The Region of Murcia is preparing itself for two of its biggest annual festivals – and an influx of tourists wishing to enjoy them.
Murcia’s September Feria is held in the first two weeks of September – this year running from August 31 until September 17 – and encompasses a wide range of celebrations, including a funfair, bullfighting fair, cattle fair, the Moors and Christians fiesta and the Pilgrimage to La Fuensanta.
The Moors and Christians fiesta commemorates the founding of Murcia by the Moors and the conquest of the city by Alfonso X the Wise. Throughout the period of the fiesta, they set up their camps – kabyles and mesnadas – on the Paseo del Malecón, which runs on one side of the city for almost a mile and can be visited in the evening for a drink.
They also parade their ‘armies’ atmospherically through the centre of the city, with their eye-catching clothing – together with the gunpowder and music – adding a touch of historical colour to the September Feria.
The September Pilgrimage is as well attended as it is historical. The pilgrimage accompanies the city’s patron saint, the Virgin of La Fuensanta, to her sanctuary. This is always a local holiday in the city’s calendar, which makes it one of the most important holidays in Murcia. The fair officially starts when the Virgin of La Fuensanta arrives in Murcia from her sanctuary in the mountains outside the city and concludes when she once again returns to the sanctuary of La Fuensanta in the El Valle regional park two weeks later.
It is a four-hour, seven-kilometre walk from the sanctuary (bajada) to the heart of Murcia, and the crowd of walkers builds along the route. After an official reception at the Iglesia del Carmen at she is carried through the streets of the city to the cathedral in Plaza Belluga. She remains in the cathedral throughout the Feria, before returning to her mountainside sanctuary at its conclusion.
As the September Feria draws to a close, the world-renowned Carthaginians & Romans Fiesta – which takes place in the historic city of Cartagena, fromSeptember 15-24 – picks up the mantle of fusing entertainment and history.
Roman campsites are set up on the outskirts of the city and events are organised throughout the week as more than 4,000 Roman soldiers, barbarians and Carthaginians – the otherwise peace-loving citizens of Cartagena – march through the streets. It is a colourful and exciting spectacle which draws in families from right across Europe and beyond.
And it can be experienced from just £18.75 per person per night, based on two sharing a twin room.
The daily programme includes dramas recreating the founding of Qart Hadasht, the original name of the ancient city of Carthage; the destruction of Sagunto, a battle of 219BC between the Carthaginians and the Saguntines at the Roman hill town of Saguntum; the march of Hannibal to Rome; the landing of the Roman fleet; and parades of troops and legions who ‘fight’ to conquer Qart-Hadast.
More gentle pastimes may be found in the craft market and the many regional food offerings on stall, and in bars and restaurants.
Cartagena is also a living history site: the massive rampart which runs along part of the port and nearly encircles the old part of town was built by King Charles III, in around 1728, when the city became the headquarters of the arsenal and Spanish marine department. It was the last of many fortifications to protect the city’s natural and strategically important harbour.
There are great deals to be had in Cartagena during the fiesta, with a seven-night, room-only break at the three-star Manolo hotel, 10 minutes outside the city centre, costing from just £37.49 per room, per night.
Access to Cartagena – in the Costa Cálida, Region of Murcia – is simple as it is served by Murcia-San Javier airport all year round, while Alicante airport is also nearby. Both airports are served by numerous airlines flying from a wide variety of UK and Irish airports.
