Last week I showed you some pictures from the parties leading up to the big day, San Juan on June 24th. This week the festivities reached their climax on Wednesday night, so the selection is dominated by that.
Main
But first a little snippet of family life on a nearby street. It is as if the two little boys are checking out the little girl:
The alternates:
Alternate 1
The figures for the Hogueras de San Juan were not just in the centre of Alicante, but also right in our neighbourhood, 5 minutes walk from our house:
Alternate 2
Detail:
Alternate 3
More detail. Channel 9 is a local channel which broadcasts in Valenciano:
Then the big day arrived, June 24th. Conveniently, it is a public holiday.
Alternate 4
One of the reasons I was looking forward to this day is that it would be the end of the fireworks, which had been a constant feature of the preceding week. They do not bother me, but my dog would go crazy every time. In the morning, one could see the remains of the previous night:
Alternate 5
At around 8 a.m., a small marching band walks around the neighbourhood, making sure everyone is awake:
Alternate 6
This elderly gentleman had some trouble keeping up with the rest of the band:
Alternate 7
Finally, night fell. The climax of the San Juan celebrations is the burning of the statues, of course accompanied by still more fireworks. The main event was in front of the town hall, but we chose to go to our local version in Playa San Juan. It was supposed to start at midnight, but this being Spain, it was delayed by 1/2 hour or so. The crowd waited patiently:
Alternate 8
Finally, we have ignition:
Alternate 9
Now in full blaze. We have not had rain for several weeks, so the nearby trees were sprayed with water to make sure they did not burn too:
Alternate 10
Blaze dying down:
Alternate 11
By now it is about 1 a.m. and this boy is getting tired:
Alternate 12
Finally, now PAW from the summer period can be complete without a beach picture. Here is a man with best friend on Playa Muchavista:
