Moors and Christians Xàbia begin countdown with presentation of the 2025 Fiesta Book

The countdown to the Moors and Christians in Xàbia has begun. From Saturday 12th July to Sunday 20th July, the municipality will surrender, once again, to the troops of the crescent moon and the cross. However, not before the public unveiling of the Fiesta Book by the 2025 Standard Bearers, the Captains of the Filà Pirates de Sant Jaume and the president of the Fiesta Board which marks the beginning of the 47th edition of the fiesta, a celebration deeply rooted in the town of Duanes de la Mar.

The president Mónica Leal led the event, supported by the standard bearers Elvira Vives (Filà Schaitans) and Ana Bisquert (Filà Bandolers), the captains Rosa María Zamora and José Leal (Filà Pirates de Sant Jaume), the councilor responsible for Fiestas, Mavi Pérez, and the mayor, Rosa Cardona. The Fisherman’s Guild headquarters was once again the setting for this event, which brought together dozens of festival-goers and representatives of the municipality’s festival committees and local entities.

Leal highlighted the efforts made by Juan Catalá, Vicente Montaner, and Juan Torres in producing the book and thanked the numerous contributors. The visual power of this publication, like the fiesta itself, is unparalleled. Aware of this, the Fiesta Board works each year to offer a commemorative book with carefully curated graphics. Therefore, each year it strives to add value to the municipality’s fiesta publications with an extensive photo gallery.

The 2025 book is divided into several parts: First, relevant greetings inviting the reader to the fiesta, then the biographies of the 2025 Premi Sant Jaume and Pregonera, official photos of this year’s fiesta representatives, a comprehensive review of the 2024 festival through the various filaes and chronicles from last year’s edition. The literary section addresses the idiosyncrasies and history of the festival with a graphic account of 1989 with images by Antonio Catalá; the memory of Vicente Montaner, the recently deceased founding member of the fiesta, written by Juan Legaz and the Fiesta Board; and historical notes on the defence of Xàbia against Mediterranean pirates by José Cardona. The final part focuses on the various commercial collaborations from local and regional businesses that contribute to the fiesta’s economic viability.

The councilor responsible for Fiestas, Mavi Pérez, praised Leal’s work as head of the Fiesta Board and her interest in recovering events that had been lost, such as the Alardo, and her desire to vindicate the figure of the patron saint by celebrating him on his day, regardless of whether it falls within the fiesta period.

Premi Sant Jaume 2025

This year, the Festival Board will award a single Premi Sant Jaume. The award represents the highest recognition the fiesta bestows on participants and personalities who have been essential to the founding and evolution of the fiesta. This time, the recognition goes to Jaime Ortuño Devesa of the Filà Contrabandistes de Xàbia.

Ortuño joined the fiesta in 1996 as a member of the Filà Al-Tarik’s. He served as secretary of the Fiesta Board in 1999 and 2000, subsequently serving as vice president, and assumed the presidency of the fiesta board in 2002 and 2003, successfully leading the celebration of the 25th anniversary and promoting the Fiesta Music Concert. He has been a member of the Filà Contrabandistes de Xàbia since 2023. The award will be officially and publicly presented during the Festival Presentation on July 12.

2025 Fiesta Programme

The fiesta will begin on Saturday 12th July with the Fiesta Presentation and the opening speech by Amadeu Ros, founder of the Xàbia Traditional Boat Cultural Association and member of the Xàbia Institute for Oceanographic Research. Live music and dancing will follow. On Sunday 13th July, the 20th Fiesta Music Concert will be performed by the band of the Centre Artístic Musical de Xàbia (CAM) conducted by Gonzalo de la Guía with Antoni Josep Catalá Buigues and Rubén Penadés Silvestre as guest conductors. The main events of this first weekend will take place on Avenida Lepanto.

The rest of the week sees visits to the various urban centers: Arenal on Monday 14th July with a parade along the Paseo del Tenista David Ferrer, and the historic centre on Tuesday 15th July when the Standard Bearers and Captains will lay flowers in the niche of Sant Jaume on Carrer El Ravalet.

On Wednesday 16th July, one of this year’s new events will take place. The Fiesta Board is bringing back its alardo after years of not holding one. An announcement with musket fire announces the arrival of the most authentic days of the fiesta. It will take place at 6.30pm on Avenida Jaime I. Later, the flower offering to Sant Jaume will take place in the parish church of Nuestra Señora de Loreto. In the evening, there will be a paella-cooking competition among the filaes and a disco.

The historical reenactments will begin on Thursday 17th July. On Thursday, the Moorish Invasion will take place, followed by the diplomatic talks, ​​battle, and surrender of the castle. On Friday 18th July, the Christian Reconquest and the recovery of Xàbia will take place. Both days will feature a parade of brass bands led by the various Filàs and a disco on Friday.

On Saturday 19th July, the Gala Parade will take centre stage, starting at 8.00pm. In the morning, there will be brass bands, and after the parade, a large disco will run until dawn. On Sunday 20th July, there will be children’s activities, and before the final Gala Parade and the grand display by the Filà Pirates de Sant Jaume (at 7.00pm), music will take centre stage with the Entrance of the Bands and the traditional gathering in which all of them will perform the pasodoble Xàbia (6.00pm) together. The fiestas will culminate with a nighttime mascletà from La Grava. Outside the main programme, on Friday 25th July, the Moors and Christians of Xàbia will celebrate the day dedicated to Sant Jaume with a solemn mass in memory of the deceased festival-goers in the parish of Loreto.