Ten issues. It's worth celebrating the small wins, and for a one-person newsletter, reaching double figures feels like one. When I sent the first issue back in June, I didn't know if anyone wanted a weekly email that rounds up what's on in Estepona so you don't have to hunt for it yourself.

Turns out you did. Nearly 800 of you now open this on a Thursday morning, and the replies telling me you caught a concert, a market or a quiet exhibition you'd otherwise have missed are why I keep going. Thank you for reading, forwarding and replying.

One to ponder before you scroll: what's hiding underneath that tower on the seafront? Answer further down.

Here's your week ahead.

First, Wednesday's sky. Many of you watched the light go strange in the evening: the partial eclipse reached about 94% here, low over the western horizon just before sunset. Impressive, but only a warm-up. On 2 August 2027, the path of a total solar eclipse crosses the Málaga coast. Total, not partial. If Wednesday left you wanting more, that's the date to hold.

As for the week itself, no single headline dominates, and in mid-August that's no bad thing. What's on offer is a steady spread, and the strongest theme is on a plate. Two food events from last week are still running and both are pulling crowds: the world jamón fair on the 📍Paseo Marítimo, sixty-five exhibitors deep, in its final weekend, and The Burger Cup in the bullring, which opened on Wednesday and runs to Sunday. Between them, dinner is sorted.

Away from the food, the Casa de las Tejerinas has two new exhibitions opening together this week, a photography show and a painter's meditation on the cosmos. And for something different, the seafront hosts its after-dark chess tournament, forty years old this year, up to 200 players of all ages under the stars. Full details on all of it below.

Food leads the way this week, with two festivals still drawing crowds to the seafront and the bullring. Around them, a devotional procession through the old town, a paddle race off Sabinillas, an English-language comedy night and a candlelit concert at the Torre de la Sal. Something for most moods, all in and around Estepona and Manilva. Free unless noted

Until Sun 16 · 11° Certamen Mundial de Jamón Popi, 📍Paseo Marítimo. from 5€ per plate. Sixty-five exhibitors bringing some of the country's best jamón ibérico to the seafront, tastings included. Its final weekend before it packs up. There's also a free concert every night around 23:30 on the festival stage, a different band each evening.

Until Sun 16 · The Burger Cup, 📍Plaza de Toros. Some of Spain's best-known burger kitchens gather in the bullring, 19:00 to 01:00, with live music alongside. Free entry, pay as you eat.

Now open · Two new shows at the Casa de las Tejerinas, 📍Plaza de las Flores. The Tejerinas opens two exhibitions together this week, both free and running for the next few weeks. In Sala 1, a dozen large-format prints from Estepona-based photographer Michael Ruíz Molina, born in Germany and raised in Spain, ranging across portraits, wildlife, landscapes and event work (until Wed 26). In Sala 2, Sigilos: Los Guardianes del Cielo, a painting series by Marta Zaragoza, a Madrid artist now based in Manilva who spent nearly three decades restoring Spanish heritage, from the cloister of Pamplona's cathedral to the Puerta de Alcalá, before turning to her own abstract, geometric work on our place in the cosmos (until Wed 2 Sep). Both open Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00, Saturdays 09:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00.

Thu 13, from 17:00 · La Chancla 2026 Paddle Surf Competition, 📍Playa de la Colonia, Sabinillas. The Club Paddle Surf Manilva's summer race day returns to the Colonia sands, and it's built for spectators as much as competitors: individual races for every age from under-9s up, three-person team relays and the six-paddler Big SUP X6, which is exactly as chaotic and fun to watch as it sounds. An easy, free afternoon by the water, whether you're racing or just there for the splashing.

Thu 13, 20:00 · Nocturno de Ajedrez, 📍Paseo Marítimo. One of the summer's real curiosities: forty years of open-air chess on the seafront, from 20:00 until midnight, with boards for every age from six to ninety. It's one of the largest amateur tournaments of its kind in Spain and pulls players from across Andalucía and beyond, with trophies for the top finishers and a diploma for everyone who takes part. Worth a wander past even if you're not playing, just to see a promenade full of people bent over chessboards after dark.

Thu 13, from 19:30 · Holi Party, 📍Playa del Cali, Sabinillas. Manilva's colour-and-foam party returns to the beach, run by the town hall's youth department: DJ Becerra on the decks, colour-powder throws and foam cannons. Aimed at young people and families, and the sort of evening you turn up to knowing you'll leave soaked and covered head to toe in colour, so dress accordingly.

Fri 14, 21:30 · Peña Flamenca, 📍Peña Flamenca de Estepona. 12€. The peña's regular live flamenco night, an intimate, aficionado setting rather than a tourist show, with cante from Nuria Martín, guitar from José Luis Lastre and dance from Maribel González and Juan Alarcón. A genuinely local way to catch flamenco.

