Les Fogueres de Sant Joan
A fiery festival in Spain – the largest one is in Alicante.
Basic Information
When: 20 – 24 June – Main event, June 24.
Where: Alicante, Spain
Offisial Website: hogueras.es – Les Fogueres
Alicante
Located on the Mediterranean in Spain´s southeast, it is a lively city at any time of the year.
Alicante is an important port, a cruise ship stop, and one of Spain´s TV and movie production centres.
About Les Fogueres de Sant Joan Festival
An exciting cultural festival celebrated in many cities in Spain.
Alicante has the largest one and is considered the main festival in this city.
The excitement reaches boiling point during the week of 20 to 24 of June when Alicante´s most important festival, Les Fogueres de Sant Joan, is celebrated.
If you happen to be there at the time, be prepared not to get much sleep.
Bonfires, fireworks, firecrackers, music, parades, and people partying all night make you want to join in the fun.
The protagonists of the festival are monumental figures and scenes called ninots.
Specially created by local artists and paraded through the streets to massive applause from the spectators.
Music bands and dancers dressed like flames accompany the parades, which last several days, each dedicated to another fraternity of the fogueres.
The highlight of the festival
Competition with prizes for the best ninots that will be burned in massive bonfires on the 24th. June.
The highlight this night of the 24th. is the massive fireworks from the castle of Santa Barbara, perched on top of Monte Benacantil.
Selection of a Queen
No festival without a queen, of course, and this one is no exception.
Two queens are selected, an adult beauty and a little girl.
Both are dressed in the traditional outfit: a long colourful full skirt with many petticoats underneath, a long-sleeved black velvet jacket, and the traditional hair dress of white flowers and a white lace mantilla.
They and their court of other beauties parade on another day of the festival.
Fogueres Festival Museum
The judges pardon some, and these ninots end up in the Fogueres Festival Museum.
Located in one of Alicante´s main shopping streets, Rambla Mendez Nunez, you can see these fabulous creations up close, learn about the festival’s history and tradition, and watch a video.
Admission is free, and you are allowed to take photos of your heart´s content.
Website: Fogueres Festival Museum
Wine and Montaditos
Needless to say that food and drink, particularly the well-known local red wine, form an essential part of the festival.
They are smaller than tapas, a slice of baguette, heaped with delicacies such as smoked salmon, caviar, prawns, ham, cheese or egg.
Eat enough montaditos; you won’t need anything else and will feel fit enough to enjoy the festival.
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