Hogueras de San Juan de Alicante

The festival

What is Hogueras de San Juan de Alicante

The Hogueras de San Juan, Fogueres de Sant Joan in Valencian, or Bonfires of Saint John, are Alicante’s official festival and mark the start of summer. From June 20 to 24, each neighborhood erects a hoguera on its corners and squares — a monument of wood, cardboard and cork made up of satirical figures, the ninots, that humorously critique politics, customs and city life. On the night of the cremà, from June 24 to 25, the monuments are burned. They hold the title of international tourist interest and are also recognized as intangible cultural heritage.

The tradition comes from the old custom of burning old and useless objects on solstice bonfires at the start of summer. In the 20th century, Alicante residents, also inspired by Valencia’s Fallas, transformed those bonfires into artistic monuments, and the festival was made official in the 1920s. Today, each neighborhood committee works year-round with specialized artists, and the monuments, adult and children’s, compete for prizes by category.

The festival begins before the main days. In the preceding days, committees parade with bands through the city, and an exhibition gathers figures from all the hogueras so visitors can choose the single one that will be spared from the flames. From mid-June, every day the Plaza de los Luceros hosts a mascletà — a daytime pyrotechnic blast valued for its rhythm and vibration — as fireworks makers compete. On the night of June 19–20, the plantà installs the structures in the neighborhoods, and Alicante starts to display ephemeral art on every corner.

From June 20 to 24 the program fills Alicante: the barracas and racós, the committees’ party spaces with music and food, stay open late; foguerers and foguereres, in traditional Alicante costume, bring flowers to the Virgen del Remedio in the Oferenda, which creates a large floral mantle in front of the co-cathedral of San Nicolás; and there are folk parades, traditional dances such as the Dansà d’Alacant, and processions of giants and big-headed figures. On the night of June 24, at midnight, a large palm-shaped fireworks display launched from the top of Mount Benacantil, where Castillo de Santa Bárbara stands, signals the start of the cremà: first the official hoguera in Plaza del Ayuntamiento burns and then those in all the neighborhoods. While the fire burns, firefighters spray water on the public in the banyà to cool the night.

After the cremà the festival continues at sea: on the following nights, pyrotechnic teams from various countries compete in a contest over Postiguet Beach near the city centre. For visitors, the Hogueras combine street art, gunpowder and a seaside city at the very start of summer.