That’s how the city of Alicante, on the Costa Blanca in eastern Spain, ushers in the summer solstice. The Bonfires of Saint John festival, an annual tradition that started in 1928, is a five-day-long action-packed event that culminates in spectacular fire displays throughout the city.
Though not as well-known as the Fallas de San Jose in Valencia, which takes place in March, the Alicante festival — which many observers rate a close second in scale — has many similar crowd-pleasing events. These include flower offerings to the Virgin del Remedio (June 22), international folk performances (June 23), bullfighting, and a fireworks competition.
The city has been celebrating for four days when I arrive by train from Valencia, and my guide is tired.
“It was impossible to sleep last night,” explains Maria Jose Aparicio. “The only solution is to go out in the street and join the party.”
Walking from the station I get the sense that normal daily life has been suspended. Many streets are closed to traffic, the sound of firecrackers can be heard in the distance, and a party spirit infuses the air.
I join locals and visitors who walk from one giant “hoguera” or “foguere,” to another to inspect the details on these artistic creations before they’re destroyed at midnight. More than 170 have been installed in various neighbourhoods, or barrios. Some are animal figures, while others are caricatures of politicians, film stars or athletes. Every year, a committee chooses one they consider the best, to be saved from the fire and installed in the Fogueres Museum.
In the midst of this, groups of musicians stroll through the streets passed towering flower displays. At the historic city hall, three-metre high puppets representing the city’s patron saints and former kings, set off on a parade, while the local “Beauties” or Queens of the Bonfire, mingle among the crowds and happily pose for photographs. Every barrio selects its own queen, who holds the title for the rest of the year.
Fireworks in Alicante seem to be as much an audio experience as a visual display. And for that you don’t need to wait for nightfall. By 2 p.m., a huge crowd has gathered at the Plaza de Luceros where, on this day, the tall palm trees are as still as the nearby statue of Hercules. In the surrounding buildings, residents have come out on their balconies, while people in the streets below fan themselves to keep cool.
Then, pow, pow, bang whoosh!! Ten minutes later, clouds of smoke descend from the sky signalling the end. That’s followed by the sight of white hankies being waved in the air, indicating the show met with the crowd’s approval.
As midnight approaches, people begin gathering at the sites of the various bonfires. The roof of my hotel — the Mediterranea — offers the perfect vantage point, first for the fireworks set off from the Castle of Santa Barbara, and then for the actual bonfire in Ayuntamiento square below.
Firefighters stand by with hoses, while a helicopter hovers overhead, presumably to keep an eye out for wayward fires. Among the caricatures to be torched is one that stands several metres tall. The flames are small at first but in seconds they shoot high up into the air. The heat is so intense I fear my camera could melt.
Earlier I’d met a British visitor who relayed an incident during the festival a few years back, when some embers had landed on his shirt and caught fire. “People started pouring their drinks on me to put out the flames,” Chris Copeland says. “And for the rest of the night I walked around with a big hole in my shirt.”
Suddenly, hundreds of people behind barricades begin cheering wildly. It’s hard to tell if they’re reacting to the giant figure being brought down in flames or the sensation of being sprayed by water from the fireman’s hose. Maybe it’s both.
If you go to Alicante, Spain
The festival — known as Hogueras de San Juan in Spanish and Fogueres de Sant Joan in Valencian — is the biggest annual event in Alicante. It takes place June 20-24 this year. Some people believe if you write your heart’s desire on a piece of paper and throw it into the flames your wish will come true.
Learn more about the festival at the Fogueres Museum, where you can see local costumes, the various “ninots” saved from bonfires in years past, and watch a film.
There’s more to this city than the Bonfires festival. Alicante has long sandy beaches, a mild and pleasant climate, and a recently renovated old town. It’s also worth spending time at the 13th-century Castle of Santa Barbara with its Medieval walls and fortified towers, dungeons, archaeological remains and great views. Other places of interest include the Town Hall, the Provincial Archaeological Museum (MARQ), and the Museum of Fine Artes Gravina (MUBAG).
The Hotel Eurostars Mediterranea Plaza is in the heart of the historical centre and just a five-minute walk to El Postiguet beach.
Check eurostarshotels.com. For travel information, see alicante-turismo.com.
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