The Valencia Provincial Council has funded the new arches with €150,000, which now adorn the streets of Ontinyent during its International Tourist Interest festival.
The city of Ontinyent has this week illuminated the 55 new decorative arches that will decorate its streets during the Moors and Christians festival. The event, held last Friday in the Plaza de la Concepción, was attended by the Valencia Provincial Council, the City Council, and the Society of Festers of the Most Holy Christ of Agony.
The provincial institution has allocated €150,000 to this initiative, which completely renews the festive image of the municipality. The first vice president of the Provincial Council, Natàlia Enguix, highlighted that this is the largest investment in the festival since the construction of the castle of festivities. "We are very pleased to have been able to help make this a reality," she stated.
The arches, specifically designed for Ontinyent, incorporate elements of local identity such as the city flag and heraldic motifs from its coat of arms, including the keys that spray water. They are distributed across various points of the festive route and reinforce the image of celebrations declared as of International Tourist Interest.
The president of the Society of Festers, Ricardo Calabuig, described the moment as historic:
The truth is that it is a historic moment because for 40 years, 41 to be more exact, since the castle was inaugurated, there has been no investment in the decoration of the festival.Calabuig expressed his satisfaction at being able to "see them all together" after years of work.
The councillor for Fair and Festivals, Àngels Muñoz, emphasized the unique character of the new ornamentation and the collaborative work carried out. "It is one more step that was necessary for Ontinyent," she asserted. Muñoz explained that, following the declaration of the festival as of International Tourist Interest, "we have worked together with the Society of Festers and thanks to the Provincial Council we have been able to have these arches, which are personalized, they are for us."
The investment is not ephemeral, but will remain linked to the celebration over time, as Enguix highlighted. Furthermore, the Provincial Council has worked to equate support for these celebrations with other festive manifestations in the province, with initiatives such as the €500 aid line for the comparsas. In the case of Ontinyent, last year it already granted aid of €100,000 due to the declaration of the festival as of International Tourist Interest.
The lighting of the arches is part of the festive program, which this Sunday experienced two of its first events: the Esmorzar de la Llàgrima and the Pregón de Fiestas. The arches can now be seen in the streets of Ontinyent throughout the celebration.
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