Torrevieja city centre Christmas lights switch on with live music

Torrevieja will switch on its Christmas and patron saint festival lights at 6.30pm on Saturday 21 November, launching the festive season with an evening of music in Plaza de la Constitución.

Two DJs will take to the stage at 8.30pm and play until 10pm, when a live band will perform a family-friendly set of covers. Celebrations are expected to continue into the early hours.

The switch-on also marks the start of celebrations in honour of La Purísima, Torrevieja’s patron saint, whose feast day falls on 8 December. Torrevieja City Council has allocated around €450,000 for the festive lighting. The wider Christmas and patron saint programme is covered by 12 municipal contracts worth more than €1.5 million.

Giants and big-heads return to the streets

Lily and Torrevieja’s traditional giants and big-headed figures will make 17 appearances between Saturday 28 November and Tuesday 8 December. The Charamita parade will open with two outings on 28 November, followed by another on Sunday 29 November and afternoon appearances from Monday 30 November to Friday 4 December. Saturday 5 December will be the busiest day, with three parades.

An inclusive parade on Thursday 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, will give neurodivergent children a quieter opportunity to meet the characters. At the end of the route, the musicians will pause so children can look closely at the costumes, touch the parade figures and explore the instruments.

The family programme also includes children’s shows and music on 28 November, the Diversequión family festival and craft market on Sunday 29 November, and participatory theatre on 3 December. The traditional floral offering to La Purísima is listed for 5 December.

Paella competition returns to Antonio Soria Park

The 34th annual paella competition will take place at Antonio Soria Park on Sunday 6 December, with live music, a T-shirt competition and a dedicated children’s area.

The children’s area will run from 9am to 7pm, with eight inflatables, creative and educational workshops, games and dancing. Local DJs will play from midday to 4pm, with a live covers band due on stage at 3pm. Prizes for the paella and T-shirt competitions will be presented at 4.30pm, followed by another DJ set.

On Monday 7 December, Plaza de Oriente will host a children’s party, while brass bands parade through the city centre. There will also be live music at the junction of Calle Concepción and Calle Canónigo Torres. Concerts by M-Clan and Ruth Lorenzo feature in the wider festival programme.

The celebrations culminate on Tuesday 8 December. The Charamita will take to the streets at 7am for the traditional Diana, a musical wake-up call marking the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The procession of La Purísima will follow later in the day, after which the Salve Marinera will be sung.

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