Orihuela Council has announced one of its largest security deployments of the year to protect residents and visitors during the 2026 Reconquista Festival.
More than 100 additional Local Police shifts will be provided across the two weeks of celebrations, reinforcing normal policing duties and covering crowd safety, traffic management and emergency response.
Extra officers will be deployed at the festival’s busiest events, including the Día del Pájaro, Floral Offering, Guerrilla and Taking of the Castle, Children’s Parade, Retreta and the Christian and Moorish Entrances. Security will also be strengthened around the cabilas on nights when large crowds are expected.
For the first time, the operation will include the Local Police Operational Security Team, whose specially trained officers will provide additional support during major public gatherings.
Police drones will also be used at key events to monitor crowds from the air, identify incidents at an early stage and assist teams working on the ground.
Additional police services have been scheduled for Orihuela Costa to ensure that residents and visitors there continue to receive adequate coverage while officers are deployed in the city centre.
The operation will be coordinated with the National Police, Civil Protection, the emergency services and the Red Cross.
An advanced command post will be established near the junction of San Gregorio and Loaces streets during the main parades. It will include an ambulance, a firefighting vehicle, Red Cross personnel, Civil Protection volunteers and emergency service staff.
A second first-aid and emergency point will operate in Plaza de San Sebastián, beside La Lonja auditorium. Medical and Civil Protection teams equipped with defibrillators will also be positioned along the parade route.
A three-metre-wide emergency access route will be maintained near the main command post to allow ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles to enter or evacuate the area quickly.
Emergency teams will remain on duty after Thursday’s Día del Pájaro celebrations and following the Christian and Moorish parades on Friday and Saturday nights, when large numbers of people are expected to leave the city centre.
