El Noche de San Juan is a magical summer night in June.
The fiesta de San Juan is celebrated all along the southern Spanish coast on the night of June 24th with all night of revelling, bonfires and fireworks, often culminating in people stripping naked, old and young alike, and rushing into the sea.
It's the old pagan midsummer celebration which has been 'Christianified' by tacking it on to a convenient Saint's day (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em sort of thing).
The Noche de San Juan celerbrations take on different forms in different areas. In Sabinillas, for instance, a huge tableau is constructed on the beach in Sabinillas a few days before the event. This is a work of art and every year is on a different theme, and it is almost a crime when, half-an-hour or so before midnight, the whole thing is set alight, when it is also customary to walk into the sea to wash away any bad luck.
The night is also marked by a firework display, on the beach in Sabinillas, live music and dancing.There are bars set up serving drinks and tapas to make everything go with a swing.