Tourists use torches in Spain's sunbed wars in bid to reserve beach spots

In Spain, the ongoing sunbed wars have descended into a whole new dimension of madness, with tourists using torches and mobile phones to hog the best spots on beaches — all before the crack of dawn.

Bemused locals have managed to capture videos of holidaymakers getting up whilst it’s still dark outside to nab those coveted sunbeds at tourist-packed beaches across Spain. In a serious show of commitment, the earliest recorded bid to grab a sunbed so far has been 5:31am.

Sunbed-crazed tourists have been seen propping up their sun umbrellas, beds, and towels mere inches from the sea in their efforts to secure a sunbed. The first line of sunbeds across Spain’s busiest beaches tend to get full within the hour. It comes after sunbed wars see Brits forced to queue for 'over an hour' just to get to the pool.

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The ritual has become a "must-watch" scene for those who look on with amusement, with one saying: "Who will be next to break the 5:30am record?"

The umbrellas at dawn scenario — described as "a very peculiar" race — is hitting a number of beaches, including in the popular Costa Blanca resort of Torrevieja.

"There is no official timer but everyone knows that the competition is more alive than ever. Every morning, even before dawn, the Cura beach in Torrevieja becomes the scene of an invisible race, without a podium or medal, but with a highly coveted reward: the best place just a few centimetres from the sea!" reports Spanish newspaper Información in a tongue-in-cheek account of the scenario.

"Yes, we are talking about that now mythical custom that is repeated every summer: plant the umbrella as soon as possible to ensure the beachfront. And 2025 is being especially competitive."

The Facebook page of Mastral Project, a benchmark in Torrevieja both for its weather reports and for capturing common customs, says: "Good morning! At 5:31am in the morning, the first umbrella was already in place. By 7am, the shore was practically full. It's not an exaggeration."

Proyecto Mastral had previously shared a video showing the first early bird arriving at Playa del Cura as they planted their umbrella at 5:41am.

"The reality is that those who do not get up early, do not get their feet wet on the front line. From very early on, entire families organise their strategy," reports Información. “You put the umbrella up. Another stays for a while to watch. And when the sun begins to heat up, the relay is activated: the children, the fridge and the towels arrive. The camp is set up."

The humour report continued: "That's why, at 7am in the morning, the image is clear: the waterfront looks like a festival of colour, folding chairs and half-voiced conversations, as if a working day had begun... in swimsuit."

Onlookers are questioning if it is legal to reserve a place at such an early hour. Technically, the municipal ordinance prohibits leaving objects without being present but in practice, custom weighs more than regulations, and as long as there are no complaints or excesses, it is allowed.

Even so, there is no shortage of critical voices that denounce that this "express reservation" turns the beach into a board with banned areas for the stragglers.

Setting up the umbrellas early in the morning to reserve a place on the shore, leaving and returning later, is still a daily problem in Benidorm.