Fiestas del Polvorín in Archena

Celebrations focused around an unusual event

The municipality of Archena, which lies at the head of the fertile Ricote Valley, celebrates its annual fiestas del Polvorín on and around 1st September.

Unlike most fiestas in the region which tend to have a religious core, these celebrate an event which occurred on the 1st September 1963, when there was a huge explosion in a military gunpowder store just one kilometre from the hill of Cabezo del Tío Pío within the municipality. Click to see further information about the military presence in Archena during and after the Spanish Civil War in the history of Archena.

The explosion was so fierce that it was felt for a radius of more than 30 kilometres around its source, covering the fields for miles around with ash, which was deemed to be beneficial for the crops and fertility of the ground. Fortunately, only one person was injured and the day is commemorated every year by these local fiestas.

Over the years, these have expanded and now include a number of sociable and community events, concluding with a Romería in honour of the Virgen del Rocío.

Click for more information about the municipality of Archena