Summer really is on its way, at last! If you’re planning to enjoy the summer sun with a getaway to Alicante, then you can join in the celebrations of summer with the Alicante Bonfires of San Juan. From the 19th June to the 24th June 2019, Alicante will be celebrating the start of summer in their own unique way – by paying tribute to fire!
Celebrating Midsummer’s Eve or St John’s Eve is nothing new, with many places across Europe taking part in the celebrations. However, Alicante really does go all out for the fiesta, while the use of bonfires symbolises warding off evil spirits.
The Alicante Tradition
For many years, the 23rd June was of particular importance to the locals of Alicante. For hundreds of years, people from Alicante would gather on the 23rd of June to feast together for the start of summer. After the feast, at midnight, bonfires would be lit, and fireworks would go off. It was a chance to dance, to swim in the sea and to look forward to summer.
By 1928, the Bonfires of San Juan, Hogueras de San Juan fiesta was formally constituted.
What’s On At The Bonfires of San Juan
As the fiesta grew, the celebrations got bigger and better, lasting for a week rather than just one night. Some of the events include choosing a “Beauty of Fire” or "Bellea del Foc” who is the queen of the festival. When the festival is underway, locals create humorous cardboard cut-outs that poke fun of popular personalities. These cardboard figures then go up in flames in the bonfires.
There is also a folklore parade and plenty of dance troupes to entertain visitors. In Plaza de Los Luceros there are plenty of firework displays in the lead up to the festival. Earplugs are a must for the sounds of the rockets and firecrackers. Then there is the burning at midnight on the 23rd/24th June which is considered the highlight of the festival complete with plenty of singing and dancing.
After the festival, there is still plenty to see with firework competitions on El Postiguet beach and plenty of markets in the town as the summer season gets fully underway.
If you want something more intimate then you will find that all along the coast on beaches there are literally thousands of fires. People gather wood, get together with friends or family and take food and this is the one night when they are allowed, in designated beaches, to make fires. The atmosphere is usually amazing with people doing everything from gathering round the fire and talking to others jumping through the fires, dancing, playing music, eating and in general having a wonderful time. Like almost all of the fiestas in Spain people come together – young and old and from all walks of life, friends, familly and strangers to enjoy, celebrate and party.
From wonderful food, plenty of drink and an incredible spectacle to enjoy, it is a fantastic way to get your holiday off to a fantastic start! Begin your holiday as you mean to go on with stress-free car hire from Alicante airport. As the best value car hire in Alicante, Drivalia makes sure you have flexibility and freedom to make the most of your holiday and experience all that Alicante has to offer. Book your car today here.