The good weather encouraged Santa Claus and many of his helpers to stay a little longer on the Orihuela Costa, as thousands of people, largely expats, gathered at La Zenia Beach to celebrate Christmas Day along with family and friends, in the traditional macro-party that saturates the sandy beach of Cala Bosque.
The event, where revellers meet to enjoy barbecue lunches, a tipple or two, and the good weather, is carried out without permission from either Costas or the Municipal Council, with both organisations turning a ‘blind eye’ to the event, although this year, with a large police presence, revellers were prevented from spreading out onto the protected dunes.
But as happens every year, the good weather encouraged thousands of Santa Clauses to spend a day at the beach to enjoy the holiday with friends and family at an event that had such humble beginnings, with, over 20 years ago, just a dozen musicians from the ‘Just Brass’ concert band gathering to play a few Christmas carols.
In those early days there were no more than a couple of hundred people who got together for an hour or so before dispersing to their homes for a traditional Christmas dinner. Now the numbers have expanded beyond all expectations, with the party rivalling practically any similar celebration held across the world.
In the words of the local council, “it is a ‘spontaneous’ event,” which simply means that it is carried out without the necessary permission. They are concerned that if they approached the General Director of Coasts, seeking the necessary authorities, the government body would turn them down, because of the proximity of the celebrations to the protected dunes, although the presence of local police would surely ensure that would not be the case.
In reality, permission is not even requested, because it is a spontaneous party at which, predominantly, the numerous foreign residents of Orihuela Costa take advantage of the weather to celebrate Christmas Day, where there is no shortage of barbecues, food to eat or music to enjoy and, with the most daring taking dip in the sea, their last of the year.
Although the revellers are predominantly British, in recent years they are being joined by Germans and Scandinavians, and increasingly there are many more Spaniards taking part in the celebrations.
Attendees inundate the 27,000 square metres of Cala Bosque beach, which the authorities say can comfortably accommodate around 5,000 people, and, in addition, this event also fills the hospitality establishments along the promenade, which are no doubt grateful for the business.
This year there was an extensive deployment of Policia Locale to prevent incidents, the occupation of the beach dunes, and to regulate traffic, but they were largely untroubled, and the day went off without incident.
Thus, dressed in Santa Claus costumes and with the kitchen sink in tow, each family or group of friends descended on the beach looking for a space in which to pitch their chairs, tables and barbecues, to spend Christmas Day in a very different way, in remembrance of a day more similar to that experienced during the summer.
Some opted for grilled meats and burgers, others for sandwiches, and some for picnics, using leftover food from Christmas Eve, but eating is the least important thing in this spontaneous party in which the objective is to socialise with family and friends, and simply to have a day of fun.
With temperatures around 20 degrees, there were many who braved the water in their bathing suits, most without removing their Santa hat. The picture of so many people is still very strange, and every year the involvement of people in this curious macro-festival is seen to grow.
On the downside, the accesses to the area suffered massive traffic delays, which extended to the La Zenia roundabout on the N-332. The main accesses routes were closed from 10 in the morning, with a large Local Police presence to control traffic. Many had to park more than a kilometre from the coast, although the hundreds who attend regularly know what to expect, arriving much earlier to set up their plots.
Given the impact and size of the gathering, many people are now beginning to question the fact that Costas does not act when these events are known to be going ahead.
The Local Police and the Civil Guard do deploy special patrols, however, but as there is no official organiser, nor official request to Costas regarding the granting of use of Cala Bosque beach for this activity, no one is responsible for the event or for the impact it may have.
Many of the activities that take place on the beach are prohibited by the Coastal Law without prior authorisation, such as making fires for barbecues, although most avoid them being located directly on the sand.
There is also a dune system on this very sensitive beach, which the Council and the Ministry are recovering. In fact, the Orihuela Local Police were very careful this year to protect the dune area so that no one could gain access.
Will the event be organised next year?
Just two weeks ago, residents from Orihuela Costa came together to create the first festival commission, whose objective will be to organise different celebrations and events on the Orihuela coast, including this macro festival.
The recently created Orihuela Costa Festival Commission intends to get involved in the organisation of the event, providing toilets, security and the corresponding permits from the Coastal Directorate. However, although Costas has a passive attitude towards the event, there could be the situation that, if an organiser asks for formal permission to hold the macro-party, it will be denied.
One thing that the council does arrange, however, is for the beach to be cleaned following the event, with the municipal cleaning services collecting the waste that it generates, although it must be recognised that the vast majority of those who do attend this spontaneous event usually collect their own waste, which they take away with them, leaving the area they have occupied clean and tidy.
Images courtesy: Facebook
