The image illustrating the lottery ticket, of which five million copies have been printed and whose draw will be held on November 10, depicts the reenactment of the discovery of the Virgin Mary
Benidorm Patron Saint Festivities are featured on a special ONCE lottery ticket
Mayor Toni Pérez emphasises that the arrival of the patroness saint to the town in 1740 "marked a turning point in the history of our town"
Benidorm Patron Saint Festivals are featured on a special lottery ticket issued by the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE), which will be drawn on Monday, November 10, during the city's main festivities. The ticket was publicly presented this Wednesday in the City Hall's Plenary Hall, at an event attended by the city's mayor, Toni Pérez; the ONCE director in Alicante, Estela Medina; the director in the Marina Baixa region, Vicente Vázquez; and numerous members of the City Council, representatives of ONCE, and representatives of local festival, social, and cultural organizations. Among them were the queens of the 2025 Patron Saint Festivals, Paula Pascual Sánchez and Aitana Pérez Gutiérrez.
An image of the reenactment of the Discovery of the Virgin Mary, declared a Festival of Regional Tourist Interest of the Valencian Community and performed every year on Poniente Beach by La Barqueta Cultural and Recreational Association, is the central image of this lottery ticket, which is now on sale. A total of five million tickets have been issued to encourage people to visit the town and experience its festivities firsthand, which take place from November 8th to 12th, in honour of Our Lady of Sufragio and Saint James the Apostle.
Mayor Toni Pérez explained that “ONCE and Benidorm have an alliance that goes far beyond simple collaboration. We are two entities that believe in and have made accessibility, inclusion, and integration some of our core missions.” He also highlighted the significant promotion these tickets represent for the city, “five million advertising screens that will reach thousands of people” across the country.
The mayor thanked ONCE for their continued commitment to the city in their initiatives and “for making another dream a reality, one that will also serve to promote not only the city itself, but also what undoubtedly marked a turning point in the history of this town.” Pérez stated that “being founded as a town on May 8, 1325, as you commemorated on that May lottery ticket, was fundamental from an administrative standpoint, but the soul of this town was undoubtedly shaped by the arrival of our patron saint, the Mare de Déu del Sofratge (Our Lady of Sufragio), and that is what this lottery ticket also represents.”
For her part, the provincial director of ONCE in Alicante noted that “it is always a pleasure for ONCE to return to Benidorm,” recalling that last May the organisation issued another special series of lottery tickets, this time to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the city's founding. “Five million promotional billboards will be displayed at nearly 21,000 points of sale, featuring men and women with disabilities who will carry the name of Benidorm and its festivities throughout Spain,” stated Estela Medina.
Furthermore, the ONCE representative in Alicante added, “People with disabilities feel very welcome in this city, and being able to share and promote the festivities with you through a social, safe, and responsible game, which is backed by so much social work and job creation, is fantastic for us.” She thanked the public for “their support and contribution to the work we do in integration, accessibility, training, and employment, because without this collaboration, none of this would be possible.”
Finally, Vicente Vázquez emphasised that this lottery ticket aims to “make Benidorm visible throughout Spain and also to occupy a place in the hearts of Benidorm residents, who, as a souvenir and perhaps even a prize, can keep a piece of history in their pocket.”
Benidorm Patron Saint Festival originated in events that occurred in mid-March 1740 when a boat appeared adrift off the city's coast. The inhabitants and authorities, concerned about a possible epidemic, burned the boat, among whose remains they later found an intact image of the Virgin of the Suffrage, whom they would later consecrate as the city's patron saint.
The ONCE Daily Lottery offers a prize of €500,000 for matching the number plus the series, and 49 prizes of €35,000 for matching all five digits of the winning number. In addition, 450 prizes of 250 euros for the first four digits and another 450 prizes for the last four; 9,000 prizes of 25 euros in the case of the last three or the first three; and the same for the first and last two (6 euros) and a refund of 2 euros for the first or last digit of the winning number.
