Fiesta dates for Denia
JANUARY 5th
The Three Kings – Procession and presentation of presents to the children.
JANUARY 26th
Pilgrimage to the hermitage of Saint Paula.
FEBRUARY – dates vary, usually second week
Carnival – Floats, processions, street entertainment, children’s activities, fireworks and dancing to live music.
MARCH dates vary, usually 16th – 19th
FALLAS – The traditional Valencian festival of Saint Joseph the carpenter. Originally a contest amongst carpenters to create an effigy of the Saint, it has escalated to become one of the most spectacular fiestas of the calendar year, with municipal districts competing for the prize for the best papier mache monument. Each year the monuments get bigger and better with more and more money invested in creating incredible 50-100ft high Disney-type cartoon depictions of both current event and political characters together with fictional figures. Hundreds of thousands of Euros are spent each year in building these monuments which are all burnt in the final ceremonial act of the celebrations. Festivities include, processions with participants wearing elaborate traditional costumes, street entertainment, fireworks and live music. The largest fiesta of this kind is held in the city of Valencia, where up to 300 massive monuments block the busy streets of the capital and commercial life comes to a halt. Here a 150ft high statue of the Virgen Mary is built out of flowers brought by participants of a day long procession through the city streets. This is a fiesta you will never forget.
MAY – second Sunday
Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados – Religious procession in honour of the Virgin of the defenseless persons.
Fiestas in Jesus Pobre – small village just outside Denia which include dancing in the streets to live music and bull-running (see below).
JUNE
Throughout the summer there are many fiestas. The dates vary but here are some of the main ones.
Pilgrimage in honour of the Virgin Rocio.
Fiestas in Santisima Trinidad Street.
20th – 24th
Bonfires of Saint John plus a pilgrimage to the hermitage.
28th – 29th
Fiestas in San Pedro Street.
Fiestas in La Pedrera district.
JULY
Fiestas of the Holy Blood – Floats, concerts, open-air music festivals, fireworks – and also bull-running.
BULL-RUNNING
The famous bull running event is held in many towns at different times of the year all over Spain. Large, generally aggressive bulls are let loose in designated streets to chase after those who think they are fast enough to jump out of their way, run behind the many wooden barricades or into the steel cages set up for their protection, before they get gored. Not for the faint hearted, and definitely best left to those with more experience as it is not as easy as it looks. The bulls are very fast and many people – usually foreigners – get hurt, and occasionally killed each year due to them tripping and falling before they manage to get to safety. These bulls have large horns, and will attack through fear. Hundreds of people attend the events, sitting upon makeshift platforms above the streets or standing within the steel cages. It can become rather noisy with everyone shouting and jeering at the bulls who naturally feel trapped and we all know how a cornered wild animal reacts to this kind of situation. The bull-running in Denia is held at the harbour where there is a small half bullring. Without touching the bulls, people try to throw them into the sea or jump in themselves to escape the bull. The bull is then guided out via a ramp.
AUGUST 14th – 16th
Moors and Christians Fiesta. – This festival is celebrated all over Spain as their history is deeply rooted in the battles which took place over control of Spain in the 13th to 15th century. Each fiesta is a theatrical performance with participants dressed in elaborate and expensive costumes depicting both sides of the battle. The music played by the live orchestras is especially composed for the fiesta and is very dramatic. Battles are re-enacted using replicas of the weapons used so it can become a little noisy.
Fiesta of San Agustin – Les Rotes area of Denia.
SEPTEMBER – dates vary, usually third week
Fiestas in La Xara, a small town just outside Denia. Festivities include processions, dancing in the streets and bull-running (see above).
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER – last week, first weekend respectively
Fiesta to celebrate All Saints day. Festivities include fairground attractions.
DECEMBER 13th
Pilgrimage to the hermitage of Santa Lucia. Crafts fair and stalls.
