MadBear Beach Festival in Torremolinos 8-18 August 2025

MadBear Beach Festival

The Madbear organisation has organised another beach festival to allow the hibernating bears to well and truly come out of hibernation to enjoy some sun on the beach. Think parties, pool parties and a lot of drinking. The event takes place from 8th to 18th August 2025, which overlaps the Spanish national holiday on 15th August 2025.

You can buy tickets for the MadBear Beach festival here

Indeed for the ultimate gold MadBear Beach pack, you can buy tickets for 218.90 euros here

The Torremolinos of Today

The Torremolinos of 20 years ago bears (excuse the pun) no resemblance to the Torremolinos of today. Gone are the drunken stag parties, and in come have higher end shops and dining experiences. Sure you still have the Irish pubs, and bric-a-brac beach shop, but nothing compared to the past. And given its unfriendly descent and climb from main town to the beach, it is not what I would call a family destination. So less children and more cubs, I would say. Torremolinos is super gay friendly. See the rainbow postbox, the rainbow zebra crossings and the countless rainbow flags around.

A List of Some of The Gay Bars of Torremolinos to Visit During the MadBear Beach Festival

The gay centre is called La Nogalera. So all the bars are within easy reach of each other. Only a bear’s stride away.

• Incognito – an earlier bar for the older guys
• Crews – happy hour until 10 pm enables you to buy a pint for 3 euros. Leather night from 11.30 pm on the last Saturday of the month.
• Eagle – popular with the bear crowd with a dark room upstairs. Staff are really friendly.
• Bears – close to Eagle, takes a premium corner. Has a dance floor from which you also see the urinals.
• 3 Monkeys – good prices, friendly staff, popular. A good choice for an earlier drink.
• Armario – services food as well as drinks
• Vida – watch out for the cute Iranian waiter. I think it is Dutch owned and popular with the older crowd. Good for people watching.
• Chessa – opposite Vida, a small bar ran by two friendly Dutch guys.
• Aqua – a large bar with plenty of stools and seating. Good music. I would say a mixed crowd
• Mens bar – super popular after 1 am. Hard working staff, giant screens, cabins downstairs
• el Doce (the 12) – down some stairs in the block opposite La Nogalera in calle Danza Invisible with popular chart music

There are many other bars and clubs in the area. However by the beach, Eden gets busy at 6 pm with its DJ and sometimes go-go dancers to liven up the evening on special events. Sun beds (“hamacas”) cost 10 euros a day at Eden beach, but next door Paradise has sunbeds at 9 euros a day. Expect both to be packed during the festival.

For coffee

Whether it is for a coffee, or a beer, here are various popular terrazas. The first three are all next to one another in a row, on the right hand side as you come out of Torremolinos railway station.

• Bizanga – ran by a gay Spanish couple, Juan and Antonio – popular with locals. Very Andalusian.
• Baloo – popular bear bar with bingo on Sunday afternoons
• Vanilla – ran by an English/Spanish couple. Great place for an all day full English breakfast for 10 euros.

and then you have another terrace next to Basic Fit, in Avenida Palma de Mallorca

• Boulevar – one of the cheapest beers in town at 3.30 euros a pint ran by friendly Spanish staff. Its raised platform enables you to get a better view of the people walking in the street. Boulevar also hosts a karaoke in the evenings on Saturday and Sunday night.

Sex Clubs

Torremolinos has its fair share of sex clubs too. Extreme is in the same block as el Doce. Then there’s XXL next to Basic Fit and Boulevar cafe in Avenida Palma de Mallorca and Alcatraz. Anotehr sex club with different theme nights is Cuero, next to Eagle.

Sauna

There is only one gay sauna in Torremolinos. It is called Apolo in Avenida Carlota Alessandri 105. On Sunday it opens at 7 am, thereby offering an opportunity for the late nighters on Saturday evening to continue their festivities on Sunday. Entrance fee is 16 euros on Sundays but another popular day to visit is a Wednesday for 10 euros.

Restaurants

• Kathmandu – Nepalese restaurant – turn left when you come out of Torremolinos railway station down a small street
• Siam Thai – an excellent Thai restaurant
• Fuego – Argentine restaurant, next to Lanjaron, eat as much meat as you want for 20 euros per person
• Cha Cha – Spanish seafood restaurant, great seafood but miserable staff
• El Gato – a restaurant that knows how to put on a display at Christmas time, close to Ritual hotel

Cheap Restaurants

• Lanjaron – Spanish restaurant with a menu for 10 or 11 euros on the street going to the Town Hall
• La Ponderosa – Spanish restaurant with a menu for 12 euros
• A La Turca – Turkish restaurant chain, donner kebab with chips and drink for 7 euros

Mens Attire

For menswear, swimwear and erotic wear, there are three shops close to one another all in la Calle Danza Invinsible.

• X-Boxer
• Attitude
• Scruff

Pedro, a sports masseur in Torremolinos

Anyone for a Massage?

What I have noticed in recent years is that there are very open massage setups on the beach. They start at 60 euros per hour, but are not private. Anybody walking along the promenade can see the masseur or masseuse at work. If you prefer some privacy, then think of hiring the massage services of Pedro, who also speaks fluent English.

Pedro is a professional masseur who offers in-house massages for 50 euros per hour. His massages are non sexual sports massages with lots of pressure to reach deep down into the muscles. For those suffering from back pains – I won’t ask what you were doing – then Pedro may be your guy. Strictly non sexual – no happy endings. To book the massage services of Pedro, please contact him directly on +34 680 12 20 93. Please mention “Holiday Houseboys” when booking.

Outside the MadBear Beach Festival – Discover Malaga with a Holiday Houseboy

Nearby Malaga offers you a host of opportunities to discover new dining experiences, culture at the Picasso Museum, and oh yes, a new bar has opened there called “Manton”. Manton means “shawl”. Don’t miss the Gibralfaro and the castle at the top of the hill, as well as discovering the port, and a nearby English cemetery. I truly recommend you checking out Javier, our Holiday Houseboy for Malaga, who is a mindful of information on Malaga having lived there all his life. Click on the “Guide Info” button below.