Benidorm fills the old town with festivities and history with its traditional Festa de la Carxofa (Artichoke Festival)
The ‘cremà’ in front of hundreds of people at Plaza de la Constitución brings to a close a day full of festive events
Benidorm's old town celebrated the traditional Festa de la Carxofa (Artichoke Festival) yesterday, one of Benidorm's oldest festivals, held annually on the Saturday following the town's main patron saint festivities at Plaza de la Constitución, the former site of the town's market. The hanging of a giant artichoke and its burning at the stroke of midnight marked the beginning and end of a day packed with events, including a flower offering to Virgin of the Sufragio, food tastings, drawing and beer-drinking contests, and a street party with music provided by a DJ.
Mayor Toni Pérez, Councillor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, and other members of the municipal council, including regional deputy José Ramón González de Zárate, joined the members of the Carxofa committee and their 2025 president, Andrea Ripoll, for many of the activities.
In the morning, after the traditional bread roll tasting on Friday night, the festival participants gathered at nine o'clock to hang the artichoke in the middle of Plaza de la Constitución. Half an hour later, with the presence of local authorities and the queens of the 2025 Patron Saint Festival, Paula Pascual Sánchez and Aitana Pérez Gutiérrez, and their escorts, the participants paraded through the old town towards the Church of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna, where they offered flowers to the patron saint and participated in the weekly Saturday mass held in her honor.
After the Eucharist, the "carxofers" paraded back to Plaza de la Constitución to offer refreshments to those present and begin the main festive activities, which continued throughout the day.
Finally, after 11:30 p.m., to the strains of the Valencian Community's regional anthem, the president of the Festa de la Carxofa lit the fuse of the firecrackers and fireworks, which reduced the "Carxofa" (artichoke) to ashes, thus beginning a new festival cycle.
Mayor Toni Pérez and Councillor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, congratulated Andrea Ripoll and all the members of the festival committee for "keeping alive, for another year, the spirit and tradition of this beloved festival so cherished by the people of Benidorm."
