El Pinet beach, located in the Elche district of La Marina, will be the venue for the IV Habaneras Festival on Friday, August 28th, starting at 9:00 PM. This event aims to maintain and value a tradition spanning over a century, during which locals would sing and play guitar by the sea, facing the ruins of the El Pinet Tower.
The Councilor for Culture, Irene Ruíz, highlighted that the festival stems from an old custom of singing habaneras by moonlight and by the sea, noting its significance as a key end-of-summer event for El Pinet residents.
The festival, promoted by the Culture departments of the Elche and Crevillente City Councils, attracted over 1,000 attendees last year. This year, it will again be held in the El Pinet parking lot, as the Coastal Authority denied permission for the original location near the tower ruins. Ruíz stated they will continue to seek the festival's return to its historic site.
This year, the Coral Ilicitana will perform a repertoire of traditional habaneras. The Coro Amistad from Crevillente and the Rondalla Crevillentina, historically known for accompanying habaneras with guitars and bandurrias, will also participate. To conclude the festival, attendees and performers will sing the popular Elche habanera ‘Aromas Ilicitanos’.
The Councilor for Culture of the Crevillent City Council, Mónica San Emeterio, emphasized the importance of this "unique, typical, and highly anticipated" annual event, which originated spontaneously to preserve a century-old tradition of El Pinet's residents. She thanked the Elche City Council for their cooperation in maintaining this tradition deeply rooted in Crevillent.
Admission to the festival is free until full capacity is reached.
