Fire Festival in Alicante! (Las Hogueras de San Juan 2010)

Six weeks in Alicante had been building up towards the Fire Festival Week of June 2010.

The city was transformed.  All around the city huge wood and paper maché structures (hogueras) were placed around the city center and suburbs, and next to each one an open-air cafe was put up, with tables and a stage where bands play called "barracas". These gorgeous hogueras were all BURNED TO THE GROUND on June 24th as part of the celebration!

All week long they had parades that lasted for hours, Spanish families in traditional dress, amazing food, music, and fireworks.

A group of my friends and I decided to take part in the celebration my dressing up as "Fire fairies", i.e., dress in all fiery red which would not only make us look cool, but would potentially help us meet guys. ;)

On the day of the burning of the hogueras, we made our way down the packed streets in our fire attire with the mission of getting to the beach to see the single huge palm-shape tree firework that would be launched into the sky to commence the evening and the burning of the sculptures.  We missed it.  6 of us screaming and yelling because the streets were too packed and we watched the firework from a skinny alleyway.  BUT, the burning started and we were determined to watch as many hogueras burn as possible.  The first one was amazing.  As soon as the one hoguera is burned up, the mission is to SPRINT to as many as possible and watch another burn to the ground, then another, etc.  

They are placed ALL over Alicante, so you literally have to run AND be strategic because the streets are PACKED so you need to go down small alleys that connect to the larger streets to catch the biggest hogueras burn.  I sprinted like I was being chased by the guy in Scream. 

At one point, I lost my friends because I had ran too far ahead and a group of 5 young Spanish guys started sprinting alongside me screaming "Rubia, rubia!" and "Let's run with the Rubia (blonde girl)" (Said in Spanish of course).

We had a blast.  At the end of each burning, firemen put the fire out and the crowd screams "Agua, agua" (Waaaaater, waaaaater!) and they get drenched with the hoses.

 

After watching about 5 sculptures get burned to the ground,  We made our way to the a packed beach with a pack of Spanish cervezas, sat on the beach and watched some crazed Spanish guy jump through fire pits which is apparently "tradition".   All-in-all, it was a beautiful night.