Cabo Roig Party planned for St Patrick’s Day
Summer is on its way, but in Cabo Roig, the first is not the swallows returning from their winter migration but the annual Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.
In addition to the parade this year there will be a craft market in the car park beside the Medical Centre on both Saturday and Sunday, a Wild West Show across at The Depot as well as FREE face painting dotted up and down the strip.
Those who arrive early will probably get parked around La Regia Park opposite El Gato, on the side streets of La Regia, and in old Cabo Roig near the beaches, but don’t leave it too late as the spaces will be filled up very quickly.
Remember, on Saint Patrick’s Day everybody is Irish, no matter where you are from. The festivities will begin in earnest at 1pm with a big shoot out at the Depot although many people will forgo the gunfight to get themselves seated by 2pm on the terraces of the bars and restaurants around the two-kilometre parade route. The best spots are usually found at the medical centre end of the “Strip”.
As Saint Patrick’s Day falls on a Sunday this year there will be FREE face painting for children aged between 0 and 100. You can have shamrocks or tricolours painted on your face or your forehead from 1pm in three different locations, between Milo’s and Peter Pan’s, near Banco Sabadell and over the road at the Depot. It is reported that Anna and Elsa from Frozen will be doing some of the face painting in person.
This Saint Patrick’s Day Parade is the 9th to be held in Cabo Roig and it has become world famous, so famous in fact that it is the best in Spain and mainland Europe and the 9th best in the world according to Mister Google. 2019’s parade will be bigger and more spectacular than ever before. We may even get moved up to 8th place after this year’s parade as there will be more dancers, more floats, more activities, more cartoon characters, more bands and much more fun.
Some think that the parade “Just Happens,” but it doesn’t, local businesses contribute their time, talents, efforts and 15,000€ to make this fun event happen every year. They run fundraising events all year around to build up the kitty so as this happy day can be a reality for the very nearly 10,000 spectators that attend the event.
Probably the most vital person in running a successful Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Cabo Roig is Sofia Alvarez, councillor for Tourism and also foreign residents in the Orihuela town hall. Each year she organizes the necessary permissions, police assistance, barriers, advertising, some performers, posters, scarfs, stage, seating etc. Without her help and support the Parade just wouldn’t happen.
This year’s Grand Marshall is world-famous Irish Boxer and film star, Big Joe Egan, originally from Ringsend in Dublin. Once called ‘the world’s hardest man’ by Mike Tyson a full bio on Joe will be printed in a special newspaper for Saint Patrick’s Day and the Irish Pub and Grub Crawl. This free newspaper will be available in all the best places from 4th March.
