Forty-One Nominations Compete for 'Festers d'Alacant' Awards

Alicante boasts a rich and diverse festive culture, including Bonfires, Moors and Christians, traditional and neighbourhood festivals. On November 20, this vibrant culture will be honoured with the 'Festers d'Alacant' awards at the Teatro Principal.

Forty-one nominations have been submitted for these awards across various categories. Moors and Christians, with eleven entries, combining individual and collective categories, and the Federation of Festive Associations in Neighbourhoods and Districts (Fafba), with the same number, are the top contenders. They are followed by Bonfires with nine, Traditional with six, and Holy Week with four.

The jury members will meet next week to review all the submitted nominations and select three finalists for each category and modality. These finalists will receive the award statuettes during a ceremony scheduled for Monday, November 17, at the Blue Hall of the Alicante City Hall.

The trajectory of the nominated individuals or groups, or the achievement of a milestone or recent significant event, will be among the elements considered by the jury when making their decision. The jury will consist of Alicante City Council members, representatives from the city's various festivals, present at the Gala, and two individuals with a recognised track record in Alicante's festive scene. The awards will include an artistic trophy for each category and modality.

Mayor Luis Barcala will announce the winner of the "José Ángel Guirao Award" at the end of the Gala, in memory of the late festero who passed away in 1998. This award will not have nominations as it is exclusively decided by the City Council, as has been the tradition since the first edition of these distinctions.

The XIX 'Festers d'Alacant' Gala returns to the Teatro Principal after a six-year hiatus. It was last held in March 2019. Two years later, it was hosted for the first time at the Town Hall Square on November 14, as a posthumous tribute to the festeros who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, on November 18, it was moved, also for the first time, to the Alicante Provincial Auditorium (ADDA).