Fri 14, 22:00 · Back to the Future 80's & 90's Party, 📍Coral by OB. 5€. A retro night at the Coral disco club, doors from 22:00 and dancing until late, built entirely around the biggest hits of the 80s and 90s. The organisers are encouraging guests to turn up in their best retro look, so it's one for anyone who fancies dusting off the shoulder pads. Cocktails at the bar, nostalgia on the floor.

Fri 14, 22:00 · Noche de Luna y Sal, 📍Torre de la Sal, Casares Costa. The Torre de la Sal monument lit by more than 5,000 candles for a candlelit concert: a grand piano and string trio, and this year a dance ensemble added to the staging. One important caveat before you set off: admission is free but capacity is limited, and tickets are issued only in advance from council offices in Casares, Secadero and Casares Costa. I've also heard from several readers who tried that tickets were going to Casares residents first, though there's nothing official confirming that. So if you're set on going, a quick call to the Ayuntamiento first is the safe move. Without a ticket you'd be relying on catching the atmosphere from outside the grounds.

Sat 15, 19:30 · Procession in Honour of Sta. María de los Remedios, 📍Plaza San Francisco. One of the town's most deep-rooted traditions, in honour of Estepona's former patron saint. The image leaves her church in the heart of the old quarter and is carried through some of the town's most emblematic streets, accompanied by the "Virgen de Los Remedios" musical group, before returning at the end of the evening. Locals and holidaymakers tend to mingle along the route, and if you've not seen an Andalusian procession up close, it's a striking piece of local life.

Sat 15, 22:00 · Sergi Polo, English Stand-Up Comedy, 📍Teatro Auditorio Felipe VI. 22€. A rare thing on the coast: a full stand-up show in English. Barcelona-born Sergi Polo built his name on the UK circuit, playing rooms like The Comedy Store in London and the Comedy Cellar in New York, and he's a BBC New Comedy Award finalist with appearances across BBC One, Radio 4 and BBC Three. The set is fast and packed with cultural references, and by his own billing it's pitched squarely at a mixed crowd of expats, visitors and locals who fancy laughing in English for a night. Worth booking ahead.

Sun 16, 21:00 · Concierto de Verano, Banda Municipal de Estepona, 📍Plaza del Reloj. Rather more than a routine band concert. Under conductor José Antonio López Camacho, the municipal band works through a night of recognisable twentieth-century pop: ABBA, Bruno Mars, Mecano, La Oreja de Van Gogh, I Will Survive and more. The closing turn is a local one, Estepona's own Martina Pérez, a finalist in this year's La Voz Kids, who joins the band to sing Barbara Pravi's Voilà. Free, open-air, in one of the prettiest corners of the old town.

Mon 17, 22:00 · Cine de Verano: Superman, 📍Orchidarium. Open-air summer cinema returns to the Botanical Orchid Park after its recent run in Cancelada, with this year's Superman on the big screen under the stars. The council's series is free and aimed at all audiences, so it's a good family option. One thing worth flagging for non-Spanish speakers: screenings like this are almost always shown dubbed into Spanish rather than in the original English.

Tue 18, 21:30 · Bailes Noches de Verano, 📍Orchidarium. The free summer dance series moves to the Botanical Orchid Park this week, and it's a varied bill: ballroom, cabaret, flamenco and modern dance, performed by students of two local academies under the direction of Mariví Rodríguez and flamenco dancer Claudia Ramírez, 'La Marivilla'. A gentle, family-friendly evening among the glasshouses.

Not everything runs to a start time. These are the things already under way that you can drop into when it suits, ordered by what closes first, so the ones near the top will not wait around much longer.

A quieter stretch for straight gigs, but a varied one in mood: soul in a castle courtyard, a harbourside afternoon with a Greek accent, and an easygoing set over food and drinks in town. Free unless noted.

Fri 14, 21:00 · Merril y Juan, 📍Duke Sabinillas. A live set at Duke, a laid-back Sabinillas spot known for its smash burgers, Argentinian empanadas and hot dogs, with beers on draught and cocktails to go with the music.

Sat 15, 20:00 · Francis Posé, Madeline Bell & Daniel Amat, 📍Huber Art & Food. 20€. A live concert at the Huber space bringing together pianist Daniel Amat, bassist Francis Posé and soul singer Madeline Bell. Worth booking, the room is small.

Sat 15, 22:00 · Wasabi Cru, 📍Castillo de la Duquesa, Manilva. A band the organisers describe as elegant and sophisticated, weaving neo-soul, soul and other strands of Black music, playing the atmospheric castle monument as part of the Diputación de Málaga's free cultural programme.

