Home Transp ort We at he r S IM Ca rd s Spain Place s What t o Do Money Thing s To K now

F e s t i va l s Be ache s Alicante Airport

Alicante About
Your Guide to Alicante [By an Alicantinian]

···

Alicante Bonfires – A Guide to the Hogueras de CATEGORIES

San Juan Festival

Airport
During Las Hogueras de San Juan -or The Bonfires of Saint John- everyone is welcome to
Beaches
celebrate a particular Midsummer-originated festival with unusual events and activities.
Festivals

Money

Monuments

Places

SIM Cards Spain

Things To Know

Transport

Weather

What to Do

RECENT POSTS

Alicante or Ibiza –
Differences and
Nuances. Choose
Wisely

Alicante or Valencia
to Visit and Live

Alicante Bonfires – A
Guide to the
Hogueras de San
Juan Festival

Santa Faz Pilgrimage

Party
Mounting a Hoguera in Alicante
Easter in Alicante:
Centuries of Cultural
Las Hogueras de San Juan -The Bonfires of Saint John- is a festival in Alicante celebrated Heritage
with gigantic bonfires made of satirical sculptures, party, gunpowder crackers, water,
music, traditions, food and sun. On the 19th of June, the bonfires are mounted and on
the night of the 24th, burned.

English

Download 2023 Hogueras Guide and Schedule

(Guide elaborated by hogueras.es)

Check the special TRAM night service during Hogueras

There is a lot to know about the bonfires festival, celebrated following history and traditions but
also with a lot of parties.

The Bonfires
The main attraction of Las Hogueras (or Les Foguers in Valenciano) -The Bonfires- is the actual
bonfires.

In Alicante, the hogueras are satiric sculptures made of flammable material. It is usually a mix of
wood, white cork, cardboard and other materials that can be easily burned.

A big Hoguera in Alicante as tall as several floors

   -1:25
 
Cala Mijas Festival 2023 | Live Stream, Lineup, and Tickets Info
There are hundreds of bonfires distributed around the city -not only in the city centre-. Each
Hoguera has its own central theme and several sub-themes in the smaller figures and dioramas.
The topics can be politics, current affairs -such as wars or global warming- or health to name a
few examples. The art communication approach is usually satirical.

The Hogueras are paid by neighbours associated with Barracas or Racos (more of this below)
except for the Bonfire in the city hall –Hoguera Oficial– that is paid using taxpayers’ funds.

Hogueras Infantiles
The Hogueras Infantiles -children’s bonfires- are the smaller bonfires nearby the main ones.
Each barraca or raco (neighbours associations) have to build a hoguera for the children too.

···

A R IO
ACU
COMUNICACIÓN
VISTA

LUMINOSOS

LETRASCORPÓREAS
SERAEnCA

STARILASS
ROTULACIÓN
VERÍCULOs

Terradepor
Children’s Bonfire in Florida Neighbourhood

This is a great way to involve the youngsters in the festivity as the associations have also a figure
called Bellea -beauty- and the Bellea Infantil -or children’s beauty- that have a key role in the
traditions, for example, bringing the spark that will burn the bonfire on the last day of the
festival. More of this is below.

On the last day of the festival, the bonfires are burned by the firefighters in an event called La
Banya and -again- more of this is below.

Hogueras Categories
Each Hoguera monument is in a category based on the budget and other characteristics. The
most impressive bonfires can be as tall as a 3 or 4 floors building and they are Categoria
Especial or special category.

···

There are usually 6 categories plus the special, so 7 in total. They compete with the other
monuments in their categories. The Hoguera at the city hall is paid with taxpayers’ money and it
is as big as a Hoguera Especial but does not participate in the contest.

The following photo is an example of a special category hoguera:

Special category Hoguera in Alicante

Versus an example of another adult hoguera of the 5th category:

Hoguera in the 5th category in Alicante

It is clear the size difference, hence the creation costs are different too and the category follows
the same logic.

On the 20th of June, all hogueras must finish the mounting –la planta– and on the 22nd of
June, the prizes are given.

Banner with the prizes achieved by a Hoguera in Alicante

As you can understand from the picture above, each hoguera comettee compites in different
prizes: the best hoguera (arguably the most important prize), the satirical critics in the
monuments, the best children’s hogueras or the best street illumination to name a few.

The city hall runs a bus to visit all the categoria especial hogueras during the festivity week that
is free. Some stops are a few minutes away from the hoguera while others are very close to it.

Barracas, Racos and La Fiesta

Hogueras are about the party, so next to each hoguera monument, there is a Barraca or Raco,
which are similar and both are generally called Barraca.

Both of them are in the middle of the streets. The roads get closed to cars so members can sit at
tables with their friends for food and drinks, dance to DJ or band music and enjoy the festivities
together.

Entrance to a Barraca Durng Hogueras Alicante

The difference between barracas and racos is the type of membership to the hoguera
association. While barraca’s members participate in all-year-round hogueras’ events and
decisions, the raco’s members join the party only during the main days 19-24 of June.

Also, many barracas are fenced and the access is somehow protected while racos are open to
anyone joining the dance floor -but not the table as you and your friends need to pay a table’s
renting fee-.

To add more confusion, not all racos have dining tables so they are essentially music clubs.

Free entrance raco in Alicante Hogueras

Barracas also have beautiful and artistic entrances that get also burned on the last night of
Hogueras.

So Where is La Fiesta During Hogueras?

La Fiesta happens all around Alicante. Roads are closed to cars so racos and barracas pop
up literally all around the city. The centre is where a bigger concentration of fiesta in barracas
and racos happens.

We earlier said the racos are open to anyone. There are several racos with permission from the
city hall to be open to anyone in Alicante but a few can charge a ticket fee to enter.

For example, in Avenida de Federico Soto, there is -usually- an open to all raco with pachanga -a
commonly heard Spanish music at festivals-. If you like drum and bass the raco in front of
Bomberos plays this type of music all night.

Las Mascletas
A mascleta is 5:30 to 7 minutes -mainly- sound spectacle based on loud pyrotechnic crakers. In
Alicante, there is a show every day at 2 pm at Plaza de los Luceros during Hogueras. The
different pyrotechnics companies compete in a contest that values the amount and types of
crackers and rhythms on the firing, among other characteristics.

Mascletas can be very loud, and some flying crackers can be heard miles away from Luceros.
Streets around the plaza gets usually very busy during the spectacle and it is quite loud. For the
newer people, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially when the wind brings the powder smoke
to you.

If it is going to be your first mascleta and you are a bit sensitive to noise the best is to watch and
hear it from afar. A good place to watch the mascleta where it is less overwhelming is on
Escaleras de Jorge Juan.

Mascleta Hogueras Festival from Escaleras Jorge Juan

Share

More videos

6:01 / 7:21

Mascleta From Escaleras del Jorge Juan

La Crema and la Palmera

On the last night of the festivity, on the 24th of June, when the burning of the bonfires takes
place. This is called La Crema or “the burning”.

The Crema officially starts at 12 am on the 24th, so the night from the 24th to the 25th. A
firework from Santa Barbara Castle with the shape of a palm tree gives the official start to la
Crema.

···