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ARCHIVED - Elche bans traditional San Juan bonfires on its beaches
Beaches in the Baix Vinalopo town in Alicante province will be open to the public on Thursday night, June 23 but bonfires are banned
Concerns over large crowds gathering on Elche beaches to celebrate the San Juan festival on June 23 along with concerns over fire risks has prompted the local council to impose an outright ban on the traditional bonfires which mark the start of summer throughout the Spanish Costas.
The public will be allowed to access the coastline but celebrations will be more of a damp squib rather than the 'big bang' celebrations enjoyed prior to the pandemic.
The news was announced by Elche Mayor, Carlos González, this week when it was implied that the measure is likely to "be maintained in forthcoming years".
"After two years of prohibiting the celebration of the night of San Juan on the beaches of Elche as a result of the pandemic and its restrictions, this year we are going to authorise the presence of families and groups of young people on the coast of Elche, but without allowing bonfires," said González.
Adding that bonfires on the beaches are an "environmental problem", he added: "We consider it absolutely necessary to preserve the state of our beaches. At the same time, bonfires pose a serious safety risk from the point of view of forest fire prevention due to their proximity to our pine forests".
In addition, the mayor has called for individual and collective responsibility when consuming alcohol during San Juan festivities.
Meanwhile, the council is preparing a "special security and cleaning plan" for the June 23 celebration which is expected to attract one of the largest crowds on Elche beaches in recent years.
"The aim is to guarantee the safety of those attending, as well as ensuring that the beaches are ready for bathing within a few hours on June 24," added the mayor.
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