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All Spain Alicante Hogueras de Alicante (Bonfires of Alicante)

Hogueras de Alicante (Bonfires of Alicante)

A celebration of solstice followed by a fiery purging of evils.

Alicante, Spain

Added By
Alan Newman
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Hogueras de Alicante   Public Domain
Hogueras de Alicante   Public Domain
Hogueras de Alicante   Public Domain
An effigie burns on a pontoon in the harbor.   Cesar Ruiz/CC BY-SA 3.0
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Still under construction, but amazingly close to historic buildings.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
The small figures at the front are the plastic foam bases awaiting decoration   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
It is amazing to think that a structure so close to buidings will be set on fire.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
This one is floating on a pontoon in the harbour   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
This one is in the main promenade next to the beach.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
This one is only feet from a news kiosk, it is still under construction here.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Every year, in the days surrounding the summer solstice, beautiful monuments line the streets of Alicante, some as tall as 30 feet, intricately made of foam, wood, cardboard, and other combustible materials.

From June 19 to June 24 the city celebrates the Hogueras de Alicante, or Bonfires of Alicante, with six long days of parades, music, and drinking. The festival culminates in la Cremà, a symbolic destruction of evils. Monuments and ninots (caricature effigies of celebrities and politicians) are burned in several bonfires all over the city, each representing an Alicante neighborhood.

At midnight on June 24, the festival climaxes when a fireworks display, launched from Mount Benacantil and visible to the entire city, signals the beginning of la Cremà. Firefighters keep watch and hose off the hot crowd and the historic buildings that are too close for comfort.

In May, each neighborhood selects a woman to compete for the title of Belleza del Fuego (Beauty of the Fire). She leads the celebration, which dates back to ancient farmers honoring the solstice.

Despite a period in the 19th century when bonfires and fireworks were prohibited by the local council (until they accidentally forgot to publish a reminder of the associated fines in 1881) the tradition, also celebrated nearby in Valencia, survived, and the Bonfires of Alicante was made an official festival in 1928.

Related Tags

Solstice Fire Fireworks Effigies Festivals

Know Before You Go

For the best view arrive early. Bring water and be prepared for a long night.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

Michael Inscoe

  • Michael Inscoe

Published

July 7, 2017

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Hogueras de Alicante (Bonfires of Alicante)
Alicante
Spain
38.348523, -0.47973

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