A newly premiered symphonic suite accompanied the staging at Poniente beach of the 1740 arrival of Benidorm’s patron saint. The Escenificación del Hallazgo drew hundreds of people. The procession that followed brought flower offerings to the Mare de Déu del Sofratge. The 2026 programme scheduled the reenactment for 17:00 on Saturday, 7 November, and the subsequent romería for 18:30, departing from Parque de Elche for the church of San Jaime y Santa Ana.
The suite, ‘Arribada d’una Imatge de la Verge a Benidorm’, was composed by Francisco José Roriva Peretó. The Associació Cultural y Recreativa La Barqueta has staged the reenactment since 1971, with the 2020 performance interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is recognised as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de la Comunidad Valenciana, and Benidorm is seeking national recognition for it. In 2026, the staging was also scheduled for its first live broadcast on YouTube.
The staging recalls the account of a boat found adrift off the coast on 16 March 1740. Three Benidorm sailors found the unmanned vessel with an image of the Virgin and Child aboard. Residents feared it could carry plague and burned the boat, rescuing the image from the flames and taking it to the town. The account, as interpreted in the reenactment, became the foundation of Benidorm’s patronal celebrations and devotion to the Virgen del Sufragio, also known as the Verge del Sofratge. Historian Pere Maria Orts i Bosch supplied the historical text on which the modern representation is based; documents held at the Archivo General de Simancas identify the account.
After the scene depicting the image’s rescue from the flames, the procession left the beach for Parque de Elche and continued through central Benidorm towards the church of San Jaime y Santa Ana. Residents joined or watched the route alongside visitors from other towns, including tourists. Participants carried bouquets and baskets of flowers; the offering included thousands of blooms for the patron saint. The romería was followed by the flower offering at the church. The programme also included a solemn procession at 19:30 on Sunday, 8 November, and the traditional Estampeta.
Among the most moving moments came when members of the senior and junior festival courts, alongside the 2026 queens, presented their flowers. Carmen recited the traditional verse written by Pepa Orozco, while Laura addressed Benidorm residents. Angélica Such Ronda, the official speaker for 2026, followed with an account of the celebrations across generations.
Such, director general for Family, Childhood, Adolescence and Demographic Challenge, recalled how her family watched the Virgin and Sant Jaume pass from their balcony. She described the preparations and family cooking, as well as the traditions that continue to shape the festivities. Her father, José Such Ortega, was mayor when the patron saint received the staff of office as the city’s perpetual mayor; Bárbara Pérez Llinares, then the councillor responsible for festivals, took part in the presentation.
Mayor Toni Pérez urged residents to celebrate “in peace and tranquillity,” translated from Spanish, and said he hoped people in Benidorm would still honour the patron saint a hundred years from now. He praised the reenactment and the turnout for the offering, whose flowers fill the church’s entrance. Pérez also remembered residents who had died and recognised the role of women in family and festival life, mentioning Vicenta Ronda López, Such’s mother.
The Benidorm observance is separate from the beatification of 80 Spanish Civil War martyrs in Santander, covered in a Santander ceremony report.
The Saturday programme ended with the national anthems of Benidorm and the Valencian Community, followed by fireworks. Sunday’s programme was scheduled to continue with a mass and a mascletà, before an afternoon procession and the singing of les Copletes. The Festes Majors Patronals are due to continue through Wednesday, 11 November. The wider festival opening involved more than 6,000 peñistas, according to reporting by Información.
