks, which are very popular in Spain and once those are over, the party continues with bottles of cava being popped everywhere in the square until people go home, often stopping for churros and chocolate on the way.

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