Spring events in Torrevieja

SPRING IS in the air and this May Bank Holiday weekend is the start of a new festive period in Torrevieja. Hundreds will be celebrating the Royal Wedding on Friday and the biggest local event is in the market square car park where Paul Cunningham Nurses are celebrating the day in style with market stalls, car boot sales, bouncy castles, penalty shoot out and at around noon, a display of classic cars to delight one and all.

Although Wills and Kate will be going to their wedding using actual Horse Power, the petrol driven variety will be also on display in Torrevieja at the Marina Salinas on Friday night from 8pm to 10pm, for the first Spring Noche del Coche event for which a beautiful sunny evening is predicted.

Entrance is free for both the public and the car owners. More information from Nick on 609063614 or Dave 697198939.

May 2 is a public holiday in Spain, so another chance to relax in the sunshine and don’t forget that Champions League Fever has hot Spain with Real Madrid and Barcelona fighting it out for a place in the final, possibly against Manchester United.

For those that want to savour the atmosphere, the Cinema IMF at the Ozone Centre is showing the semi-final live, admission is free but a €5 consumption charge for drinks or popcorn will admit you to ‘the game’.

European Day is celebrated throughout the European Union on 9 May each year.

This year, European Day falls on a Monday, and whilst Torrevieja shall celebrate in the main Plaza de Constitución in Torrevieja throughout the morning of Monday 9 May, other events are planned over the preceding weekend.

Starting off on Friday 6 May at 8.30pm, the specially formed “European All-Stars International Jazz Band” will take to the stage of the Palacio de la Música to offer ‘home grown’ international jazz music.

The band, whose members represent distinct European nationalities resident in Torrevieja, has been especially formed for this ‘one-off’ concert and promise to offer music, which is truly international, as well as ‘torrevejense’!

All of the musicians are local residents albeit hailing from various parts of Europe. Admission to this special European Day concert is a reasonable €5 and can be obtained in advance from the municipal ticket office (11.00-hrs to 13.00-hrs Tuesday to Friday inclusive) or ‘on the door’ from two hours before the concert starts.

In the ‘Jardin del Mediterraneo’ park, other European residents will be fighting for honours in the “8th Annual International (European Day)” petanque tournament.

Because of increased demand, the tournament will take place over two days with the prize giving ceremony scheduled for around lunchtime on Sunday 8 May.

From 10.30-hrs on Monday 9 May in the Plaza de la Constitución, ‘Torrevieja Pipes and Drums’ will announce the start of the European Day celebrations.

At 11.00-hrs, the traditional civic act will take place with the presence of the Mayor of Torrevieja, Don. Pedro Hernádez Mateo.

This, of course, will be one of Pedro’s last civic acts as Mayor of the town as he will not again be standing as a candidate for the municipal elections a couple of weeks later. The Mayor will be joined by representatives of the local European community who will offer their own interventions before the official raising of the E.U. flag to the ‘Hymn to Europe’.

European entertainment continues throughout the morning in the main town square with, for the first time in a European Day celebration, a display of the typically English folk dance, offered by the “Belles & Beaux Morris Dance Team”, who will be followed by a display of Spanish “Sevillanas” dance by a group of visitors from France.

From around 12.15 to the closing of the event at approximately 13.30-hrs, Irish folk group, “Bardoi” will take to the stage to offer a ‘taste of Ireland’ with their offering of favourite traditional Irish folk music with light-hearted “craic” to match.

All ‘European Day’ events are open to the public and Europeans of all nations, are warmly invited to join in this special celebration.

Time to bring out the diary and plan your days well. More information about events can be found in the Cultural Program Guide or by visiting Facebook and checking out Tourism Torrevieja.

Photo Video Spain and Photoevents.es will also be on hand to cover the event.

By Keith Nicol