The Smoke-Free Beach flag will be displayed on the 13 beaches in the municipality to increase awareness among users about the importance of respecting the environment, others, and their health while visiting the beaches.

Villajoyosa’s 13 beaches and harbours have been integrated into the Valencian Community’s Smoke-Free Beaches network. The Villajoyosa City Council has requested this membership from the Health Department once again, as explained by Health Councillor Maite Sánchez. The goal is to create healthy environments for citizens, protecting them from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke and its residues.

Consequently, the Smoke-Free Beach flag will be displayed on the beaches of Bol Nou, Carritxal, Centre, Estudiants, L’Esparrelló, La Caleta, Paradís, Puntes del Moro, Racó del Conill, Tio Roig, Torres, Varadero, and Xarco. This flag’s distinctive indication encourages the practice of refraining from smoking on beaches.

Furthermore, we will implement citizen awareness initiatives and informational campaigns regarding environmental protection and tobacco consumption. Sánchez clarified that the aim of this initiative is to promote reverence for the environment, personal well-being, and the health of others. The objective is to transform these spaces into a more environmentally friendly and healthy tourist destination, as tobacco harms the health of bathers and degrades the state of the sand and water, in addition to creating a negative image of the environment.

The mediaeval market, which will be inaugurated in conjunction with Holy Week on Thursday, April 17th, at 5:00 p.m., is the first of the thematic markets that the Department of Festivals in Santa Pola intends to expand in the vicinity of the Fortress Castle.

A new phase of this tourist attraction has commenced with the assistance of a specialised company, La Fragua de Vulcano. During these festive days, it provides tourists and residents with an intriguing leisure alternative within the Castle’s unparalleled setting.

In addition to the artisan and merchant stalls, a diverse array of activities will be conducted over the course of five days, such as musical entertainment, minstrelsy, circus performances, workshops, storytelling, and more.

The market is open from 11 a.m. to late at night, with the exception of Holy Week processions, during which the music and performances will be interrupted.

PROGRAMME

THURSDAY, APRIL 17th
17:00 – Opening of the medieval market
18:00 – Proclamation and opening musical parade. Welcome!
19:30 – Musical entertainment in the market
20:00 – Duendeando. A very funny character
21:00 – Medieval music parade
21:45 – On fire. Fire show

FRIDAY, APRIL 18th
11:00 – Opening of the medieval market
12:00 – Laughter and smiles. Medieval character
12:30 – Musical parade
13:00 – Medieval music in the streets
13:30 – The Juggling Jester
14:00 – The minstrels of music
18:00 – Musical parade
18:30 – Arrived from the East
20:00 – The minstrels of music
20:30 – The balance is in the street. Circus show
21:30 – Musical entertainment in the market
22:00 – Fire in the market!

SATURDAY, APRIL 19th
11:00 – Opening of the medieval market
11:30 – Viking Make-Up Workshop
12:00 – The Blind Pilgrim
12:30 – Musical parade
13:00 – Participatory children’s storytelling
13:30 – The Funny Minstrel of the Times
14:00 – Music and dance in the market
18:00 – Parades, music and dance
18:00 – Duendeando. Medieval character
18:30 – Participatory medieval dance workshop
19:00 – Musical entertainment in the market
19:30 – The comedian is on the loose
20:30 – Music and percussion workshop
21:00 – The minstrels of music
21:30 – Musical entertainment in the market
21:30 – On fire. Fire show

SUNDAY, APRIL 20th
11:00 – Opening of the medieval market
12:00 – Participatory workshop on medieval dances
12:30 – Duendeando. Medieval character
13:30 – Musical parade
14:00 – Participatory children’s theatre
18:00 – The comedian is on the loose
18:30 – Music and dance in the market
19:30 – Musical entertainment in the market
20:30 – Participatory Viking Runes Workshop
21:00 – The Cleric
21:30 – Participatory children’s storytelling
21:30 – Musical parade
21:30 – The Funny Minstrel of the Times
23:00 – Parades, music and dance
23:00 – Musical entertainment in the market
23:00 – Fire in the streets

MONDAY, APRIL 21st
11:00 – Opening of the medieval market
12:00 – The Cleric
12:30 – Musical parade
13:30 – The comedian is on the loose
14:00 – The minstrels of music
18:00 – Musical entertainment in the market
18:30 – Duendeando. Medieval character
19:30 – Musical parade
20:30 – The Funny Minstrel of the Times
21:00 – The minstrels of music
21:30 – Musical entertainment in the market
21:30 – Fire in the streets
23:00 – The market bids farewell until next year

See Santa Pola Tourist Website for more information https://www.turismosantapola.es/stp/web_php/index.php?contenido=esdeveniments_coconut&idEsdev=1317&title=mercado-medieval-santa-pola-2025&lang=4

The location of the castle in Santa Pola is here:

A young man has been sentenced to four years in prison by the Third Section of the Alicante Provincial Court for sexually assaulting three juveniles, who were friends of his sister, while they were spending the night at his home.

He is convicted of three counts of sexual assault against a minor, one of which involved carnal knowledge, with mitigating circumstances of undue delay. As a result, he is sentenced to two six-month prison sentences and an additional three-year sentence by the court.

The convicted man is required to pay 5,000 euros to two of the victims and 15,000 euros to the third as compensation for the moral damages caused to the juveniles by the events.

Additionally, he will be prohibited from approaching or communicating with juveniles within a 200-metre radius of one of the victims for a period of eight years and for a period of five years with the other two.

The victims were 12 and 13 years old

According to the sentence’s statement of proven facts, the victim, who was 12 years old at the time, was asleep at her friend’s residence in Novelda on October 13th, 2018.

During the early morning, while the girls were each asleep on a sofa, the accused enquired if he could join them for sleep, as he was unable to sleep alone. He then sat down on the sofa and subjected the victim to touching her private parts.

In October 2018, the defendant’s sister invited the second victim, who was 13 years old, to spend the night at her mother’s house. The defendant’s sister then exploited the situation by inviting the victim to her room.

The prisoner caressed her private parts and compelled her to perform fellatio on him upon entering the room.

On November 17th, 2018, the final attack took place when a third girl, aged 12, retired to sleep at the residence of the convicted man. Despite the victim’s protests, the accused entered the room where the minors were sleeping, grabbed the hand of his sister’s friend, and forced it towards his genitals.

The ruling, which is not definitive and can be appealed before the Civil and Criminal Division of the TSJCV, determines that the proceedings were excessively prolonged and that this duration cannot be attributed to the convicted individual, but rather to the Provincial Court’s substantial workload. Consequently, it regards the mitigating circumstance of unwarranted delays as highly qualified.