This Saturday kicks off 125th anniversary edition of the fiestas of Loreto

Tuesday 23rd August 2022 · Mike Smith
Source: Ajuntament de Xàbia

This Saturday, the fiesta of the Mare de Déu del Loreto have the first official date of its main protagonists of 2022. The fiesta will be dressing up to present this year’s mayorales and mayoralesas; Ana Sivera Sala, Julian Torres Aguilera, Francisco Cruañes Vañó, Carolina Marín Cholbi, Mabel Ivars Sánchez, María José Escrivá Cholbi, Francisco Marín Cholbi and Pilar Miralles García.

This special event will be taking place on Saturday 27th at 11.00pm on a special stage which will be erected on Avenida Lepanto and afterwards there will be live music and dancing with the Montecarlo showband. As a result, the road will be closed to vehicular traffic from Thursday 25th August until Tuesday 30th August and the bus stops will be relocated; more information below.

In the days leading up to the special presentation, there will be a number of events during this week, acts of great symbolism such as the screening of the documentary produced by the Comissió de Festes to mark the 125th anniversary of the festivities honouring the patron saint, a journey through the history of Duanes and the fiesta which will narrated by the residents themselves.

The screening will premiere on Thursday 25th August at 10.30pm on Calle Severo Ochoa. In addition, on Friday 26th August, there will be the first community dinner will be held, a popular gathering for dinner at Paseo Pintor Joaquín Sorolla, which will be enlivened by music.

As well as the presentation, this weekend will see sport as the main event of the programme and there will be a children’s fishing contest, rowing challenges, pilota, ping pong, the Peña La Bufa cycling trophy and the popular road race from La Caleta to the port that this fiesta group has been organizing for 39 years.

On Sunday, the peñas will have a parade at midday and in the afternoon, the children will have a special act with the award ceremony of the Dionís Henarejos Crespo drawing contest (at 7.00pm on Avenida Lepanto) followed by the children’s show TOYS for the whole family.

The Valencian farce Deixa’m la dona Pepet (10.00pm on Avenida Lepanto) will close the weekend, performed by the Comissió de Festes own theatre group Tot Rist and on Monday 29th August (also at 10.00pm Avenida Lepanto) the comedy will continue with another show, once again starring members of the Comissió de Festes .

One of the most popular events of the Loreto festivities is the bous a la mar and its famous baret dels bous, which opens on Wednesday 31st August at 12 noon and will be the epicenter of the fiesta until Monday 5th September.

This year is an important year as the Comissió de Festes will be commemorating the 125th anniversary of these festivities, so there will be special events such as a commemorative parade (Tuesday 30th August) in which the representatives of the festival’s history will be the protagonists.

They will also participate in the parade of floats on Saturday 3rd September (one of the most participatory in recent editions), in the flower offering to the Mare de Déu de Loreto on Tuesday 6th September and in the processions on the 7th and 8th.

Temporary Closure of Avenida Lepanto

Due to the installation of a stage in Avenida Lepanto, the road will be closed vehicular traffic from Thursday 25th August until Tuesday 30th August. The bus stops and taxi ranks will be relocated as a consequence.

Buses heading to the Arenal will use a temporary bus stop in front of the chemist in Avenida Lepanto on the other side of the dolphin roundabout to where it is normally located, whilst buses heading towards the port will use a temporary bus stop in Avenida Ausiàs March in front of the Moragues Pons real estate agents.

Taxis will use a temporary rank located in Avenida Lepanto on front of Bar Kimera in Avenida Lepanto on the other side of the dolphin roundabout to where it is normally located.