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ARCHIVED - Alicante town cancels all 2022 fiestas days before Moors and Christians festival
A lack of agreement over the fiestas' budget has prompted the drastic move by Benejúzar Town Hall in the Vega Baja, Alicante province
A budget dispute has forced Benejúzar Town Hall to cancel all fiestas for 2022 just days before the traditional Moors and Christians festival was due to begin.
At a press conference on Wednesday morning, May 25, Benejúzar Mayor Rosa García announced an earlier extrordinary plenary meeting aimed at increasing the budget fiestas had been unsuccessful and as such, "there will be no fiestas this year".
The town hall is apparently operating with a budget carried over from 2021 when there were no fiestas due to the Covid pandemic. As a result, the allocation for festivals was "very low".
In 2020 and 2021 the approved budget was 80,000 euros, anticipating no, or totally stripped back fiestas. However, following the lifting of anti-Covid restrictions, the current situation is very different, and certain parties within the local administration called for an increase in the fiestas' budget to 180,000 euros, a similar amount to 2019 prior to the health crisis.
But the proposal was met with opposition from PP representatives and PSOE councillors abstained, meaning the bid failed to get approval.
"It is sad and outrageous that (due to the opposition) the town has been left without fiestas until December 31," said the mayor (Ciudadanos party), adding: "This is precisely the year that Benejúzar planned to present its candidacy for the Fiestas de Interés Turístico Autonómico (Festivities of Regional Tourist Interest)."
In addition to the May festival, the Rosary fiestas which were scheduled for October, the Pilar fiestas, Halloween, All Saints and Christmas festivals have all been cancelled.
Image: Ayuntamiento de Benejúzar
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