On Friday, Calpe will begin the programme of events to celebrate the Moors and Christians festivities in honour of the Cristo del Sudor, Patron Saint of the town, organised by the Moors and Christians Association in collaboration with the Town Hall.
On Friday 20th at 14:00 the bells will be rung, and salvos will be fired to announce the beginning of the festivities. In the afternoon at 19:00 hours the bands will march through the streets of the town, at 20:00 hours the banners will be hoisted and the opening speech of the fiestas in the Plaza Mayor which this year will be given by the composer and conductor, Saül Gómez Soler. He is a person closely linked to the world of the Moors and Christians, currently considered one of the most important musicians in terms of composition of festive music.
At the end of the raising of the banners, all the "filaes" and the 2023 Festivities Commission will make a parade to the Church to make the Offering of Candles to the Patron Saint. At 00:30 the Moors and Christians will gather to begin the typical "entraetes" which will go through the streets of the Old Town and at 01:00 the dance of the Christian captain of the Filà Almogávares is scheduled.
On Saturday, the 21st, the events will begin at 9 am with reveille and at 11:30 am with the children's reveille from the Plaza del Mosquit. At 18:00 hours, from Calle Benissa to Plaza Colón, the Christian and Moorish Grand Entrance will begin, which is the culmination of the work of the "filaes", as it is then that the best finery, floats, dances and other attractions will be on display, making this one of the most attractive parades in the province.
This will be the big moment for the Moorish and Christian Captains of 2023, Pepe Pineda of the Filà Mascarats and Ángel Moya Rodríguez of the Filà Marins Corsaris, accompanied by the favourite, Marian Femenia Pastor, and the First Lady, Cristina Andrés Magrañal. Another important position is that of standard bearer of the Moors and Christians Association, which this year goes to Tania García García, from Tuareg, and the Christian and Moorish ensigns, Marcos Fernández de Vulder from Contrabandistas and Andreu Signes Perles from Moriscos. In the evening, at 01:00 hours, the dance of the Moorish captain of the Filà Mascarats will take place.
On Sunday 22nd, the feast of the Patron Saint, the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor, the Solemn Campaign Mass in honour of the Patron Saint will be held at 12 noon in the Plaza Mayor. After the mass, a spectacular "mascletá" will be fired and the image of Christ will be taken back to the church.
In the afternoon, at 7 p.m. the solemn procession through the streets of the old town will take place and at the end a night-time mascletà will be fired in the Plaza Mayor. In the evening, at 1:00, the dance of the standard bearer of the association of the Tuareg phalanx will take place.
On Monday, the 23rd, the first great battle between the Moorish and Christian sides will take place, as at 11 am the Moorish troops are scheduled to disembark on the Arenal beach. This is undoubtedly one of the most attractive events of the fiesta. In the afternoon, the children will be the stars of the show, as at 18:00 the children's parade will begin in Benissa street. And at 20:30 hours, the Moors and Christians will engage in the second battle and the "miracle" will be held in the Plaza Mayor. This is one of the most significant events of the Calpe fiestas, representing the moment when "Caragol" manages to close the gates of the town after the betrayal of "Moncofar".
The events will conclude with a mass for the dead to be held on Tuesday 24th October at 19:30 in the Virgen de las Nieves Parish Church.