Orihuela is preparing for Christmas by placing four contracts for a total amount of 434,524 euros. These are in addition to two other tenders already underway, the 30,524 euros for the Santa Claus Village and the dissemination of the Christmas campaign, at a cost of 45,300 euros.
In total, six contracts are being offered with a budget of 510,348 euros in addition to the 375,000 for Christmas lights, a sum of more than 885,000 euros.
The coalition government wants to avoid last year’s problems, with the most austere festivities and lighting for years as a result of a very limited budget that barely exceeded 61,000 euros. Only the city was reasonably well lit, leaving 24 pedanías in the dark and with no more than symbolic lighting on the Coast.
This time, the government has allocated €375,093 in Christmas lights for the entire municipality.
Further contracts include the three kings parades with a budget of 207,696 euros, of which 154,940 is for the city and 52,756 for the Coast. As usual, the kings will visit the Vega Baja Hospital (on January 4 at 11:30 a.m.) before their official reception in the city.
For the parade on the coast, the theme will be of the marine world, La Sirenita, ballets, starting at the Playa Flamenca Town Hall to the stage inside La Zenia shopping centre, where the reception of the Magi will be held and a thousand gifts will be distributed to children.
Other contracts that have been tendered, with a budget of 134,310 euros, are the Christmas Market in the city (60,500 euros), from 14 to 24 December; a Magic Walk (66,550), on 20 and 21 December, and the New Year’s Eve party on 31 December (7,260).
There will be Santa Claus parade in the urban centre (39,675 euros) and on the Costa (24,200) the contract has an estimated total value of 65,327 euros.
Goblins, animated characters, stilt walkers, puppeteers and ladies from Lapland, are among other surprises, in addition to the Santa Claus float, will parade on December 23 in the city.
On the Costa, for the international population, Mama Noel will accompany five Christmas queens representing the different reigns of the world, in a parade full of surprises on December 20 at 6:00 p.m. leaving the Town hall and travelling through Calle Pablo Picasso, Nicolas de Bussi, Dalí and Jade.
At the end of each tour, the reception of Santa Claus will take place in the Glorieta Gabriel Miró and inside the shopping centre of La Zenia. The successful bidder must supply toys for the minimum amount of 3,000 in the centre and 1,500 on the coast.
The contract for the installation of the municipal Nativity scene, one of the traditions most expected by the Oiola society, has a budget of 27,191 euros, of which 24,771 is for the city, which includes restoration of damaged pieces and the manufacture of new pieces, and 2,420 euros for that of the Coast.
As last year, the municipal Nativity will be located in the former Orihuela tourist office. In the case of the coast, it will be the town hall in Playa Flamenca.
In total, the council is investing over €885,000 in Christmas festivities. This significant investment aims to rectify past shortcomings, such as last year’s criticized Santa Claus parade and limited Christmas lighting. The city council says that it is committed to creating a memorable and festive Christmas experience for all.
