--- title: "Fancy Dress Thursday, and the Keys That Do Not Come Home" description: "Costumes rarely have pockets. How to carry keys through Benidorm's November fancy dress day, and what to do if you reach the door without them." url: "https://locksmithbenidorm.es/blog/fancy-dress-thursday-and-the-missing-keys/" business: "Locksmith Benidorm" --- # Fancy Dress Thursday and the keys that do not come home The November fiestas bring one of the biggest costume parties in Europe to Benidorm's streets. Costumes rarely come with pockets. 24 September 2026 · 4 min read Every November, Benidorm holds its *Fiestas Mayores Patronales* in honour of the Virgen del Sufragio and Sant Jaume. They run from the second Saturday of the month to the following Wednesday, and on the Thursday after them comes the day the British community made its own: the **Fancy Dress Party**. In 2025 it fell on 13 November, starting at two in the afternoon, and the mayor described it as possibly the largest fancy dress party in Europe. It is a wonderful day. It is also, reliably, a day when keys go missing. ## Why costumes lose keys A cardboard robot has no pockets. Neither does a superhero, a nun, a banana or most of the rest of Benidorm on that Thursday. Keys end up in a friend’s bag, in a hat, tucked into a sock, or left on a bar table while somebody adjusts a wig. Twelve hours later, nobody remembers which. ## Before you leave the flat - **One person carries the keys for the group** , in something that zips shut: a belt pouch under the costume, a lanyard inside the collar. - **Leave a spare with somebody who is not coming** , or with the host or reception if you are staying in a let flat or a hotel. - **Take a photo of the front of your building** , with the name, and of your door number. At two in the morning, in a borrowed hat, that helps more than you would think. - **No address tag on the key ring.** Ever. ## If you are a holiday flat manager Fiesta week fills the city outside the summer season. A short message to guests arriving that week, suggesting they carry keys in a zip pocket and save your number, prevents most of the calls you would otherwise get. If you want a plan for what happens when a guest is locked out, it is set out on [the page for holiday apartment managers](https://locksmithbenidorm.es/holiday-apartment-locksmith-benidorm/). ## If you get home without them 1. **Check with the group first.** Most “lost” keys are in someone else’s costume. 2. **Try the spare** : the friend, the host, the reception desk. 3. **Then ring a locksmith.** Say where you are and what the lock looks like. You will be told the price before anyone sets off, and asked for something that shows you live or are staying there. If your documents are inside, the host confirming it by phone will usually do. One practical point: fiesta crowds and closed streets can make the last part of the journey slower on foot or by car. An honest estimate on the phone is worth more than a quick promise, and that is what you will get. ## The morning after If the keys really are gone, and they were on a ring that could be linked to your address, change the cylinder. If they turn up in a friend’s glitter-covered bag, you have a story instead of a job. ## If you reach the door without them The line is answered at any hour, fiesta week included. What to say when you ring, and why you will hear the price first. [Read more](https://locksmithbenidorm.es/emergency-locksmith-benidorm/) ## Need hands on the door rather than advice? Ring, or send a photo of the lock and your location on WhatsApp. Open 24 hours · 7 days [+34 678 583 290](tel:+34678583290) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34678583290?text=Hi%2C%20I%20need%20a%20locksmith%20in%20Benidorm.%20The%20building%2C%20floor%20and%20door%20are%3A)