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.

Matías Ruiz, the Councillor for Urban Planning, and Víctor Valverde, the Councillor for Infrastructure, have announced that the cycle-pedestrian viaduct over the AP-7 and its connection to Calle Creus-Crta. San Miguel has been subject to a tender process. “We have successfully unblocked the process to ensure that the construction project for this footbridge, which has been highly requested by coastal residents for many years, can be realised as soon as possible,” Valverde stated.

The objective of this contract is to establish the services necessary for the draughting of the construction project, as well as the geotechnical and environmental studies and the topographical survey. The technical specifications consist of a preliminary study (geological and geotechnical studies, environmental studies, and a topographical survey of the surrounding area), a comprehensive construction execution project that has been agreed upon and approved by the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility; a Health and Safety Study, a Construction Waste Management Study, a Quality Control Plan, a document that establishes standards for the maintenance and upkeep of the footbridge, and any supplementary technical documents necessary for the completion of procedures and the acquisition of permits and authorisations.

Similarly, Matías Ruiz stated that the project’s objective is to create a cycle-pedestrian promenade that ensures permeability while maintaining a sufficient level of safety. A comprehensive solution must be achieved by adapting the configuration (plan, elevation, and typical section) to connect it to the access ramps of the existing municipal road system. In reality, the structural solution will take into account mixed cycle-pedestrian use, with a minimum unobstructed width of 1.8 m and a two-way cycle lane of at least 2.5 m.

In addition, LED lighting will be implemented to ensure that the roadway is suitable for pedestrian and cyclist traffic, and the promenade is designed to complement the urban environment. A lighting study will be conducted to guarantee that the lighting is sufficient.

The successful bidder will undergo a preliminary study phase and the actual draughting of the construction project in relation to the description of the works. Matías Ruiz clarified that the design criteria will be aesthetic, constructive, durable, functional, economic, and environmental, with the technical considerations imposed by the Highway Department being fundamental.

We expect to complete the contract within four months for a total of €86,344.43, including VAT. The estimated cost of the footbridge construction is €1,370,000.