- Starlite's 15th season ran 49 concerts from 19 June to 4 September 2026 in the Nagüeles quarry; the first 2027 date on sale is La Oreja de Van Gogh, 13 August
- The auditorium has 3,500 numbered seats, none more than 50 metres from the stage, plus over 50 boxes for 8 to 14 guests
- Prices are set per artist and rise as zones fill, so the earliest tickets are the cheapest
- A night runs in three acts: restaurants from 8:15pm, the concert at 10pm, the Club from 12:30am to sunrise
- Starlite nights cost the same as any other night with us, but book two weeks ahead
Starlite is the summer festival that makes Marbella's July and August evenings: since 2012, international and Spanish stars have played a disused quarry in the hills above the Golden Mile, to 3,500 people at a time. It is also the event our clients ask about most often in summer, at the Marbella Escorts Agency, because a Starlite night is a long one, from an 8:15pm dinner to a club that closes at sunrise. Starlite runs from June to early September in the Cantera de Nagüeles: 49 concerts in 2026, numbered seats sold at dynamic prices, boxes by phone, and a three-act night of dinner, a 10pm concert and a club until dawn.
Below is how the venue, the tickets and the journey work; if you are new to us, start with how booking a Marbella escort works.
What Is Starlite Marbella?
A summer music festival held since 2012 in the Cantera de Nagüeles, a former quarry at the foot of La Concha whose stone walls give it natural acoustics. Its 2026 season, the fifteenth, ran 49 concerts. The festival, now branded Starlite Occident, also runs a winter edition in Madrid in December.
La Cantera de Nagüeles
The auditorium is cut into the rock in the hills above the Golden Mile, on Calle Albinoni in Nagüeles, reached from the AP-7's Marbella centre exit. Every one of the 3,500 seats is numbered and faces the stage, and the furthest is 50 metres away, according to the venue. The stone walls of the old quarry carry the sound, the sky is open, and side screens and a bar serve the auditorium. Around it sit five restaurants, a fast-food area and the Club, so the whole evening happens on one site.
Fifteen Seasons in Numbers
The festival's own history gives the scale. The first season, in 2012, had 13 concerts, with Julio Iglesias, Tony Bennett and George Benson. In 2017 the season jumped from 20 to 46 concerts, with Elton John among them; in 2020, by its own account the first major European festival held during the pandemic, it ran 28 nights; in 2022 it set its record of 61. A Madrid winter edition followed from 2023. In 2026, Season XV, it settled at 49, with Maroon 5, Lenny Kravitz, Deep Purple and Gipsy Kings at the top of the bill.
Starlite 2026, and What Is Known About 2027
The 2026 season opened with Ozuna on 19 June and closed with Manuel Carrasco on 4 September, with Spanish and Latin artists making up most of the bill. For 2027 the programme is still being announced; the first date on sale is La Oreja de Van Gogh on 13 August 2027.
The 2026 Bill
The 2026 programme mixed international names, Lenny Kravitz on 29 June, Maroon 5 on 7 July, Deep Purple on 9 July, Jean-Michel Jarre on 13 July, John Legend on 20 July, Diana Krall on 21 July, Zucchero on 28 July and Nile Rodgers and Chic on 26 August, with the Spanish and Latin artists who fill the quarry with local fans: Ozuna twice, Niña Pastori twice, Malú, Pastora Soler and Manuel Carrasco. June and July carried most of the international names; August leaned Spanish.
How a Season Is Announced
Starlite announces its programme in instalments, a few names at a time, and puts each concert on sale when it is announced. As of October 2026 the official programme lists no 2027 concerts yet, but one is already on presale. If 2027 follows 2026, expect the season to open in mid to late June and run into early September. If a particular artist is the reason for your trip, buy on announcement: the pricing works against late buyers.
How Much Are Starlite Tickets?
There is no fixed price list. Starlite sets each concert's price from the artist's fee and uses dynamic pricing: tickets launch at a discount and rise as each zone fills. Every ticket includes €20 towards parking and the shuttle service, and boxes, which include hospitality, are sold separately by phone.
