Emotional opening speech by the Rocío Brotherhood of Benidorm, delivered by David Carrasco

Benidorm Town Hall's Assembly Hall hosted the unveiling of the poster for the pilgrimage organised by the Benidorm Rocío Brotherhood, a work by Joaquín Reyes, and the 2026 Rocío proclamation, an honour bestowed this year upon the musician and Rocío devotee from Huelva, David Carrasco.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., the sound of the Rocío drum and flute resonated through the municipal hall, announcing one of the most deeply rooted festivals in Benidorm, one that evokes in the popular imagination of this Mediterranean enclave the small village in Huelva where the Virgin of El Rocío is venerated.

The mayor, Toni Pérez, and the Councillor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, attended the event, along with other members of the council. Also present were the queens of the Patron Saint Festivities, Laura Ivars and Carmen Guilem, and the president of the Commission, Ramón Cano, who wished to accompany the Brotherhood on this special day, especially the Sister Superior, M. Carmen Amador, and the president, Jesús Malumbres.

After unveiling the poster, the Brotherhood presented the artist with a memento, as well as José M. Albero, the artist who designed the 2025 poster, who was unable to attend last year's event.

Following this, David Carrasco, from the Royal Brotherhood of Emigrants of Huelva and director of its choir, delivered the opening address. This was the first time he had shared the stage with Carrasco.

In a moving speech, Carrasco reminded everyone that "in May, the Virgin reigns in these lands of Benidorm," weaving together prose, verse, and the deep feeling of being part of the celebration and the devotion. And all of this seasoned with the sweet lisp characteristic of southern Andalusia.

“How time flies, it seems like only yesterday,” he said repeatedly while reminiscing about his Rocío pilgrimage experiences in his “Huelva of eternal spring,” on those “May mornings when we set off for Rocío.” A proclamation without pauses, as the spoken word alternated with the Rocío singers' voices and the flamenco guitars of the choir, to the delight of the audience.

David Carrasco acknowledged before the Virgin of Rocío that “without you, Rocío, I would be nothing” and encouraged everyone to participate in the pilgrimage, reminding them that to do so, one needs more than “some old espadrilles and a medal around my neck.”

The town crier didn't miss the opportunity to recall how the Rocío Brotherhood brought the first image of the Queen of the Marshes to Benidorm and the close bond of faith that unites the people of Benidorm, Almonte, and Huelva. He concluded his proclamation with the Salve Rociera, accompanied by the entire audience on their feet.

Toni Pérez was the last to speak, acknowledging the emotion he felt that evening with "one of the most beautiful proclamations anyone could ever hear, and I've heard many."

The mayor recalled having been to El Rocío and participating in the pilgrimage, alongside the Brotherhood and its Sister Superior. “I had the opportunity to go,” he said, “and I came back. And that journey instilled something in me.” It is “Our Lady’s call to accompany her, and to accompany her is to always carry her in your heart.”

The mayor also congratulated the youth herald, Manuel Ponce Sances, for yesterday’s event at the Almudena Cathedral, and, of course, the Three Kings Day poster, which shows a girl dressed as a Rocío pilgrim with her back to the camera, looking at an oxcart heading towards Almonte, with the Church of Sant Jaume and Mal Pas beach in the background.

He also addressed the choir, jokingly expressing surprise that they hadn’t performed “Blanca y Azul”, a song popularised by Los Marismeños, to emphasise, once again, what unites Benidorm with El Rocío. “White and blue is the flag of Huelva, and white and blue is the flag of Benidorm and Alicante.”

The Rocío Triduum events in Benidorm continue on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. with a Mass at the Brotherhood. The church of Sant Jaume and Santa Anna, the signing of the Book of Rules and the traditional pilgrimage that will end in the parish of La Almudena with a day of fellowship.