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Date Published: 29/12/2023

Orihuela Costa Santa Claus parade comes under fire

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The Council has threatened legal action over the disappointing processions in the city and in Orihuela Costa

Orihuela Costa Santa Claus parade comes under fire

The Orihuela City Council has opened an investigation to determine whether there was a breach of contract in the Santa Claus parades last week. Following budget cuts this year, the highly-anticipated processions in both the city and along the coast were a little disappointing, but now the Festivities Department claims to have found more than a dozen issues with the events.

The contract was divided into two lots, one for the central parade and the other for the Orihuela Costa, and was awarded to the one bidder, Mariano Meroño Picazo. The company came in with a cost 5% lower than asking, so in the end, 34,364 euros was supposed to be spent in Orihuela city while the remaining 29,040 was allocated to the coast.

But it’s difficult to see where this money went, since several promised floats and characters were missing, and other elements were replaced with cheap-looking and even defective alternatives. Furthermore, the Orihuela Costa parade, scheduled to kick off at 5pm on December 22, was delayed by more than an hour.

Orihuela councillor Mar Ezcurra pointed out that “it is evident that the parade that toured the streets of the city was not the event that was contracted according to the tender carried out by the Festivities Department” and therefore has requested that “the invoice for it not be signed” and a non-compliance file is immediately opened for the company so that the appropriate financial deductions can be made."

The list of supposed breaches is extensive: three decorated quadricycles loaded with gifts for the watching children were missing, replaced instead by a little Christmas train; elves were supposed to hand out 8,500 LED bracelets and rings during the parade, but this didn’t happen. Instead, “low-quality toys” were distributed later at the Santa Claus Village; several dancers and other popular Christmas figures were missing and one giant inflatable snowman broke as soon as it took to the streets.

The list goes on…

The Festivities Department is now compiling a report on all the defects and will either demand a fine for the contractor or a reduction in the council’s bill.

In other news: Orihuela towns left without lights and decorations this Christmas

Images: La Zenia Facebook

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