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Hundreds of people attend the naming ceremony of Kiboko Pub at the park located on the central beach

Mayor Marcos unveiled the monolith bearing the park's new name, along with Kico Martínez and relatives of Tomás Reos, who ran the popular establishment during the 1980s and 1990s.

Hundreds of people attended last night's ceremony naming the park located on the central beach after Kiboko Pub. Mayor Marcos Zaragoza officially inaugurated the new name of this park on Avenida del Puerto, along with people associated with this legendary bar. Kico Martínez "Caponet" and relatives of the late Tomás Reos unveiled the monument with the park's new name to applause from the audience. Kico Martínez and Tomás Reos ran the Kiboko Pub from 1983 to 1996. Kico Martínez expressed his gratitude to the Villajoyosa City Council for naming this park, which is located just a few meters from the pub's former location, and recalled amusing anecdotes and peculiarities about the bar and his late partner, Tomás Reos. For his part, Mayor Marcos Zaragoza emphasized that "Kiboko Pub Park is now a place of remembrance and tribute, but also of coexistence and enjoyment for all citizens. With this name for the park, the Kiboko Pub will always be present in Villajoyosa, and we give value to a part of our recent history, where respect, freedom, and equality predominated." With this initiative, Villajoyosa City Council seeks to preserve the memory of a symbol of modernity and social transformation, paying tribute to an establishment that marked an entire generation and left an indelible legacy in the history of the municipality.

“The Kiboko Pub marked a turning point in slum society. It was a legendary place, the epicenter of the new modern airs that were being breathed at the dawn of democracy. Its owners, staff, and customers fostered the emerging modern style, influenced slum society at the time, and facilitated a change and open-mindedness that was unthinkable just a few years earlier,” the Mayor noted.

The Kiboko pub, located on Avenida del Puerto, operated between 1983 and 1996. Considered a pioneer of the modern pub concept in Villajoyosa, it became the epicenter of the town's nightlife and culture during the 1980s and 1990s, giving rise to the so-called "movida vilera" (village scene). More than just a leisure venue, it was also an artistic and cultural space, a meeting point for those seeking a different atmosphere, characterized by 1980s and 1990s pop music and a refreshing aesthetic. Its success led to the opening of numerous bars and pubs in the town, thus consolidating a large nightlife district in Villajoyosa.

The opening ceremony was enlivened by music that played at the Kiboko pub in those days and a performance by the Platanera Quartet. Cocktails and soft drinks were also served, transporting the audience back to that era and the atmosphere of the establishment.

The park's name was approved at the municipal plenary session held last February, proposed by Mayor Marcos Zaragoza, in recognition of the iconic history of the Kiboko Pub, an establishment that marked an era in Villajoyosa's social and nightlife and has left an indelible mark on several generations of Villajoyosa residents and visitors.