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Benidorm celebrates today the big day in honour of Sant Jaume, (Saint James) the city's patron saint

 

• The programme includes a bell ringing, a parade, a mass, fireworks and the traditional 'ball del Peuet'
• This day the Commission also presents the poster announcing the Festes Majors Patronals next November 

As with every 25th of July, Benidorm will once again take to the streets today celebrate the big day in honour of Sant Jaume Apòstol, the city's patron saint, with a full programme of events organised by the Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals, in collaboration with the Department of Festivals. The councillor for the area, Mariló Cebreros, has emphasised that "one more year, we are going to experience the day as the big day that it is for our municipality", after which she has invited the citizens to "participate and enjoy all the events" planned. 

The day will start with a parade at 11.30 from the Casa del Fester towards the Plaça de la Senyoria, next to the church of Sant Jaume and Santa Anna, from where a general ringing of the bells will take place before the launching of an air raid. In addition to the municipal authorities, the queens of the Festes Majors Patronals 2024, Valentina Almodóbar Climent and Laia Zamora Picó, will also participate, along with their courts of honour; members of the Comissió and the Associació de Penyes Verge del Sofratge; representatives of other entities; as well as the public who want to join the celebration.  

In the afternoon, at 6:30 p.m. and also from the Casa del Fester, the procession will set off again towards the headquarters of the La Barqueta Cultural and Recreational Association, where the mayors will collect the image of Sant Jaume to carry it in a parade through the city centre. 

 7:30 p.m., the entire procession will make a stop in the Plaza del Torrejó, where the poster announcing the Festes Majors Patronals, which are held from November 9 to 13, will be unveiled. This image will also be the one that the Commission will use as the cover of the Official Magazine of the 2024 festivities. 

Later, at 8:30 p.m., a solemn mass will be held in the church of Sant Jaume and Santa Anna, at the end of which the Flag Bearer of 2024, Vicente Fuster, will place a bow tie on the banner of the Commission and receive the insignia of the city from the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez. 

After the Eucharist, in the Plaça de Sant Jaume, the traditional 'Estampeta' will be lit, in honour of the patron saint, which will give way to the traditional 'ball del Peuet' by the ladies and queens of the Festes Majors Patronals. Finally, the Turís pyrotechnics company will set off a fireworks display. 

The day dedicated to Sant Jaume will end with a popular street party in the Castelar square, in El Castell, organised by the mayorales of the Comissió de Festes, who will open a bar with food and drink at popular prices to raise funds. The event will be enlivened by music from a DJ. 

The celebrations in Benidorm in honour of the patron saint began last Friday night, with the traditional gala dinner of the Comissió de Festes, which once again took place on the esplanade of the Nautical Club. After today's festive day, the programme will conclude next Saturday, 3 August, with a commemorative concert that the ACR La Barqueta will dedicate to Saint James the Apostle, in the church of Sant Jaume and Santa Anna.