When England beat the Netherlands in the Euros semi-finals, Jodie White tore through Benidorm with her friend Chelsea Hancox on her shoulders. But White insists that if her team wins tonight, only one celebration will do: “I want to be on top of a building. I’ll be like King Kong climbing up it.”
As anticipation started to build among England fans in Benidorm in the early afternoon, the pair, who are both 24 and from Sheffield, were sitting in a bar with two friends, all dressed in red and white. They were easing into the long day ahead with a bucket of Spanish beers on the Calle Gerona, affectionately known as the strip, and gearing up for an atmosphere they hope will surpass the semis.
“It was absolute vibes. I’ve never seen owt like it,” said Hancox. “There were flags everywhere, people on people’s shoulders, crowdsurfing. It was like human Jenga.”
She added: “But tonight? It’ll be double it and pass it to the next person.”
Benidorm has long been one of the most popular holiday destinations for British tourists, with 5% of its permanent residents estimated to be from the UK. The town teems with British-themed pubs and restaurants, especially in the area known as the “zona inglesa”, or “English area”, all of which were draped in England flags and red and white balloons as the town gears up for a tense Euros final, which will see England face off against the tournament favourites, Spain.
White said all the Spanish bar staff she has encountered so far have been “very team England”, sporting England flags, though she anticipated some tension later. “I think they’re scared of the English, which is fair; we are animals.”
For now, the group’s plan is to continue their “liquid diet” and “keep drinking until we go blind and later, just cause chaos”.
Vince Watkins, 44, and Alastair Robson, 43, both from Worcestershire, had a similar prediction when asked about the atmosphere later: “Carnage,” they chorused.
“If we win it’s going to be absolutely mental. If we lose it’ll be depressing, I’ll go back to bed probably,” said Robson. “Benidorm is full of English; I think it’s our time. Jude Bellingham is absolutely going to boot it in today.”
“We’ll celebrate by drinking, drown our sorrows by drinking,” added Watkins.
Though the pair said they would be disappointed by an England win, they said they wouldn’t harbour any ill feeling towards local people if England lose. “We like Spain, we’re always here. What’s not to like – the sun, party, party, party isn’t it?” said Watkins.
It’s this atmosphere that lured Ashley Cullen, 30, and Miles Mackintosh, 22, who arrived from Manchester early on Saturday after rushing to buy flights to Alicante after England’s semi-final win.
They had seen TikTok videos of the atmosphere and thought “we’ve gotta get there for that”, said Cullen. “Everyone was having a beano, everyone was partying, the music was going, it was mint – as soon as England won we booked it.”
That the match is against Spain is an extra bonus, he added. “It’s going to be a big, big party all night.”
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Robert Shaw, 64, from Lancashire predicted that as many as 5,000 people could throng the strip that night. After letting the excitement get the better of them with a “lunatic day” for his group – a stag do whose stag had opted to stay at home – on Friday, he said he would leave the strip to younger holidaymakers, and find a quieter bar to “watch it and enjoy the atmosphere” and engage in “sensible drinking, not going barmy”.
“I don’t want any trouble, I’m not here for that. I’m here to watch my home team hopefully bring the cup back. The [Spanish] guys who work in the bar in our hotel, they’re like, ‘we love you’, and we said ‘we do too’.”
Ben Smith, Evan Walker, Daniel Walker, Jack Pilgrim and Jerome Stewart, all aged between 18 and 23 and from Derbyshire, had enjoyed a “buzzing” pre-match atmosphere on Friday night. “It was good vibes. Everyone’s there for a good time aren’t they?” said Stewart.
He had only encountered positivity from Spanish fans, with a pair in Spain shirts asking the group – all draped in England fans and wearing shirts – to take a picture with them earlier in the day.
He expected some tension, but viewed it as a fierce but amicable derby-style rivalry, like Nottingham Forest and Derby County.
The group had noticed a considerable police presence in Benidorm compared with previous trips, though they had so far found it good-natured. The strip was shut down to cars with police tape from early in the day.
Anca Fulga and Vicky Yordanova, bartenders from south-east Europe, had created bespoke half-Spain, half-England T-shirts for the evening. Their bar was draped with “Benidorm Wolves”, England flags created by the Wolverhampton-born DJ.
“I’ve been 14 years in Spain. It’s adopted us, it’s our second country, and we’ve been working 14 years with the English – it’s the country that feeds us,” Fulga said. “We support both teams, and it will be the best one who wins. Tonight will be a madness.”
