A Spanish holiday at a luxury resort or villa has much to offer a traveler. Combine beautiful beaches, great food and good old-fashioned rest and relaxation with culture and you have the makings of a great vacation. Murcia offers all that to those who choose to visit the resorts of La Manga.

Festivals in Murcia are year-round. Pick a month and there is sure to be some type of festival to suit your needs. A well-known musical event is the Las Minas Flamenco Song Festival. This festival takes place in the mining town of La Union in July. The harbor town of Cartagena holds the La Mar de Musicas Festival every summer.

The International Festival de Mediterranean Folklore takes place over three days every September. This event brings many groups from all over the world to the region to celebrate its culture. They play music, spotlight traditions and perform dances to entertain and educate visitors to the festival.

Another wonderful festival is the International Festival of Theater, Music and Dance in Almansa. This festival features top performers from Spain and around the world. What's unique about this festival is the way it displays classical works alongside modern works across the various disciplines represented.

January brings La Fiesta de las Cuadrillas in Murcia. This festival celebrates the present-day culture of the Murcia region and highlights the music common to the area. Every February sees the town of Aguilas celebrate with carnivals that have a 200-year tradition. These carnivals combine costumes and disguises with lots of music. The month of March has Las Incursiones Berberiscas, which takes place in Los Alcazares in Mar Menor. This three-day festival has music, dancing, games and a medieval market.

The town of Lorca celebrates Holy Week every April with many colorful processions that give tourists a closer look at the area's religious traditions. Following the Holy Week processions are the Fiestas de Primavera. The month of May sees the town of Cieza in Murcia filled with crosses made from flowers for the Dia de la Cruz.

The period from June through December has the town of San Javier hosting many festivals. These include jazz, theater, music and dance. For even more variety, there are the celebrations of the Dia de los Santos in Calasparra. These have everything from open-air dances and floats to rice tasting and even a bull run.

In the town of Torre Pacheco, the Fiesta del Melon each July celebrates the cultivation of melons. In August, the small, quiet town of Aledo hosts festivals to commemorate its history. September sees Murcia giving its citizens and visitors the Feria de Murcia, a festival filled with concerts, bull runs and a very popular procession.

A Spanish holiday in La Manga offers a traveler access to all that goes on in the Murcia region. Of course, there's the sun, surf and sand. Even with that, though, there's always time for a museum, art gallery or festival. When you want to venture out from your apartment, villa or luxury resort accommodation, try the festivals Murcia has waiting for you.