Benidorm allocates 21,000 euros to collaborate with traditional, regional or neighborhood festivals in 2024

Benidorm City Council is going to allocate 21,000 euros to collaborate with festive entities in the city in the organization of traditional, regional or neighbourhood festivals throughout the year 2024. The Festival Councilor, Mariló Cebreros, has explained that the deadline for the submission of applications to qualify for this line of aid opened last Saturday, the 23rd, one day after the publication of the regulatory bases in the Official Gazette of the Province. Cebreros has also indicated that these bases establish 30 calendar days to complete this procedure, which is why she has encouraged interested entities to “present all the documentation required to be eligible” for them.

The mayor of Fiestas explained that the Local Government Board gave the green light to this call for aid on December 12, approving an expense of 21,000 euros to cover it as well as the bases that establish all the criteria for the concession.

Likewise, Cebreros has stated that with these subsidies, “we demonstrate once again our commitment to the festive entities of Benidorm and to those who are part of them,” while “we recognize the value that many of them have as a tourist attraction.”

This document recognizes as possible beneficiaries of this aid non-profit festive associations and entities legally constituted and registered in the Registry of Associations of the Benidorm City Council, which carry out festive activities in the municipality throughout the year 2024. Among the requirements to qualify for this aid, in addition, Cebreros has highlighted that entities must have a stable, active and public headquarters or delegation open to the public in Benidorm; have as express institutional purposes, according to its statutes and the characteristics of each entity, the carrying out of activities oriented to the festive activity and the promotion and promotion of tourism in the municipality; and be up to date with their tax obligations before December 31, 2023, concerning Benidorm City Council, Social Security and the Tax Agency itself, derived from any income.

Likewise, the rules of the call state that entities may not use the aid obtained to meet financial, notarial, expert or banking expenses of the entity itself, nor investment expenses; acquisition, construction, rehabilitation or improvement of inventory assets; expenses related to travel, subsistence allowances or travel expenses for the entity's personnel; the payment of taxes or personal income taxes; or the expenses derived from any type of works at the corporate headquarters or establishments of the entities, but its only possible use must be related to the organization of festive activities.

The Festival Councilor explained that the granting of this aid will be based on different criteria, within which the types of festivals to be subsidized will be divided according to five modalities. On the one hand, the 'Festivals of relevance in the Valencian Community', endowed with a total budget of 7,000 euros, of which no more than 2,000 euros can be opted for per entity, as long as they meet requirements such as holding parades, having music bands that parade through the streets of the municipality, have some pyrotechnic event, that the duration of the Festivities has a minimum of three days of activities; the installation of a characteristic representative element of the festival or having carried out its activities for more than 5 years.

The second modality will be that of the 'Regional Houses', with a total budget of 1,800 euros of which no more than 600 euros per entity will be eligible, which, among other things, will be required to hold a musical event for the neighbourhood; hold parades and gastronomic tastings; and have carried out its activities for more than 5 years.

In third place are the so-called 'Neighborhood Parties', with a total budget of 800 euros, of which 100% of the subsidy can be eligible as long as they meet the following requirements: hold a musical event for the neighbourhood; hold parades and gastronomic tastings; as well as having carried out its activities for more than 5 years

The 'Traditional Festivals' appear in fourth place, with a total budget of 6,600 euros, of which no more than 1,100 euros per entity will be eligible, as long as they meet very similar requirements to those of the previous three.

Finally, the fifth modality has to do with the 'Brotherhoods', with a total budget of 5,400 euros of which no more than 600 euros per entity can be opted, for which the requirements are to participate in events related to the Major Patron Saint Festivals; participate in at least two processions; that have at least one processional step; or that are more than 5 years old. In addition, the number of acts carried out will be assessed among the award criteria.