MANY ACROSS Spain have been celebrating the fiestas of San Juan which begins with traditional beach parties with people straddling and jumping over small bonfires, and culminates with many cities burning the famous Hogueras the following evening.
These traditions are also celebrated in Almeria and after the activities of the weekend prompted the Mayor, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, to highlight the “normality and tranquillity” of the event and to complement the “exemplary” behaviour of the Almerians.
He went on to say that there has been a real sense of fun and enjoyment shared by all that have come to the area and have filled the beaches.
“There have been so many highlights and we should all celebrate this as good news. The good weather that accompanied the day has certainly helped and the climax of the firework display from the castle was the perfect ending.”
Mayor Fernández-Pacheco also wanted to “thank the work done by all the people who have participated in the San Juan fiestas, around two hundred, contributing with their hard work and professionalism so that everything went smoothly.”
As with any major fiesta there is a major cleaning-up operation and this year was no different. Supervised personally by the head of Municipal Services, Juan José Alonso, it got underway at 0600 on the Saturday morning enabling everything to be returned to normal and allow people to enjoy the beaches over the weekend.
An incredible 30,500 kilos of rubbish was removed from the beaches.