Benidorm commemorates the 701st anniversary of its founding with various activities

The city of Benidorm will host various activities throughout this week to commemorate the 701st anniversary of the granting of the Charter of Settlement by Admiral Bernat de Sarrià, a document dated May 8, 1325, which marked the founding of the town as an independent legal entity. A series of festive, cultural, and institutional events will take place, organised by Benidorm City Council and the Grup Carta de Poblament, an association formed by members of the Associació de Penyes ‘Verge del Sofratge’ (Association of Clubs ‘Virgin of the Suffrage’), to commemorate this anniversary, which was the starting point of local history.

This morning, Mayor Toni Pérez met at City Hall with the president of the Grup Carta de Poblament, Jaume Cortés, and other representatives of the organisation to learn all the details of the activities planned for this year, in collaboration with the Department of Culture. The meeting was also attended by the councillor for the area, Jaime Jesús Pérez, as well as José Vicente Cabezuelo, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Alicante, who will preside over the reenactment of the presentation of the Charter of Settlement.

The program will begin this afternoon at 7:00 p.m. with a reenactment of the Charter of Settlement by students from Serra Gelada Primary School. It will take place in the auditorium of the La Torreta Social Centre, located in Rincón de Loix neighbourhood.

The next event will be this Thursday, May 7, in the auditorium of the Casa del Fester, where members of the Grup Carta de Poblament will perform the short play "What Could Have Happened…" starting at 8:30 p.m.

On Friday, May 8th, at noon, the official plenary session for Benidorm Day will be held at the City Hall. This event will take place in the Municipal Plenary Hall and will be attended by numerous institutional representatives and members of the city's social, cultural, and business organisations to commemorate this 701st anniversary.

Finally, on Saturday, May 9th, the symbolic presentation of the Charter of Settlement, based on a new text written by María Jesús Oveja Álvarez, will take place. The event will be held in Plaza de San Jaime, in front of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna Parish Church, starting at 8:30 p.m.

Both Mayor Toni Pérez and Councillor for Culture Jaime Jesús Pérez have emphasised that “we are once again celebrating a historic date, which was the starting point of a collective history that, generation after generation, has built the Benidorm we know today” and have encouraged citizens to join in the events that will commemorate this May 8th.