Presenter and singer Leticia Sabater, along with the costume contests, were major stars of the San Blas and Santa Águeda festivities.
The program of events, which will begin on Saturday, January 27th with the handover of the Baton of Command to the Commissions of San Blas and Santa Águeda, includes a workshop on making "coques" (a type of flatbread) and costume dances with the main performance by Leticia Sabater on Friday night , with the Costume Dance and mobile disco in the Vora Riu room.
Everything is ready in Mequinenza for the San Blas and Santa Águeda festivities, declared a Festival of Tourist Interest of Aragon. The town's residents are putting the finishing touches on the elaborate costumes that will be featured in the children's and adult competitions, which offer €3.500 in cash prizes and other generous gifts for the participants.
Although the official dates for the festivities in 2024 are from February 2nd to 4th, the scheduled activities will begin this weekend, on Saturday, January 27th at noon, with the formal handover of the Baton of Command to the representatives of the San Blas and Santa Águeda commissions in the Plenary Hall.
This will not be the only event leading up to the town's Winter Festival included in the program published by the Festivals Department. On Wednesday, January 31, starting at 10:00 a.m. at the headquarters of the Mequinenza Women's Association, a workshop on making traditional "coques" (flatbreads) will be held for schoolchildren. The aim is "to promote the transmission, dissemination, and preservation of the traditions that form part of the intangible heritage of a festival with more than three centuries of history," explained Luis Esteve, Councilor for Youth, Festivals, and Events.
On Friday, February 2nd, starting at 5:00 PM, a parade will begin in Plaza del Minero and wind its way through the streets of Mequinenza. This will serve as a warm-up for the children's costume contest parade, which will take place in the Municipal Sports Pavilion. For the second year running, the pavilion will feature a spectacular light and sound show to enhance the performances of the participating groups. After midnight, the Sala VoraRiu will host the first costume dance, featuring a performance by Leticia Sabater and a DJ.
The following day, Saint Blaise's Day, the festivities will begin at 11:00 a.m. with a sung Mass by the Mequinenza Choir at the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, followed by a procession and the distribution of "PaBeneït" (a traditional sweet bread). In the afternoon, the adult costume contest parade will take place after the street procession, once again enlivened by the La Bancha brass band. In the early hours of the morning, a second costume dance will be held at the VoraRiu Hall with the Benidorm Show orchestra and a DJ.
On Sunday, February 4th, two activities are scheduled for the afternoon. At 4:30 p.m., the La Pantomima company will present the children's puppet show "Esteriotips" in the Sala VoraRiu, a performance that encourages reflection on equality and the rejection of gender violence. Following this, in the Sala Goya, José Luis Urbén and his band will perform the concert "Canta y no llores" (Sing and Don't Cry), a musical show featuring the best melodies from Aragon and around the world.
The final stretch of the festivities will begin with the celebration of Saint Agatha on Monday, February 5th, with a mass sung by the Mequinenza Choir and the distribution of “PaBeneït” in the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, followed by rosaries in honor of Saint Agatha in the afternoon, and Saint Blaise on Tuesday, February 6th.
