The Orihuela Department of Fiestas has scheduled the Orihuela Costa Three Kings parade on 5th January 2020, for 12:00 noon, unlike previous years, when it has traditionally been held during the early evening, while the Orihuela City parade will remain at its usual time of 6.45pm.
The change of time was carried out by Councillor Rocamora who said that she wants attract more people to the event, and thereby increase the number of attendees from previous years.
However the change was seemingly made without any consultation with coastal residents and following details of it’s publication an urgent meeting with the councillor was requested by an unhappy FAOC Board and its satellite neighbourhood associations.
An FAOC spokesperson told the Leader that the success of the Three Kings cavalcade should not be measured by the number of people in attendance, but by the quality of the parade, currently an issue that many residents directly relate to the inadequate budget allocated by the City Council to the coastal parade.
He said that “We believe that the essence of this parade is to foster the illusion of children, so that, as soon as it is over, they can go to their homes to sleep and wait for the gifts, which, it seems to us, would be quite a difficult thing to do with the newly established morning schedule. Indeed during the morning many parents and mothers will be at work, so the attendance will be even less.”
The change in timing was even a surprise to residents of Orihuela City one of who said “I am from downtown Orihuela, and I assure you that a Cavalcade in the morning in the town centre would never even be considered.”
Following conversations between FAOC and the councillor Ms. Rocamora has now said that she will try to rearrange the schedule so that the parade is once again held in the early evening but unfortunately, it might be too late to amend as the change does not depend on her will but on the conditions of a written contract.
So it would seem that this year, Ms. Rocamora, the letters of the parents and of the children of the Orihuela Costa that are addressed to the Magi will only ask for one thing: “That the Kings’ parade be celebrated, as in the rest of Spain, on the 5th but in the afternoon”
