Alicante Shops Embrace Hogueras Spirit

Alicante is gearing up for its grand Hogueras festival. Streets, shops, and businesses will transform in the coming days, with shop windows showcasing traditional elements from belleas to firecrackers. To infuse this festive atmosphere, the Department of Commerce has announced the fifth edition of the 'Les Fogueres de Sant Joan 2025' shop window competition, offering up to €15,000 in prizes to the 12 best-decorated establishments.

The registration period for the competition has been moved to May to boost local commerce and encourage greater participation. This year, the jury will visit during the Hogueras festival. The competition runs from May 24 to June 2.

Permanent commercial establishments located on the ground floor, whose main activity is retail or hospitality, can participate by submitting their application electronically.

Participating commercial and hospitality businesses must be decorated and open to the public from June 9 to 25. A maximum of 20 finalists will be selected, with the jury visiting during Hogueras from June 16 to 19, and the winners announced in the last week of June.

Participants must send two photographs of their decorated shop windows for the competition between June 9 and 11, indicating the competing establishment in the subject line. The jury's decision will be announced between June 20 and 27.

The competition offers a first prize of €3,000, a second prize of €2,000, and ten third prizes, each worth €1,000. The Councillor for Commerce, Lidia López, encouraged "all shopkeepers to get excited and dress their windows festively to enhance the city, boost consumption, and experience the Hogueras atmosphere from early June, a sentiment that unites us all in this city."

In total, these 12 prizes will recognise the involvement, effort, and originality of our shopkeepers' designs. The jury will also evaluate the originality of the materials used and the incorporation of elements from the commercial activity itself in the decoration.

López highlighted the competition, noting that "each year the level is higher, making it more challenging to select the finalists because the decorations are well-crafted and of high quality and originality. We hope to continue increasing participation in this special edition, which is now a fixture in the festive calendar after four years."

The councillor emphasised that "our commerce plays a very prominent role in the city's life, and with these awards, we aim not only to reward the effort they make throughout the year by opening their doors daily but also to bring the festival closer to them, making them participants and serving as an additional incentive to promote the commercial sector and encourage purchases from the thousands of visitors and tourists who come to enjoy the Hogueras."