Sun 16, from 14:00 · Sergio & Diva, 📍Amigos del Puerto. An unusually early start for a festive Greek-themed afternoon by the harbour, sirtaki rhythms alongside food and drinks at Amigos del Puerto. Booking advised on +34 626 33 83 43.

Beyond the dated sets, there's more music threaded through the week elsewhere in the letter: the world jamón fair on the Paseo Marítimo has a free concert every night around 23:30, a different band each evening right through to Sunday, plus the flamenco night at the peña up in This Week, the municipal band's pop-symphonic concert at the Plaza del Reloj, and the retro party at Coral by OB. Jorge Pardo's flamenco flute is over in Beyond, at Finca Cortesín.

Most of us know the Torre Mirador del Carmen for the view. You pay a few euros, ride to the top, and get a 360-degree sweep of the coast: on a clear day, the Sierra Bermeja behind you and, across the Strait of Gibraltar, the mountains of Morocco. What fewer people clock is how much more there is to the building than the tower.

The tower itself is tall for a reason: it holds an eight-storey library, said to be the largest of its kind in Spain. And the tower is only one part of the whole. The rest of the structure sits below the level of Avenida de España: what looks like a raised garden is actually the roof of a cultural centre built into the ground, more than 15,000 square metres of it, designed by Salvador Moreno Peralta. Underneath your feet as you stroll that seafront boulevard are an exhibition hall that has shown works from the Carmen Thyssen and Zuloaga collections, an auditorium and a music conservatory.

So the next time someone suggests going up for a drink and the view, it's worth remembering how much building is stacked below and above you. And if you want to see part of it without paying for the lift, the free Maestros de la luz y de la forma exhibition is on down there until Friday, listed up in Still On.

The markets that come round every week, so you always know what's on where.

Wednesdays · Mercadillo de Estepona. The big traditional one: fruit, veg, clothes, shoes and household bits at local prices. 📍Calle Francia / Calle Alemania, 9:00 to 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 to 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 to 15:00.

Thursday to Sunday · Summer Market. New for the season: around 30 stalls of crafts, food and attractions have taken over the seafront promenade for warm-evening browsing. Craft and food stalls run 19:00 to midnight at 📍Paseo Marítimo; the funfair attractions are open daily. On until 6 September.

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 to 14:00.

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

A week where the neighbours mostly means Starlite. Marbella's summer festival carries five nights this week, covering a lot of ground from indie rock to a once-off flamenco landmark. The exception is a gentler flamenco evening over the Casares line. Worth the drive if one of the names lands for you.

Sat 15, 19:30 · Jorge Pardo, 📍Finca Cortesín · Casares. One of flamenco's leading flautists, a collaborator of Paco de Lucía and Chick Corea, in concert. Free, but access is reserved for guests with a confirmed table reservation, and capacity is limited, so walk-ins aren't guaranteed. Reservations on +34 952 937 800 or [email protected].

📍Starlite Occident, Marbella. Doors at 20:00, shows from around 22:00.

Not this week, but worth putting in the diary now, while tickets last or dates are still free to hold.

Thu 20 to Sun 23 Aug · Feria de Cancelada, 📍Cancelada. Four days and nights of free feria in the Estepona district of Cancelada: concerts, a day fair, children's activities, free paella and the traditional Domingo Rociero to close. Headline music comes from agropop veterans No Me Pises Que Llevo Chanclas, along with Gonzalo Hermida and Las Soles. Full rundown next week.

Sat 22 Aug, 19:00 · INNA, Echoes Tour, 📍Marbella Arena. From 64,90€. An open-air dance-pop night in Puerto Banús from the Romanian chart singer. Billed as her only headline show on the Costa del Sol. One to book ahead if it's your kind of night, and we'll come back to it next issue.

Sat 29 Aug, 22:00 · Festival del Arte Ecuestre, 📍Plaza de Toros. The equestrian art gala, rescheduled from July. Tickets from the original dates remain valid. Flagging it now as promised, with fuller detail to come.

So that's ten. Thank you for being here for them, whether you signed up for the first one back in June or found your way here last Thursday. When I started this I wasn't sure it would reach double figures, and here we are, with the list still growing and the replies still landing. I'm glad it's useful, and I plan to keep it going for a long time yet.

We're into the back half of summer now, which means the great August pile-up of ferias, open-air concerts and processions will start to ease off before long. Plenty still to come first, though, and I'll keep rounding it up.

One small ask to mark the occasion: if there's something on that I've missed, a gig, a market, an exhibition, a corner of Estepona or Manilva worth knowing about, just hit reply and tell me. That's how a lot of the best entries end up here.

Until next week.
Stefan