The 29th edition of JUVE, Orihuela’s popular festival combining sports and fun, officially opened this Friday morning, drawing enthusiastic families from across the city. The event was inaugurated by Orihuela’s mayor, Pepe Vegara, and the city’s Sports Councilor, Víctor Sigüenza.
Mayor Vegara highlighted the importance of the event for the city’s youngest residents: “The year doesn’t really start—especially for the little ones—without celebrating JUVE, an activity that has been running for 29 years and is now a fully established tradition in our municipality.”
Sports Councilor Víctor Sigüenza emphasized the new features of this edition, including a carousel for children aged 1 to 3 and a personalized newspaper-style photo booth.
He also stressed the event’s commitment to inclusivity: “We pay special attention to children with disabilities, with trained monitors available at all times to ensure they can fully enjoy the experience. Additionally, we have multilingual staff to communicate with participants from other countries.”
This year, the Sports Department has expanded JUVE’s presence across Orihuela, including the coastal areas and outlying districts. Activities will be held at different locations: Friday at Parque de la Cruz de San Bartolomé, Saturday at La Campaneta Municipal Sports Center, and Sunday at Torremendo Municipal Sports Center. In the city center and along the coast, the program runs for all three days at Avenida de la Vega and the Municipal Sports Center, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Children in Orihuela’s city center can enjoy a wide range of activities, including inflatables, climbing walls, zip lines, trampolines, family and kids’ workshops, magic shows, storytelling, puppet shows, and animation parades. Along the coast, the event features multimedia sports zones, gaming areas, mechanical rides, craft workshops, face painting, and sports activities. In the outlying districts, attendees can also enjoy inflatables and magic shows, scheduled at 6:30 p.m.
