Presentation and Music Concert will kick off Moors and Christians festivities this weekend
The two acts have changed location, re-locating to Avenida Lepanto.
Wednesday 12th July 2023
Mike Smith
This weekend, the port zone of Xàbia comes alive to the sights and sounds of the Moors & Christians fiesta, a long-awaited event that will fill the town with over a week of music, colour, community and, let’s not forget, gunpowder!
It is an unmissable event that recalls a time when Xàbia was still walled and under threat from Barbary pirates, who pillaged and looted their way along the eastern coast of Spain.
Saturday 15th July will be the first grand gala day when the ‘filaes’ will reveal one of their best kept secrets: the impressive costumes that they will be wearing in the spectacular gala parades on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd.
The presentation ceremony will also be a very special occasion for the two young standard bearers, Indira Rosa Cardona Delange and Natalia Moya Llidó, who will be flying the flag for their respective side during the festivities whilst Filà Almoriscos and, in particular the Montaner Llidí family, will be accepting the baton from Filà Ballesters, a ceremonial exchange of powers as the Moorish side officially holds the Captaincy for 2023.
The presentation will also include the official proclamation of the start of the festivities which will be read by the actress and director Inma Sancho. A native of Paterna, she is especially linked to Xàbia through her theatrical production side, currently holding the position of artistic director of the Garum Teatre group. She has featured in more than 30 plays and in several well-known television series such as ‘L’Alqueria Blanca’, ‘Amar es para siempre’, ‘El secreto de Puente Viejo’ and ‘Acacias’.
The presentation ceremony will take place at 9.30pm on a short stretch of Avenida Lepanto between the two roundabouts. This has become an ideal space to host large events in the port area.
This will mean that the road will be cut to traffic over the weekend and both bus stops and the taxi rank relocated to different positions along the same street; click here for more information.
On Sunday 16th July, the day will be dedicated to music. At midday, Filà Schaitans will be filling the streets of the port with the rhythm of a ‘xaranga’, the ubiquitous Spanish brass band popular during the fiestas.
Then, in the evening at 8.30pm, the XVIII Fiesta Music Concert will take place on the stage in Avenida Lepanto, a popular annual performance by the talented musicians of the Centre Artístic Musical de Xàbia (CAM). And it’s free!
The concert will consist of two parts and it will be the first time that Gonzalo de la Guía Díaz-Parreño, the new director, will be conducting the orchestra in this act. In addition, the voices of the Grup Polifónic Ars Nova de Xàbia will adding some choral enhancements to some of the scores.
