New Duration for Alicante's Hogueras Mascletàs, Fireworks Venue Still Uncertain

The City Council has responded to the complaints and persistence of pyrotechnics and has decided to modify the timing of the mascletàs competition of the Alicante Hogueras. Thus, it has reduced the minimum duration of the shows to be evaluated by the jury.

This is one of the major changes for the upcoming pyrotechnic competition of the Alicante Hogueras, adding to the uncertainty about where the fireworks displays will be held after the main days of the city's official festivities.

The announcement for the hiring of these shows, in lots as usual, leaves in the air the return to Cocó beach or maintaining the displays on the Muelle 12 flyover, where it was held last June due to the battle between the City Council and the Government's General Directorate of Coasts over the breakwater works.

In this second case, the Department of Festivities will award the fireworks displays and then communicate "as soon as possible" the location from which the shows will take place. This way, pyrotechnic companies will have up to ten days to submit their projects and receive the corresponding authorization.

The calendar of the mascletàs competition will follow its usual course for the Alicante Hogueras 2026. The displays will take place from June 18 to 24 in Luceros Square, in the circle surrounding the Bañuls monument between Alfonso el Sabio and Estación avenues with General Marvá.

Each mascletà will have a budget of 8,500 euros and will feature a gunpowder load ranging from a minimum of 80 kilos to a maximum of 150 kilos.

The main novelty for the competition is the timing of the mascletàs. All of them will have a maximum duration of seven minutes to be evaluated by the jury. However, the minimum time changes to five minutes, thirty seconds less than in previous editions, something demanded by pyrotechnic companies.

The winning shot of the mascletàs competition of the Alicante Hogueras will receive a prize of one thousand euros.

After the main days of the Alicante Hogueras, the nights of fireworks by the sea arrive. For this new 2026 edition, the competition still does not know the shooting location of these displays. This is the main uncertainty so far.

As reiterated by the Councillor for Festivities, Cristina Cutanda, after last year's controversy, these will be held in front of the coast. However, everything points to the expected return of the competition to Cocó beach.

The fireworks of the Alicante Hogueras will be launched during the nights of June 25 to 29, the last dedicated to San Pedro.

Each show will last 15 minutes, excluding the three warnings, and will have a maximum gunpowder load of 350 kilos. Regarding the budget, the displays will cost 19,000 euros, and the winner of the competition will receive 2,000 euros.

At midnight from June 24 to 25, the nit de la cremà will continue with the traditional palm tree from the Santa Bárbara castle. Companies interested in acquiring this lot of the pyrotechnic shows contract must include at least one thousand imperial rockets in their offers.

In this way, it is intended that the white color of the artifacts creates the intense tear effect, for a minimum time of 18 seconds. This shot will announce the cremà, which will start at midnight with the official bonfires and the first district turn.

The palm tree from the castle will have between 75 and 99 kilos of gunpowder, which must create a minimum radius of 300 meters in diameter at the time of the explosion. The budget is 7,000 euros.