The pub is set to open at the end of January 2026

Britain’s favourite pub has announced it will be opening its first establishment abroad, and Spain’s Costa Blanca has been chosen as the location to be awarded this honour.

Having a cheeky pint at ’Spoons is pretty much part and parcel of the holiday routine now. Rush through security, ignore everything in duty free, check gate information, then head straight for Wetherspoon before boarding.

Now, travellers in Spain can do the same on the way back home when flying out of Alicante Airport, where JD Wetherspoon will soon be opening its first pub in continental Europe.

According to a statement from Wetherspoon representatives, the pub at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport in Spain will be named ‘Castell de Santa Bàrbera’ after Alicante city’s famous fortress.

The pub will be located in the Departures area, after you go through security control, and is set to open at the end of January 2026.

Opening hours will be seven days a week from 6am to 9pm.

A Wetherspoon press release about the new opening stated, “It will offer almost 1,000 square feet of customer space on one level, together with an external terrace with customer seating.”

The press release goes on to say that “Food will be served at all times up to an hour before closing,” with a menu that includes many of the meals available in Wetherspoon pubs in the UK, including breakfast dishes, burgers and pizzas, as well as local Spanish dishes including garlic prawns and tortilla de patatas.

Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said, “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.”

And they’re not stopping there. Martin has also stated that ’Spoons aims “to open a number of pubs overseas in the coming months and years, including those at airports.”

There were rumours in early 2025 that Wetherspoon was looking at other destinations such as Benidorm and Mallorca to open new pubs, too.

One bar in Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol recently found itself in hot water after Wetherspoon tried to sue them for breach of trademark.

‘Weatherspains’ is fighting the legal battle in court, claiming that it’s just a play on words and doesn’t breach Wetherspoon’s copyright on its name.

Images: Wetherspoon

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