FESTIVALS OF ALCANTARILLA
Each year the City takes to contest the poster of the Festival just like at Easter time. Currently known as the May Festival and declared of Tourist Interest in the Region of Murcia, the event also became a good occasion for the selection of the Night of Folk Songs young artists.
In preparation for the holidays, in mid-March, the adult and child version of the Queen are chosen from more than forty candidates. Each of the participating groups presents their candidates for the competition. The festival lasts for almost the entire month of May and a large medieval market is installed, taking visitors back to the time of the Inquisition and witchcraft period.
During the entire month of May, a variety of religious events, parades, concerts and shows get displayed. A large amusement park gets installed in the main campus of these events, where the little and not so little ones can enjoy the different attractions, shooting or raffles, etc.
Other highlights include: the opening speech acts, always delivered by a popular and intellectual character from either the local television or radio field, as was the case of Carolina Cerezuela in 2008 or the Morancos in 2009, la Noche de la Copla (the Night of Folk Songs), la Caza y el Juicio a la Bruja (the Hunting and Trial of the Witch) and la Ofrenda de Flores a la Virgen (the Flower offering tribute to the Virgin) which is normally held the last Friday of May. Other events included in the framework of the celebrations are: the prestigious "Villa de Alcantarilla" International Folklore Festival, the” International Tango Festival” and the "Alkantara -Villa" Humor Festival, with annual participation of famous national comedians. Besides, by night there are free concerts by top artists like: Luis Fonsi, Miguel Bosé, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Melendi, Andy and Luke, Carlinhos Brown, Alaska, among others. All concerts are free of charge every year.
And almost announcing the end of the festival, a wonderful parade takes place on the streets, with participation of troupes, groups and companies of floats and over twenty coaches from all over Spain, distributing hundreds of thousands of toys. Each of the groups has a large carriage full of toys, which is halfway refilled to continue delivering to kids.
So far , these are the main federated groups participating in the festivities : "Azabache" "El Chache y sus Sobrinos", "Zeus", "Santa Inquisición", "Atenea", "Veintitantos", "Los Duendes", "Los Que Faltaban", "El Clavel", "El Barco", "Akelarre", "Los Magos", "Los Brujos", "La Cosa Nostra", "El Hechizo", "La Hermandad", "Baco", "Mandrágoras", "Piscis", "Sacro Imperio" y "Draco" .
The festivities end the morning of the last Sunday in May, when events culminate with "Quema de la Bruja" (the Burning of the Witch). Thousands of people crowd around a large cardboard witch, who had been sought and judged all along celebrations (Hunting and Trial of the Witch) and that burns down putting an end to the holidays and leaving behind a pretty impressive fireworks display.
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