VALENCIA, Spain, June 17, 2011 "“ It's less than a month away and a small beachside city in the region of Valencia is gearing up to host Spain's largest music festival. From July 14 to 17, the 17th Annual International Benicà ssim Festival (FIB) will present four nights of concerts featuring more than 100 artists playing alternative rock, electronic, pop and rap music. More than 40,000 fans are expected to gather for night-long concerts and leisurely days on the beach.
Headliners for this year's festival include: The Strokes, The Streets, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Brandon Flowers, Mumford & Sons, Primal Scream, Julieta Venegas and Portishead.
Camping near the beach is considered an integral part of the FIB experience. And for about $12, campers and concert goers can ride the three routes of the FIB bus, between the camping grounds, concert enclosure and beach, for the duration of the festival.
Benicà ssim is a 20-minute drive north of Castellón and one hour north of the city of Valencia. Known for its gently sloping fine sand beaches and the "Desert de les Palmes" natural park, it has been a popular summer resort since the 19th century. A stroll along the boardwalk reveals the "Las Villas" neighborhood with its row of majestic ocean view homes dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The "Desert de les Palmes" also boasts the ruins of an 11th century Moorish castle and a 17th century Carmelite monastery. Despite its name, the park is not a desert, but was thus named by the Carmelite monks indicating the area as a spiritual retreat. In fact, with the many plants from the park the monks produced a special liquor "Licor Carmelitano", which is still made in Benicà ssim from the monks' recipe.
The 40,000 festival tickets, which include free camping have been sold out. However, the VIP ticket (which includes camping) is still available for $484. It is also possible to purchase a VIP camping ticket in combination with other concert entrance tickets which grants access to "VillaCamp" "“ a privileged camping area right in front of the concert venues, just over 700 yards to the beach and with individual showers and restrooms. The VillaCamp ticket costs $113. Ticket combinations still available include the four-day concert pass for $181.50 and the single day ticket for $106.
Ticketing, transportation, and logistical information can be found on the official website of the festival www.fiberfib.com/en. For further information about the region of Valencia, contact your travel provider.
