The first Wetherspoons in Spain will be serving British holidaymakers travelling to and from the popular destination
J D Wetherspoon has disclosed more information about its new branch set to open in Europe, and it’s situated in a location beloved by Brits jetting off on their holidays.
Earlier this year, the pub behemoth confirmed that the first European Spoons will be situated at the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport in Spain, a favoured stopover for British tourists en route to Benidorm.
Alicante-Elche Airport is a hit with Brits due to its affordable airline connections. Carriers such as easyJet, Jet2, and Ryanair provide direct routes between numerous UK airports and Alicante, with flights typically taking less than three hours.
The pub chain has already unveiled the name of the new venue – Castell de Santa Bàrbera – inspired by an Alicante castle that overlooks the sea. Wetherspoons has now confirmed the official opening date as 29 January at 8am, meaning parched travellers can soon savour their favourite pint under the Spanish sun.
The new pub’s location has been confirmed as the airside departures, non-Schengen zone of Alicante Airport. It will operate from 6am to 9pm, seven days a week, with food being served until an hour before closing time, reports the Mirror.
Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet all fly direct to Alicante from Manchester Airport, with flights costing from £20 the day after the grand opening. The pub will boast nearly 1,000 square feet of indoor seating, complemented by an outdoor terrace offering additional tables for patrons.
Wetherspoons has unveiled its menu, pledging to dish up an array of British classics, including its renowned breakfasts, burgers, and pizzas. For travellers craving one final taste of Spain before departure, regional specialties such as garlic prawns and Spanish omelettes will also be featured.
In an earlier announcement, Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin shared his enthusiasm: ” We are very much looking forward to opening our first overseas pub. We believe it will be popular with people travelling home from Alicante Airport.”
He revealed his plans to broaden the brand’s reach, stating: “We aim to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports.”
Alicante-Elche Airport claims the crown as the Valencia region’s busiest hub, welcoming a record 18.3 million passengers in 2024. Yet this isn’t the sole expansion strategy Wetherspoons has revealed in recent months.
The pub chain has also outlined proposals to launch four fresh venues across Haven holiday parks by the spring of 2026. The chosen parks destined for new branches include: Cala Gran in Blackpool, Hopton in Norfolk, Lakeland in the Lake District, and Riviere Sands in Cornwall.
Five Wetherspoons establishments currently function within Haven parks, delivering popular dishes from the chain’s offerings. Since launching, these sites have served 907,000 main meals, 288,000 breakfasts and dispensed 692,201 pints across all five venues, based on figures provided by Haven.
Wetherspoons is poised to launch six new pubs across the UK in the forthcoming months, with sites earmarked in Newcastle upon Tyne, Stockton-on-Tees, and Wetherby, Yorkshire. These fresh additions will complement the existing network of over 800 Wetherspoon pubs, which already cater to patrons across the UK.
