Calpe begins tomorrow, Wednesday, the patron saint fiestas in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves, organised by the 2024 Fiestas Commission and Calpe Town Council.
Tomorrow will begin with the aerial bombardment to announce the fiestas and the ringing of bells. In the afternoon, the festival-goers will gather in the Plaza del Arco Iris to perform the Entrada de la Murta through the streets of the old town until they reach the Plaza Miguel Roselló. There the queens and the children's king of the fiestas will perform the ‘Crida a la festa’ from the balcony of the Town Hall and the lights will be switched on. In the evening, the Plaza Mayor will host a performance by the orchestra ‘La Fiesta’.
On Thursday 1st August, the ‘Día del Fadrí’ will be celebrated, when the young festeros will take over the Town Hall and the ‘the staff of command will be exchanged for the 2006 festeros who will rule the streets of the municipality for a day. At midday there will be a ‘globotà’ in Llibertat street and cucañas in For a street, in the afternoon the parc de la Creativitat will host aquajocs and a foam party for the little ones. In the evening there will be a performance by the orchestra ‘Carnavalia’ in the Plaça Major.
On Friday 2 August, ‘Children's Day’ will be celebrated with various activities for the little ones. There will be a children's wake-up call, aqua-jocs in the Parc de la Creativitat and in the afternoon there will be traditional musicals in the Plaza Mayor, the children's ‘La rosa encantada’ at 7 p.m. and the general ‘Los 40 principales’ at 10.45 p.m., and at 1 a.m. ‘DJ Night’ in the Plaza Mayor.
On Saturday 3rd August, ‘El Día de las Comisiones’ will be celebrated with a mini-disco in the Plaza del Mosquit and cucañas and charanga in the Carrer de Fora in the morning, plus a giant paella in the Calle Conde de Altea, in the afternoon a water party in the Plaza Mayor and in the evening a performance by the orchestra ‘Seven Crashers’ in the Plaza Mayor.
On Sunday 4 August, the eve of the main festival, at 20:00 there will be a parade to collect the queens and members of the 2024 Festival Committee to gather in front of the Town Hall to go to the Parish Church where the Offering of Flowers to the Virgen de las Nieves will be held. In the evening there will be a big night-time mascletá (firework display) by Pirotécnia Caballer, followed by a performance by Orquesta Montecarlo in the Plaza Mayor.
On Monday 5th, the feast of the Virgen de las Nieves, Patron Saint of Calpe, the events will begin with an aerial bombardment and a parade by the Commission. At 13:00 a mascletá will be fired in the Plaza Mayor. At 19:30 the mass in honour of the patron saint is scheduled to take place in the Virgen de las Nieves parish church, followed by a procession through the streets of the old town, followed by the well-known Castell a la Mar organised by the Department of Fiestas, an ‘aero-aquatic’ fireworks display that will be set off from the Arenal-Bol beach breakwater. At 00:30 hours the Plaza Mayor will once again be the meeting point with a performance by the orchestra ‘La Tribu’.
On Tuesday 6th August, the Day of San Salvador, there will be a children's ‘despertá’ and a traditional game of Valencian pilota in García Ortiz Street. And in the afternoon, the festeros and authorities will move to the hermitage of San Salvador where the traditional mass in honour of San Salvador is scheduled to take place. This will be followed by a popular aperitif.
From the 6th to the 12th of August the traditional ‘Bous al carrer’ will be held in Conde de Altea street with afternoon and evening sessions organised by the Associació Festera Bous al Carrer. And on Sunday 11th August, the great parade of floats will be held from Benissa Street to Plaza Colón.
The festival will end with free concerts on the 14th and 15th of August with the Calpe Pop Festival. On the 14th of August from 21:00 onwards, it will be remember night with DJ Kofy, DJ Raúl Platero, Grupo Double Visión, DJ Chimo Bayo and DJ Vicente Buitrón. And on 15 August, from 9 p.m. onwards, DJ Sifo, Mikel Erentxun, Los Rebeldes and DJ Joan K-Zu will perform. These concerts are held in the Parc de la Creativitat and are free of charge.