Seats, Zones and Boxes Compared
| Option | What you get | Best for | How to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numbered seat | One of 3,500 seats, none more than 50 m from the stage | Two people who are there for the music | Online, priced per concert |
| Pista area | Tickets in this zone include the after-party | A night that ends at the Club | Online, where offered |
| Platea Gold | Seat sold together with a restaurant booking for each ticket | Dinner and concert in one order | Online; the restaurant is booked at checkout |
| Auditorium box | 8 to 14 guests, 20 m from the stage, welcome drink, concierge, VIP parking | Groups and hosting | By phone or WhatsApp only |
| Palcos Privilege | Box plus dinner from the five restaurants and an open bar to the end | Corporate nights, celebrations | By phone or WhatsApp only |
| Season box | A box by the week, fortnight, month or whole summer | Residents and companies | By phone or WhatsApp only |
Dynamic Prices, Explained
Starlite's pricing policy spells it out: concerts go on sale at a launch price with a large discount, and the platform reduces the discount as each area fills, so a seat usually costs more the closer the show and the fuller its zone. A big name costs more because the artist's fee is close to what a stadium pays, spread across 3,500 seats instead of 60,000. Date changes are possible only subject to availability, so be sure of the night before you buy.
Ages, Club Access and Accessibility
The minimum age varies by concert, but in general under-18s from 16 can attend with an adult and the Club is always over-18s only. Club entry is included with selected tickets; on some nights it has a separate door. The venue has accessible entrances, reserved spaces and assistance for guests with reduced mobility, which you request when you buy. Box guests get priority restaurant bookings and a priority VIP table after the concert, the box's most useful perk.
How a Starlite Night Runs
Starlite calls it a night in three acts. Restaurant bookings start at 8:15pm, the concert runs from 10pm to about midnight, and the Club opens at 12:30am and closes at sunrise. Box guests can enter from 9pm. In late June the sun sets at about 9:40pm, so early-season concerts start at dusk.
Five Restaurants on Site
The first act is dinner, and you can add it to the ticket in the same checkout. The five restaurants are Tanabata, Nikkei; Raffaella, an Italian trattoria; Ánima, Mexican; Sandra's, a caviar and delicatessen bar stocked to the taste of Sandra García-Sanjuán, who co-hosts the festival's charity gala; and Temazo, a grill. A Fast Gourmet area serves quicker food. Platea Gold tickets require a restaurant booking for every seat. Book the table for 8:15pm or 8:30pm, because dinner and drinks before a 10pm concert take longer than you think.
Concert, Then Club
The concert runs from 10pm to about midnight; sunset was at 21:40 on opening night, 19 June, and at 20:45 on closing night, 4 September, so every concert starts after sunset. Afterwards the Club, an open-air space in the quarry with resident and guest DJs and table bookings, runs from 12:30am to sunrise. Staying for it has a practical advantage: by the time you leave, the car park and the taxi rank have emptied. Our nightlife guide covers the clubs down the hill.
Getting to the Quarry and Back
Drive, take a taxi or use the festival shuttle. By car, leave the AP-7 at the Marbella centre exit for signposted parking 150 metres from the venue; a guaranteed space costs €10 in advance. Taxis wait at a rank by the main entrance, ride-hailing cars drop off by the VIP entrance, and shuttles run from Puerto Banús and central Marbella.
Parking: Estacionamiento Plus
The parking area is 150 metres from the entrance. For a guaranteed space, add Estacionamiento Plus to your ticket: €10 in advance, or €15 in the last 24 hours if any spaces remain, with a QR code sent to your phone. Spaces are limited, and once they are gone the service closes. Box tickets include VIP parking or valet. With dinner, a concert and the Club ahead, most of our clients leave the car at the hotel; Spain's drink-drive limit is the subject of our car hire guide.
The Midnight Exit
Getting there is easy; leaving at midnight with 3,500 people is not. Book a driver with a fixed pick-up at 12:15am or 2am, stay for the Club and leave after the rush, or take the shuttle back to Puerto Banús or the centre. A taxi back to the Golden Mile or Puerto Banús runs on the 2026 night tariff of €4.64 plus €1.41 a kilometre. Our transport guide covers drivers and ride-hailing.
Dress Code, Weather and the Rain Rule
There is no strict dress code: Starlite recommends smart casual. Summer nights are warm, with AEMET's 1981–2010 averages for Málaga airport giving lows of 20.5°C in July and 21.1°C in August. If extreme weather cancels a concert, it is rescheduled or the ticket refunded.
