Photo Gallery: Fogueres 2025 – The Midnight Penya Parade

Creativity, social criticism, and celebration. The revived peñas parade brought together hundreds of participants and a large audience. Although only a few peñas participated, the parade featured satire, ingenious costumes, and powerful messages about local reality.

In a humorous atmosphere, two of the participating peñas criticized the town’s tourism situation. Peña La Poca Vergonya presented itself as “Com-clave,” wearing a costume that resembled the cardinals and the Pope, but with the humour of “Com-Clave” (how do I fit it all in… the car, the umbrella, etc.), a clear criticism of the pressure on urban development and the saturation of services during the high season in Xàbia, which led to the peña winning first prize for best critic.

The other group of participants, made up of several peñas, were dressed as tourists, also highlighting the large number of tourists that Xàbia receives in the summer season.

Quintà 2025 La Desmadrà wanted to bring their situation to light a year ago, on the day of the burning. This is a bitter memory for them. At the point where they joined the Quintà, they found themselves unable to fully participate in the burning due to being blocked from entering. With messages on banners, they recalled that moment, which was usually allowed, but which in recent years had caused occasional disturbances, and the decision was made to block access to the Cremà de la Foguera.

And if there was one thing missing, it was originality. The jury was forced to declare a tie for best costume, with the Penya Les Saboques e Hijos (dressed as majorettes) and Penya Waikiparri (dressed as various streets of the town).