Home search engine

Type Apartment Business Premises Detached Duplex First floor Penthouse Semidetached Home Villa
Location Alicante Almoradí Finestrat Fortuna Guardamar del Segura Muchamiel Orihuela San Juan San Vicente
Maximum price 100.000 € 150.000 € 200.000 € 250.000 € 300.000 € 350.000 € 400.000 € 450.000 € 500.000 € 550.000 € 600.000 € 650.000 € 700.000 €

Fiestas in Alicante

All along the Community of Valencia, an endless number of colourful, spectacular and very popular festivals are celebrated all year long.  They have become a first class tourist and cultural attraction.

Among the thousands of festivals celebrated notable are those that have been declared of National or International Tourist Interest for: their historic tradition, mass participation and great impact in the mass media.

The province of Alicante has three festivals notable for their colourful displays and pageantry elements that are shared by all festivals in the Community.  These are festivities that are enjoyed in the streets with residents and visitors because hospitality and the ability to participate are inherent to all the towns in the area:

• San Juan Hogueras (Bonfires)
• The Moors and Christian Fiestas
• Holy Week

San Juan Hogueras (Bonfires)

From ancestral times, the towns along the Mediterranean coast have celebrated the arrival of the summer solstice around purifying bonfires. In Alicante, this fire rite has lasted through centuries as an agricultural festivity.

Today, the San Juan Hogueras have been declared an International Tourist Interest and are the most important festivals in the City of Alicante. This type of celebration is also typical in other municipalities of the Community of Valencia.

The celebration starts on June 20 and in the days prior, 90 hogueras (bonfires) are erected around the city. These festivals involve more than ten thousand participants directed by the Hogueras and Barracas Commisions.

Among the most important acts during the San Juan celebration are the following:

• The Construction of hogueras and barracas (pavilions)
• Las Mascletas (string of loud fire crackers)
• The Parades
• The Tribute
• The Burning
• The Fireworks Shows starting on the 25th of June

The Moors and Christian Fiestas

Moors and Christians have become one of the most widespread festivals in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia. They have a great visual attraction as they include peculiar elements such as parodies, costumes, special dresses, music and gun smoke.

The origin of the fights between followers of the cross and those of the crescent moon dates back to the battle of Lepanto, when its representation was a palace play that later transcended to the streets and squares. That event became a key element of the local history and the patron saint was considered the hero of the victory or “miracle”.

The Parades are characterized by:

• Great participation
• Luxurious costumes
• Endless marching bands with drums and shawms (wood wind instrument)
• Use of gun powder

There are two locations in the province of Alicante where the Moors and Christians festivities have gained special interest:

• Alcoy. This is where the festivity produces its most spectacular expression. During April 22, 23, and 24, Alcoy experiences a real burst of happiness, with thousands of white flags bearing Saint George’s cross and with as many green pennants bearing Islam’s crescent moon decorate the entire city. Endless parades follow one another and performances are held at the castle commemorating the conquest of the castle by the Moors and the reconquest by the Christians. Due to the pageantry and interest created by the Moors and Christians festivals in Alcoy, they have been declared of International Tourist Interest.
• Villa Joyosa. The festivities in Villa Joyosa are celebrated at the end of July in honour of Saint Martha and also have been declared of International Tourist Interest. The origin of this fiesta stems from the miracle that took place in July of 1538, when the Berber pirate Zalé Arraez tried to invade the town. A huge thunderstorm swept through the region overflowing the Amadorio river destroying his Saracen fleet. The legend attributes the miracle to Saint Martha and in her honour she was named the patron saint of the town. The Official Entrance of the Music Bands on the first day, the spectacular parades, Christians versus Moors, as well as the live re-enactment of the Reconquest of the castle, the solemn Procession for Saint Martha and the fireworks are some of the most outstanding shows. However, the culminating act is the landing of the Moor Army on the beaches at dawn on July 28 that consists of a naval battle between the Moors and Christians.

Holly week

The province of Alicante has the best known Holy Week procession in the entire Valencian territory. The festivities in Crevillente and Orihuela have been declared of National Tourist Interest, Palm Sunday in Elche has earned an International Interest and the Procession in the Alicante borough of Santa Cruz is unique in Spain. This is without a doubt an excellent complement to the beautiful climate and the beaches of the Costa Blanca.

Holy Week in the Costa Blanca provides a first class cultural offering due to:

• The spectacular floats
• The highest popular participation
• The devotion that its processions provoke
• The attractiveness added by the rich set of images, with thrones and floats, from prestigious artists like Salzillo, Nicolas de Bussi, Mariano Benlliure or Castillo Lastrucci, among others

Holy Week in Orihuela has two very important processions, the Procession of Silence and the Procession of the Covered Knight. The procession of Silence is one of the most overwhelming processions held in the Community of Valencia. 10,000 people watch it every year and it occurs on Good Friday travelling through the narrow streets of the old part of town with only the light and sound coming from lanterns and penitents footsteps on the pavement. In clear contrast, the Procession of the Covered Knight is held during the day and is presided by “La Diablesa” (The She-Devil), a throne made of wood from the XVI century by De Bussi.

In Crevillente, their best known processions are celebrated at dawn and early evening on Good Friday. At five am, an official reveille is sounded and various floats begin travelling toward City Hall. At dawn, the float of Our Father Jesus and the float of the Virgin of Pain meet each other. This event is witnessed by almost 4,000 people. Music is another important star in the Crevillente Holy Week. An excellent opportunity to listen to the different choirs is during the Procession of the Death of Christ, celebrated that same Friday when the floats are preceded by the choral groups.

In Elche, however, the white palms are the distinctive symbol of their Holy Week. In fact, the city of Elche is the only place in the world where they still craft white palms. These palms are present en masse during the procession of Palm Sunday. Every year, more than 10,000 people with palms accompany the image of Our Father Jesus whose throne is elaborately crafted with palm leaves.

And, finally, Holy Week in the capital city of Alicante has experienced an unprecedented boom in recent years. Holy Week in Alicante is in process of being declared as a festival of National Tourist Interest. The processions of greater tourist interest are the descent of Christ from the Holy Cross and the Procession of the Encounter, on Easter Sunday. In addition, both have rich imagery and well decorated floats. Every year, the Holy Week processions in Alicante are attended by more than 20,000 people a day.

Otras Fiestas en la Costa Blanca

• Festivities of International Tourist Interest
  • Elche: The Mystery of Elche
  • Torrevieja: International Competition of Habaneras and Polyphony Music
• Festivities of National Tourist Interest
  • Alcoy: The Three Wise Men Parade
  • Banyeres de Mariola: Moors and Christians in honour of Saint George
  • Crevillent: Holy Week in Crevillente
  • Dénia: Festivity “Bous a la Mar”
  • Orihuela: Holy Week
  • Jávea: Chess with Human Pieces

Main projects