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Everything ready to celebrate the big week of Moors and Christians festivities in Vila Joiosa

 

Àpunt will broadcast the Moorish parade on Friday at 5:45 p.m. and the Christian parade at 9:45 p.m. live and on the night of the Landing a video mapping show will be shown on the Costera de la Mar wall that will explain to the public the historical events that they recreate that morning.

 

La Vila Joiosa is already counting the hours to experience its big week. Around 4,000 revellers will participate in the Moors and Christians patronal festivities in honour of Santa Marta declared of International Tourist Interest. This year the festivities have several new features. For the first time, the Moorish and Christian parades will be broadcast by Àpunt, the Valencian public television. On Friday afternoon, July 26, the Moorish parade will be broadcast from 5:45 p.m., followed by a live broadcast of the Christian parade at 9:45 p.m.
 

Another novelty will arrive on the night of the Landing. An audio-visual show of video mapping of the Landing will be projected on the Torrejó of the Renaissance wall that runs along the Costanera de la Mar. From 00.00 to 03.00 the public will be immersed in the events that took place on the morning of July 29, 1538 through a combination of animation, lights, real and 3D images and sound. El Torrejó will explain in first person his testimony of the historical events that form the basis of the festival and that are represented in the Landing. An artistic effect will be created in an immersive setting with which the public will interact while learning about the origin of ours. This performance, which fuses art with history and technology, is financed by Turisme Comunitat Valenciana. The speech will be given by Ximo Baldó, celebrant and author of the cover of the 2024 festival magazine, the Christian King, Maties Romà, and the Moro Ambassador, Juan Vicente Llinares.
 

Other news this year is that the descent of the Christian army to the beach along the Costa de la Mar at 05.00 hours will be preceded by a pyrotechnic earthquake that will signal the town to sound the alarm. Previously, the pyrotechnic show from the sea, will start at 03.00 hours with the constant shot of fires from 5 platforms on the water, in addition from the two breakwaters located at the two ends of the central beach, the effect of which will recreate even more if possible beach war scenario. The Mayor of Festivities and Citizen Security, Jaime Santamaría, explains that "we have worked throughout the year with the Santa Marta Association to improve each event of our festivities and, above all, we have committed to dynamizing the star event and identifier of our festivities, the Landing, which will present novelties in terms of lighting and pyrotechnics. This year, our most emblematic event will be held in the morning from Saturday to Sunday, which is why we expect more public attendance".
 

More than 200 officers will ensure the safety of the thousands of revelers and visitors. Each event has a security and emergency plan, controlled by an advanced command post where agents from the Local Police, Civil Guard, Provincial Maritime Service, National Police, GEOS, Civil Protection, Violet Points, Firefighters, paramedics and operators intervene of technical services and maintenance of the Town Hall of Vila Joiosa. Santamaría explains that "we have strengthened the security device even more if possible and during the holidays Colón and Constitució streets will remain closed to traffic from 02.00 a.m. until 06.00 a.m., in addition to extending the cleaning service road to guarantee revellers and neighbours clean and safe parties".
 
Neighbours
In addition, Vila Joiosa Town Council will distribute reusable glasses to revellers in order to reduce plastic spending during the festivities and will offer all events from July 25 to 28 live on the corporate YouTube channel.
 

The program of events will start on the night of July 24 with the entry of bands, where the more than 500 musicians participating in the festivities will parade. On the 25th and 26th, the Moorish and Christian parades are held respectively, which this year start at 9:00 p.m. The companies Moros del Riff and Pirates Corsairs will close the corresponding parades with a few accompanying the Moorish King, Pau de Torre Soler, and the Christian King, Maties Romà Mayor.
 
Revellers
On Saturday the 27th, the events will begin at the central beach, in which gunpowder and the sea are the protagonists. In the afternoon, the Allijo de Pirates Corsairs and Contrabandists will take place, and the subsequent Contraband Embassy, ​​where the new castle and the new smuggler ambassador Claudia Pérez will be unveiled. Then, the presentation parade of the crescent troops to the Moro King will be organized, which will conclude in front of the castle, where the Bedouin Embassy will take place. In this embassy, ​​for the first time, a woman representing the position of Bedouin ambassador, Paula Lloret de Torre, will act.
 

At midnight, the magical night of the Landing will begin, a show of lights, fires, music and arquebuses on the central beach that recreates the events that took place 486 years ago in front of the coast. 25 Saracen boats will arrive on land after the indication of the Emissary of the Moro King, represented this year by the Moor of the Riff, Miguel Lloret Pérez. And after the Landing, the Mora Embassy will be held.
 

In the evening, the battle will return to the beach between the Moorish and Christian armies and, with the Christian Embassy, ​​the Christians will reconquer the town. Afterwards, all the revellers will go up to the church of Our Lady of the Assumption to thank the patron saint Santa Marta for her protection and will explode 21 salvos in her honour.
 

On the 29th, the feast day of Santa Marta, the religious events will be celebrated, the high mass and the procession in which the image of the patron saint will travel through the streets of the historic centre. A spectacular display of fireworks at 00:30 will put the final colophon on the big day. On the 30th, the popular pan competition will take place in which the 22 companies participate, this time on Benidorm Avenue, and on the 31st the protagonists will be the little ones in the children's float parade.
 

Mayor Marcos Zaragoza appreciates the great dedication of the members of the Santa Marta Association to the organization of the events and wishes revelers, residents and visitors to enjoy this great week of patronal festivities that will start in the municipality on Wednesday.