Hundreds of Benidorm residents accompany the Virgin of Carmen in her seafaring procession

Benidorm said goodbye last night to the festivities in honour of the Virgen del Carmen with a massive seafaring procession that went around the bay to bring the protection of this image to the waters of Poniente and Levante and in which, once again, an emotional remembrance was offered to those who fell at sea by throwing laurel wreaths in their memory.

The event began after 7:30 p.m. from the Paseo de Colón, where the members of the Fiestas del Carmen commission and the rest of the convened festive entities, together with the civil and religious authorities, set out in a parade towards the church of San Jaime and Santa Ana to collect the image of the patron saint of sailors and take it in procession to the port.

The mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, and the councillor for Fiestas, Mariló Cebreros, accompanied the Virgin in a procession made up, among others, by a good part of the municipal Corporation; the regional deputy, Mario Villar; the Honorary Sailor 2024, Daniela Blanco Llobet; the president of the Carmen Festival, José Vicente Pérez Pallarés; the crier of Carmen, Ana Llambrich López; the senior patron of the Fishermen's Guild, José Miguel Martínez; the queens of the Festes Majors Patronals 2024, Valentina Almodóbar Climent and Laia Zamora Picó; and the presidents of the Commission and the Association of Penyes Verge del Sofratge, María Dolores Cano and Jaume Cortés.

The image, on the bow of one of the ‘golondrinas’ that cover the crossing to l’Illa, subsequently began its journey through the east and west, escorted by numerous boats, including other ‘golondrinas’, small private boats, the rowing boats of the Nautical Club and the Anémona association, together with the boats of the Local Police and the rescue and lifeguard service of the beaches.

Shortly before sunset, the ship stopped in front of the Castell, where a couple of divers jumped into the water to place an image of the Star of the Seas and a bouquet on the bottom. Then, the priest José Antonio González led the prayer in memory of those who fell at sea, after which the Marinera de Honor and the mayor of Benidorm each threw laurel wreaths in tribute.

Once the offerings had been made, the seafaring procession returned to port and, once on land, the image crossed Paseo de Colón again to stop in front of the headquarters of the Fishermen's Guild, from whose balcony the Marinera de Honor, Daniela Blanco Llobet, recited the traditional verse to the Virgen del Carmen to put the finishing touch to the celebrations.