Festivities delight and engagement unfold in shared celebration.
Festivals delight us and if they pause, they welcome rest, and if they choose to have fun, they will. After two years of isolation, there is a renewed wish to restore warmth and communal energy. The festival will feel fresh and be shaped by a mood of fulfillment, with shared references that unite or bring citizens together. Above all, the harmony of taste and community ensures that everything important rises from thoughtful design, emotion, and collective participation. A festival allows individuals to recognize and feel that they are part of a larger group, a broad community or family, connected by common rhythms that recur over time. The ritualization of action, the essence patented as festa, becomes a space, a street or ornate square; a time that begins with bells or musical calls; a ritual such as dance that enacts the group’s feeling, legitimacy, and continuity, including parades and processions. The whole event creates a collective, palpable sensation—a sense of belonging in motion. The defense of Festa is to live it fully. Let us experience it together.
There is strength in social energy, built spontaneously from shared appetites. Yet there are temptations to instrumentalize the festival, to bend it toward specific interests. Political interests, for instance; the ongoing discussion about mascletades in the plaza reveals tensions between local authorities and higher governance, with traditional figures such as the mayor, the bishops or priests, local councilors, the military, and the Civil Guard at the center of the stage. In front of the process or festival, everyone—citizens, sponsors, contributors—participates, while signaling values that can feel out of step with modern democratic life, as if life itself were stratified by hierarchy.
It is now reported that Festival, Fogueres, stood at a critical juncture around mid-June, following commentary by a newspaper editor: “A Rich Fiesta, a Poor Bonfire.” The current bonfire model faces a severe economic squeeze that could reduce the number of monuments, perhaps to five or six, and may even endanger many bonfires next year. The editor notes that the economic impact extends beyond producers or consumers; taxi rides, bars and neighborhood restaurants, shops, and distant beer makers all rely on the festival economy. The question becomes: how should such costs be arranged so that benefits, estimated at hundreds of millions for the city, are distributed—and who should bear them? The broader point is clear: the festival economy must be structured to sustain the cultural and civic benefits it creates for the whole community.
Still, one must consider the practical side, such as the first midsummer gathering of Sant Joan at Postiguet. If the beach layout limits time for celebration, plans must adapt accordingly. In Alicante, concerns over water safety and crowd management shape what becomes a new tradition: a Sant Joan swim that welcomes the season all year round. This adaptability shows how communities turn initiatives into lasting rituals, even when conditions change. The day unfolds with mobile gatherings in meeting halls or improvised shelters, while people connect with a revived sense of identity and shared memory. The evenings might feature festive meals, with the spirit of Sant Joan guiding gatherings, feasts, and a bountiful table. It is common to recall springtime treats and seasonal sweets, from traditional pastries to regional specialties, with lighter or heavier fare depending on the local culture. When shared foods and customs come together, the sense of continuity deepens.
The underlying truth remains straightforward: the festival’s heart comes from sincerity and from the genuine participation of everyone involved. The community speaks through its traditions, and those traditions are kept alive by real engagement, not by empty spectacle. In essence, the festival lives through the people, their stories, and their willingness to join in—a shared expression that keeps the celebration meaningful and alive.