The Bonfires of Alicante Adjust Their Million-Euro Budget with an Eye on the Proclamation

Las Hogueras de Alicante fully immerse themselves in the new festive year with the presentation of the Federation's annual budget. The official festival governing body of the city will bring its financial forecast to this Thursday's assembly for a vote by the districts, paving the way towards next June.

The Federation of Les Fogueres de Sant Joan has drafted a budget amounting to 1,041,920.85 euros, with numerous adjustments across its various allocations after experiencing the first year of management under David Olivares. This has allowed them to "be realistic" in different areas and adjust the amount of expenses and income across various blocks and activities.

In terms of income, the vice president of the economic area, María Ribelles, highlights the entry of new sponsors for the next fiscal year. She also explains that they have anticipated hypothetical scenarios, such as a possible loss of the Generalitat's subsidy, understanding that after the DANA that hit Valencia on October 29, "the situation is not favorable for certain allocations" in case of potential cuts.

However, these words are "assumptions" that have allowed the budget to be adjusted to celebrate the Bonfires festival, as well as all the preliminary events, with complete normality. This is the case of the proclamation parade, in which the Generalitat financed - outside the 25,000-euro subsidy - a thousand musicians for the 'Music for a Festival' event and also the fireworks display after the celebration. "We have increased the allocation in case we have to cover expenses," adjusting others based on their first economic report.

Ribelles maintains that a meeting with the Generalitat to assess regional participation in this 'Inici de la Festa' event has not yet been held, nor have the subsidies been convened yet, but the Federation anticipates and covers, in this budget, the expenses that may arise to hold the events. "One way or another, we will make it happen, and there are also interested companies," emphasizing that if the aid finally arrives, they will invest it.

Thus, the proclamation parade has a budget of 21,500 euros compared to 15,000 from the previous year, also incurring an expense in the closing accounts report of 21,799.93 euros; the same applies to the proclamation festival, which will have a budget of 23,000 euros compared to 10,000 last year, with a final expense of 27,333.83 euros. This is "a forecast" subject to increase depending on new sponsors.

Other income forecasts that also increase include the election festival of the bellea del foc of Alicante, which expects to obtain a total of 65,900 euros in income, as well as the Fogueres Fest with 15,000 euros, the proclamation festival with 12,000 euros, and the artistic contest - the playbacks - with 41,500 euros. All these allocations have increased over 2023, in terms of income, in the budget by adjusting the accounts concerning the economic report of the previous year.

The forecast for income also increases in the ninot exhibition with 12,400 euros, in the 'Festa de Fogueres' magazine with 27,800 euros, as well as promotional spaces with 39,200. Sponsors have an income allocation of 200,000 euros pending agreements with upcoming incorporations to increase the balance, they explain in response to this newspaper's questions. As for subsidies, the budget maintains the municipal one at 450,000 euros and the provincial ones, with 105,000 euros from the Costa Blanca Tourism Board and 10,000 euros from the Provincial Council.

The economic vice president of the Federation of Les Fogueres de Sant Joan, María Ribelles, also points to the expenditure section in the annual budget, which reveals an adjustment compared to the previous year after experiencing a first "realistic year" that has allowed them to closely understand - through the economic closure - all the details of the activities carried out and, with it, increase or reduce allocations based on forecasts.

The first management expense section has a forecast of 142,200 euros, an increase compared to the 133,000 from the previous year, which finally closed with 152,933.07 euros. The largest amount in this block falls on the official attire of the belleas del foc and their dames d'honor with 53,000 euros for their dresses, accessories, and complements.

In the second section, the promotional trips of the Bonfires and to others remain unchanged; as is the case in the block of collaborations with associates that includes collective insurance, the electricity consumption of the barracas, buses, and travel. It is here that the allocation for district belleas presentations decreases, as Ribelles explains, this year the events have been grouped into different time slots on the same days, with a calendar organization that allows cost reduction by sharing stage and resources.

The budget for the mascletàs, within the expenditure and advertising section, is also reduced to 45,000 euros compared to the 112,648.57 marked in the closing of the fiscal year. The vice president of the Federation clarifies that many commissions have expressed their intentions to carry out fireworks throughout the year - with a view to participating in the next pyrotechnics gala - and, therefore, it has been decided not to saturate the calendar with more dates of the 'Pòlvora tot l'any' cycle, which will feature nine shows, some of them outside the competition as they are sponsored. The reduction also goes beyond gunpowder, as other formulas for lunches and infrastructures are agreed upon.

Other expenses in the Federation's budget that have also undergone modifications include the artistic contest, which increases from 25,000 euros last year to 37,100 for this ongoing edition, the Fogueres Fest is reduced to 18,000 euros, the election of the bellea del foc increases to 105,000 euros, eight thousand more than in the previous year's budget; while the candidates' gala and the proclamation are reduced to 30,000 and 19,000 respectively, the band contest increases its investment by 4,500 euros compared to 2,000, and the ninot exhibition decreases to 3,800 euros.