Fire, powder, music, decoration, exhibition and spectacle are consubstantial aspects of festivals in our region, which for centuries have been organised to be held in the street, together with local people and visitors, since the sense of hospitality and the open invitation to participate in the festivities make them social events celebrated throughout all the towns and cities in the region.
Among the innumerable number of festivals and feasts, there are some that have been declared festivals of International Tourist Interest.
The greatest festival is the Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of St John the Baptist) with the most events taking place between 19 and 24 June. In every corner of the city, decorations and artistic monuments are 'planted', made up of different materials on a wooden frame, which make poetic, ironic and mocking allusions to present-day life or to aspects specific to Alicante and the Mediterranean.
In Elche, the most important is El Misteri, or Festa d' Elx, the most genuine sign of identification of the city, is a sung dramatisation of mediaeval origin which relates the story of the Dormition, Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin Mary. The work is divided into two acts: the Vespra (Eve), which is performed on the 14 August and Dia de la Mare de Déu, performed on the 15 August. The venue for this play is the baroque Basilica of St Mary, which is considered very appropriate for this event.
