Just two years shy of its centenary, the massive festival of the Hogueras de San Juan spreads across all districts of the city of Alicante. There are 92 existing commissions, but some neighborhoods still maintain a calm during the celebration of the great ceremony of gunpowder and fire that keeps them isolated from the festive bustle, among them, La Albufereta.
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There must be some reason why, except for the brief experience in 1981 and 1982, the residents of this peaceful neighborhood – the Colonia Romana – created around the ruins of the archaeological site of the ancient Lucentum, privileged by the proximity of the beach of the same name, which attracts thousands of tourists in the summer season, have so far preferred to stay out of it.
The Foguera of 1981 bore a motto that sounds prophetic 45 years later: ‘The problems of La Albufereta’; the one from 1982, by Antonio Asensi, was called ‘By the Sea’, and old photos show that it was there, right on the beach. Since then, never again. Nor is it necessary to travel far to experience the festival, argue those who prefer everything to remain as it has been. The Hoguera of La Condomina and that of Avenida Costa Blanca are very close and would be happy to welcome new members.
The Foguera of 1981 bore a motto that sounds prophetic 25 years later: ‘The problems of La Albufereta’
The rejection by much of the neighborhood to the new Hoguera, even if modest and of sixth category, is evident: banners hang from many windows, many residents confirm when asked, and more than 400 signatures of opposition have already been collected.
But the protest might have remained a mere tantrum from those who view the festival with displeasure, which there are in this and every neighborhood of any city, if it were not because, when looking for a location for the adult and children’s monuments, with the corresponding racó and hospitality setup, neither the Federació de Fogueres nor the Alicante City Council have had, as they themselves admit, the necessary good judgment.
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The first proposal was to locate the new Hoguera La Albufereta in the parking lot of the municipal sports center. Many were shocked to see the proximity to the archaeological site located a few meters away, in the Tossal de Manises, and “protected” by the trees of the park named after the Swedish archaeologist Solveig Nordström. Aside from the regulation that prohibits making fire near a forested area, it is surprising that no one realized the obvious fire risk in such a delicate area of great historical and heritage value. The solution offered was no better.
The City Council thought that moving the location to the Flora de España road, farther from current homes and the old Roman stones, would solve the problem. But the neighbors warned that this alternative site is near an area classified as high fire risk, which, in their opinion, conflicts with regional regulations that prohibit making fire less than 100 meters from forest land or areas considered high fire risk, as well as the use of pyrotechnic material less than 500 meters away. The music goes elsewhere.
The neighbors warned that this alternative site is in a high fire risk area
And that place turns out to be the Tram park-and-ride lot next to the stop called, not by chance, Lucentum. It seems that in the rush no one realized that the parking lot is behind a senior residence (Ballesol) and not far from a care center for Alzheimer’s patients. Besides, in that location is the Torre Santiago – a Cultural Interest Asset that is part of the valuable network of huerta towers – and the obvious danger of Tram tracks (which is why the parking is there), where trams pass very frequently, since all Alicante tram lines run through Lucentum except line 2, which goes to Sant Vicent del Raspeig.
In short, the problem is far from solved when, naturally, the commission has already contracted and authorized not only the adult and children’s monuments but also the necessary electrical installation for a racó that, less than a month before the start of the festival, is still uncertain whether it will be next to the monument or at the other end of the neighborhood.
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