Albacete resonates with the mascletà of Alicante's Hogueras

Expectations met. Albacete reverberated this Saturday with the mascletà of Alicante's Hogueras. It was the most anticipated moment of this day of festivities for the people of Castilla-La Mancha.

Since learning about the programme of events, the citizens of Albacete have shown a keen desire to experience a mascletà. In Albacete, fireworks are also set off, but in the form of firework displays.

They do so in honour of their patron saint, shared with Alicante, Saint John the Baptist. During the night, the Fairground is filled with torches, fires, and a bonfire of old junk. However, this Saturday everything changed.

A bonfire rises at the Puerta de Hierros, alongside a giant paella and a mascletà by Hermanos Sirvent. Its manager, Adrián Sirvent, has been present since early morning at the shooting site with his team.

After the setup, the candidates - with music in their veins following a concert by the Unión Musical Ciudad de Asís - moved to the shooting area, surrounded by people from Albacete and Alicante.

Upon their arrival with a band of dolçaina i tabal, the warning thunderclaps sounded. With them, the most awaited shout, 'senyor pirotècnic, pot començar la mascletà'. Adrián Sirvent, with pride - almost a month after the loss of his father, the master Pedro Luis Sirvent - ignited a Valencian firecracker.

Thus, the aerial phases began immediately. First, thunderclaps, snorers, whistles, sirens, streamers, crackers, and other devices shaped and paced the three bursts in the sky.

From the outset, the power of the gunpowder took over 'La Sartén' of Albacete, with a dance of effects that captured all the attention of the audience present. With it, a dialogue of thunderclaps and flashes before surprising with ground thunderclaps and a burst of colour in the form of a fan.

The firecrackers began to fall to the ground, initiating the terrestrial phases, the central body of the mascletà. These were distributed in four zones, gaining intensity with the rumble of the octopuses. The aerials accompanied this part of the display with shells and flashes, also whistles at the midpoint, with ground impacts taking on greater prominence.

The most intense moment was the earthquake, also in three phases, which set the people of Albacete and Alicante jumping. Shouts, applause, and cheers followed by a finale in the form of a triple bombardment from boxes along with a set of ground thunderclaps with a final burst of purple colour, also in a fan shape.