The Comissió de Festes presents the Official Book for the Festes Majors Patronals, taking place from 7 to 11 November

The Comissió de Festes Majors Patronals de 2026 presented the Official Festes Majors Patronals Book yesterday evening, Thursday, at Benidorm Town Hall. The celebrations will take place from 7 to 11 November. The event attracted a large audience eager to be among the first to discover the full programme of activities.

Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez, Councillor for Fiestas Mariló Cebreros and numerous members of the municipal corporation joined the 2026 festival organisers, led by their president, Ramón Cano, as well as the festival Queens, Laura Ivars Marín and Carmen Guillem Campos, and their respective courts of honour, for the presentation of the official publication. Also in attendance were Francisco Llorens, lifetime president of the Comissió de Festes; Diego Carrasco, president of the Associació de Penyes Verge del Sofratge; Senator Agustín Almodóbar; regional MP José Ramón González de Zárate; Angélica Such, Director General for Family, Childhood and Adolescence and Demographic Challenge at the Generalitat Valenciana; and representatives of various organisations associated with Benidorm’s patron saints and festivities.

Angélica Such will also play a leading role in one of the key moments of the upcoming Festes Majors Patronals, having been chosen by the Comissió de Festes to deliver the traditional opening speech on the Saturday of the celebrations, during the floral offering ceremony. Her address will officially launch the festivities. The announcement, made during yesterday’s book presentation, was warmly applauded by the audience, reflecting Such’s close ties to the celebrations. Her daughter, also named Angélica, was the Senior Queen of the festivities in 2022.

During the presentation, the main contents of the book were outlined, with particular emphasis on the quality of its design, photography, articles and literary contributions. The cover, created by Paula Sánchez García, also features on the official poster for the 2026 celebrations.

Those attending were able to discover the programme of events planned for the main days of the festivities. One of the key changes this year is the new location for the mascletàs, which will take place on the esplanade next to Parc de Foietes. The programme also features a wide range of musical performances, fireworks displays and festive activities, alongside the traditional and religious ceremonies that form the heart of the celebrations. These include the re-enactment of the Trobada de la Mare de Déu, the pilgrimage and floral offering, solemn Masses and processions.

Following the presentation, copies of the book were handed out to the Queens, ladies-in-waiting, the official speaker, standard-bearer, honorary festival organisers, Camareres and Mariners de la Mare de Déu, Costalers de Sant Jaume, Associació Cultural i Recreativa La Barqueta, the parish of Sant Jaume i Santa Anna, literary contributors and other collaborators.

Benidorm Mayor Toni Pérez brought the event to a close, first congratulating the Comissió de Festes and its organisers on their “commitment and dedication” throughout the year.

The mayor also congratulated Angélica Such on her appointment as the official speaker for the festivities and stressed that the presentation of the Official Festes Majors Patronals Book “is much more than the presentation of a programme”.

“It is much more than that because it also brings together these contributions in a book format that we refuse to let disappear. For many years, these books have found a place in private libraries, where people can read and reread them to gain a better understanding of the festivities and of Benidorm itself,” he said.

He also acknowledged that publications of this kind preserve “parts of our history: the story of our present moment and of the 2026 festivities, but also everything that has happened over the years and that someone has considered worthy of inclusion in the official book, to remind us of who we are and where we come from”.

Finally, he noted that “in just 15 days, we will be enjoying and sharing the festivities from beginning to end, provided the Mother of God and Sant Jaume grant us good health”. He added that the celebrations bring together everyone who experiences them with passion, both through the religious traditions that give them their meaning — honouring Benidorm’s patron saints — and through their more light-hearted activities.

He concluded by wishing everyone “good health, so that we can all enjoy the festivities for what they truly are: a special occasion for the whole of Benidorm”.