Is it strange to shoot a mascletà in Madrid? Maybe. But despite the indignation of defenders of essences and the skepticism of those who think that folklore travels poorly, the truth is that the relocation of popular festivals is widespread. And in Alicante there are some examples of success, such as the Oktober Fest in Calp, or the one that will take place today, Sunday the 17th in Cabo Roig, on the Orihuela coast: the great St. Patrick’s parade.
In fact, there is no St.Patrick’s Day more crowded than New York. Without much history or popularity, among other things because the population in the area is barely around 3,000 people, the Alicante festival nevertheless deserves the attention of the country of origin and is, according to the Irish Independent newspaper, “one of the most lively and colorful in Europe”. Last year the parade attracted 25,000 people.
The figure is considerable, taking into account that last year marked the return after the pandemic and the tradition is recent, since it was in 2011 when two friends from the town of Tubbercurry, in the Irish county of Sligo, dared to put in place the festive “branch” of Cabo Roig is underway.
Today, aware of its impact and the crowd that needs to be “managed”, the managers of the Orihuela town council have collaborated with the organization, as the councilor for Orihuela Costa, Manuel Mestre, explains: “It is a very important event, so from the first When this community contacted us, we have always been willing to support them.
“We have supported by preparing the entire route of the parade and participated with merchandising, posters, etc.,” explains the mayor. And, in response to repeated requests from the organizers of the Saint Patrick’s parade, concrete measures have been taken to improve the environment of the event, “we have made a cut of palm trees that has not been done for a long time,” he said. .
This year, prominent personalities will participate, including Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher, a veteran politician, member of Fianna Fáil, who served more than 25 years in the Irish Parliament and 10 years in the European Parliament.
The parade, which will begin on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Cabo Roig, will feature more than 50 former members of the Irish army, as well as floats, dance groups, motorcycles, vintage cars and a variety of characters and musical bands. , “making it one of the most vibrant in Europe.”
In the report published by The Irish Independent after last year’s event, the organizers congratulated themselves on the success: “the local police were fantastic and praised us for organizing such a good and safe day, with the shops open from 10 a.m. morning until 4 a.m. the next day,” Kearney said.
Despite the length of the schedule – and the renowned devotion to beer that we associate with such a celebration – “not a single complaint was filed with the local police as in previous events. The young and old are taken care of, the only thing they have “What to do is have fun.”
“Anyone who wants to join us from Ireland is very welcome and we are trying to increase the number of participants, as well as welcome Irish groups who want to participate,” he concluded.