What People Wear
Smart casual, as the festival asks, in practice means linen shirts and chinos for men and summer dresses for women, with sandals or flat shoes for the stone paths and stairs of the quarry. Bring a light layer for the walk out at 2am, and leave the jacket and tie for the charity gala. Rain is rare: Málaga airport averages 0.1 days of rain in July and 0.5 in August, according to AEMET, against 347 hours of sunshine in July.
The Starlite Gala
On a Sunday in early to mid August the quarry hosts the Starlite Gala, the charity dinner hosted by Antonio Banderas and Sandra García-Sanjuán for the Fundación Starlite, with an auction of donated works: in 2026 Lenny Kravitz signed a portrait for it. It is a different event from the concerts, with its own tickets and a black-tie room; our guide to Marbella's charity galas covers prices and dress code.
Is Starlite Worth Planning a Trip Around?
For the right artist, yes: an arena-sized act in a 3,500-seat quarry is far closer than any stadium. Otherwise, treat it as one evening in a summer week, chosen from 49 options. Headline nights fill restaurants and taxis across the coast, so book dinner and transport when you book the ticket.
Choosing the Night
Start with the act, then the date: a Tuesday concert in early July comes with an easier restaurant booking and an emptier coast than a Saturday in mid-August. The Spanish and Latin nights draw a large local crowd. For the rest of the coast's summer music, from beach-club DJs to the festivals in Málaga, see our music festival guide; for a private performance instead, our villa concert guide explains the costs.
Where to Stay for Starlite
The quarry sits above the Golden Mile, so the hotels and villas between Marbella and Puerto Banús are the shortest ride home, and the shuttle covers both ends of the strip. A villa in the hills makes the late return longer and the taxi harder to find. If you are staying further out, in Estepona or Benahavís, book the driver for the whole night rather than hoping for a taxi at 2am. Our hotels versus villas comparison sets out the trade-offs.
Booking a Companion for a Starlite Night
A Starlite night runs from an 8:15pm dinner to a club that closes at sunrise, so a night that goes to the Club is an overnight rather than hourly time. Buy her ticket when you buy yours, since every seat is numbered. The price is the same as any other night, and two weeks' notice secures the companion you want.
Dinner Date or Overnight
If the night ends after the concert, a dinner date, a minimum of three hours and so from €900, covers the restaurant at 8:15pm and the concert to midnight. If it includes the Club, it is an overnight of 10 to 12 hours, €3,000–€4,000 depending on the companion and the length. For a box with clients or friends, a VIP companion at ease with hosting suits the setting. Our seasonal rates post covers how demand builds around dates like these; the price does not change.
Meeting, Tickets and the Weather
Meet at your hotel and arrive together by taxi; for a Golden Mile hotel that is a short ride. Send us the date, the artist, your seat zone or box and whether dinner is booked, and she will dress to the setting. Plans change: our cancellation terms allow free changes until 24 hours before a dinner date and 48 hours before an overnight, and if a storm cancels the concert, we do not charge either.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Starlite Marbella in 2027?
The full 2027 programme has not been published yet. The first concert on sale is La Oreja de Van Gogh on 13 August 2027. The 2026 season ran from 19 June to 4 September, and if 2027 follows the same pattern it will open in mid to late June.
Where is the Starlite festival in Marbella?
In the Cantera de Nagüeles, a former quarry at the foot of La Concha in the hills above the Golden Mile, on Calle Albinoni, 29602 Marbella. Drivers leave the AP-7 at the Marbella centre exit; parking is 150 metres from the entrance, and shuttles run from Puerto Banús and central Marbella.
What time do Starlite concerts start?
At 10pm, finishing at about midnight. The on-site restaurants take bookings from 8:15pm, box guests can enter from 9pm, and the Club opens at 12:30am and runs until sunrise, so a full Starlite night lasts six hours or more.
Is there a dress code at Starlite?
There is no strict dress code; the festival recommends smart casual. In practice that means linen shirts and chinos, summer dresses and comfortable flat shoes for the quarry's stone paths. The charity gala in August is a separate, black-tie event.
Can I bring a companion to a Starlite concert?
Yes. Buy two adjacent numbered seats, meet at your hotel and arrive together by taxi. A dinner date covers dinner and the concert; an overnight suits a night that ends at the Club. The price is the same as any other night, so book about two weeks ahead for the companion you want.
Going to Starlite?
Send us the date, the artist, your seats or box and your hotel. We will confirm a companion for the whole evening, the price and the right format, from dinner and the concert to the Club at sunrise.
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