After last week's packed San Juan stretch, this one is a little gentler. That's no bad thing. Less action, fewer crowds, a bit more room to breathe before July arrives and the calendar fills right back up.

What's interesting this week is the spread. A good share of what's worth doing happens just outside Estepona. Manilva's busy with summer warm-ups, and Marbella's Starlite and Arena are pulling in some big names. So I've cast the net a touch wider than usual.

The headline at home is the Literary Festival, which brings some serious names to the Mirador del Carmen. And further out, the Feria, Estepona's biggest party of the year, is now just around the corner. More on that at the end.

One new thing this week: a quick guide to the area's weekly markets, further down. The kind of thing that's handy to have in your back pocket.

Let's get into it.

From Fri 26 June at 📍Mirador del Carmen Cultural Center · Free

The town's literary festival returns for its third edition, and the line-up is genuinely heavyweight. Expect names like Rosa Montero, Enrique Vila-Matas, Pedro Piqueras, Belén Cuesta and Estrella Morente, one of the strongest cultural bills Andalusia will see this summer. It opens with an art exhibition by Brianda Fitz James Stuart on the centrally located Terraza street, open to all.

One honest note: this is a Spanish-language festival, so you'll get far more out of it with some proper Spanish under your belt. The talks and readings are in Spanish, and there's most likely no translation. Worth knowing before you go.

See the full agenda here →

A run-through of what's on, day by day. Manilva entries are marked.

Thu 25 June – Sat 14 Aug: Masters of Light and Form (Maestros de la luz y la forma), a painting and sculpture exhibition at the 📍Mirador del Carmen. The subtitle, From the Intimate to the Public, says it all: this is a private collection being shown publicly for the first time, 60 works in total, 47 paintings and 13 sculptures, never before seen together. The names carry real weight, from Picasso, Sorolla and Murillo to Tàpies, Barceló and Mariscal, alongside sculptures spanning schools from the 14th to the 18th century. A rare chance to see a collection like this up close. Free.

Fri 26: Paint a Plate at 📍Birdie Café, 11:00–13:00. A relaxed late-morning session of painting your own ceramic plate in Estepona. No artistic talent required, it's all about having fun and making something to keep. Materials included, and a coffee never hurts. 20€ (10€ deposit to reserve), booking required on +34 659 595 380.

Sat 27: El Musical Aladdin, an extra performance of IES Mediterráneo's hit student musical, added by popular demand. Expect the magic of Agrabah brought to life by the school's students, performed with the enthusiastic energy of a young cast. Another chance to catch it if you missed the first time around. A lovely, low-cost evening out. 3€ at 📍IES Mediterráneo, 20:00.

Sat 27: Manilva SUP Race · Manilva, the 4th edition of the 2V Manilva SUP Race. Don't let the postcard setting fool you: stand-up paddle racing is brutally hard work, a full-body test of balance and power as riders battle the currents off the Manilva coast. Last year's edition drew more than 120 competitors from across Spain, and it counts toward the regional SUP Race league, so expect the real deal. Grab a cold drink, find a spot on the sand and watch the athletes dig in. Free to watch at 📍Playa de la Colonia, from 10:00.

Sat 27: Elección de Damas y Reinas · Manilva, the festivities for the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of fishermen and the sea, begin in Sabinillas with the crowning of this year's queens and ladies-in-waiting. The election traditionally takes place a few weeks ahead of the main feast day on 16 July, when the saint's figure is carried down to the shore and out to sea by boat. For now it's the opening act: a flamenco fashion show with Pepi Alonso, the crowning ceremony, then a late set from Mala Hora and DJ Pájaro. 📍Plaza Costa del Sol, free, from 22:00.

Wed 1 – Fri 3 July: Dance Camp for Children · Manilva, one for anyone with kids or grandchildren to keep busy this summer: three action-packed days of dance, fitness and crafts for ages 6–12 at 📍Boogie Bounce Studio, Sabinillas. 50€/day or 120€ for all three. 1–3 July, 10:00–14:00.

A quick gather of the week's music, in one place:

The group stage reaches its climax this week. Four fixtures worth planning your evening around (all times Spanish local):

Where to watch in Estepona:

(That's the prime-time picks. There are early-hours games too, full official schedule here.)

Estepona has the world's first asymmetric bullring.

Most bullrings are perfect circles. Estepona's, opened in 1972, is not, and that was entirely the point. Architect Juan Mora Urbano designed it as his final thesis project while studying in the United States, and it's recognised as the first asymmetric bullring in the world. The lopsided shape wasn't for looks: it was a clever fix for an old problem, keeping more of the seating in shade during the heat of the afternoon and sheltering spectators from the prevailing west wind.

That same flexible design has given the building a long second life. With bullfights now rare here, the ring has become a year-round venue: it houses four museums (bullfighting, ethnographic, palaeontology, and image and sound) and hosts concerts, festivals and Estepona's beloved open-air summer cinema. Not bad for a building that started as a student's bright idea.

The markets that come round every week, so you always know what's on where. A feature I'll run from now on.

Wednesdays · Mercadillo de Estepona. The big traditional one: fruit, veg, clothes, shoes and household bits at local prices. 📍Calle Francia / Calle Alemania, 9:00–14:00.

Sundays · Mercadillo de Puerto. A smaller, breezier affair by the marina: summer clothes, bags, jewellery and local art, with a coffee on the terraces after. 📍Puerto Deportivo, 9:00–14:00.

Sundays · Mercadillo Plaza de Toros. A flea market for antiques, collectibles and bric-a-brac at the bullring. One catch: it doesn't run every Sunday, so best to check before you head over. 📍Plaza de Toros, 9:00–15:00.

Sundays · Mercadillo Rastro, Sabinillas. One of the coast's best-loved flea markets, with over 100 stalls: second-hand finds, antiques, vinyl and a growing row of local craft sellers. 📍Recinto Ferial de San Luis, 9:00–14:00.

This summer · Mercado del Mar, Sabinillas. A seasonal evening craft market right on the seafront: handmade goods, accessories and art under the stars. 📍Paseo Marítimo de Sabinillas (by La Noria), Fri–Sun 18:00–00:00, until 30 August.

This week the town hall unveiled its full summer programme, more than a hundred cultural events between now and late September. A few that caught my eye: the free open-air Summer Cinema returns with eight recent releases, the Certamen Mundial del Jamón takes over the Paseo Marítimo (7–16 August) with free concerts every night, and DINO EXPO XXL fills the exhibition hall with 120 life-size moving dinosaurs until 13 September.

There's also flamenco, classical concerts, a book fair where almost everything is under five euros, and even a freestyle motocross show at the bullring.

I'll keep pulling the best of it into these pages week by week, so you don't have to wade through the lot. But if you like to plan ahead, Manilva Life has published the full programme in English, well worth a browse:

See the full summer programme →

A little further afield, for those willing to travel:

Craig David brings his TS5 show to 📍Marbella Arena on Sat 27 June. A high-energy mix of R&B, garage and house, part live set, part DJ session. From 72,80€, 20:00.

Alan Parsons Live Project plays 📍Starlite Occident Marbella on Tue 30 June. The Grammy-winning producer behind Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon revisits the Alan Parsons Project classics — Eye in the Sky and the rest — with a full live band. Starlite ticketing.

A heads-up on things a little further out, so you can plan:

That's your week. A quieter one, yes, but with a couple of real gems in it, and plenty stacking up just over the horizon.

As always, if you spot something I missed or want to flag an event, just hit reply. I read every one.

See you next Thursday.

Stefan