Finestrat celebrates the festival of Sant Antoni del Porquet this Sunday

The town of Finestrat has known how to preserve its most traditional festivals. This is the case of Sant Antoni del Porquet, a deeply rooted festivity that harks back to the town's agricultural and livestock farming past, in which religion played a major role. On Sunday 22 January at 12:15 pm, the traditional blessing of animals will be held at the entrance to the church of Sant Bertomeu in Plaça de la Torreta. This event is the starting point of a day filled with music and gastronomy. This year's festivities have been organised by the current Festival Commission, MiniTofols Commissió, with the collaboration of Finestrat Town Council Festivals Department.

The day before and on Sunday morning at 9:00 am, the music will accompany the Festival Commission plus anyone in the local community who wants to go with them as they travel around the rural areas and the historic town centre to collect donations for auction. Later on Sunday, after the religious blessing, the auction of all these gifts from local people will begin. Throughout the event there'll be a bar service and you can taste some of Finestrat's traditional tapas, as well as different kinds of sausages and grilled pork.

Local councilman for Festivals, Héctor Baldó, explained that “religion and tradition are brought together in one big festival that attracts dozens of people for the blessing of the animals and the auction of all the items donated by the local community”. The Town Council together with the Festival Commission make a huge effort to ensure that year after year traditions like Sant Antoni del Porquet continue to be kept alive and supported enthusiastically by the local community and visitors alike. There will be bouncy castles for all the kids from 12 noon in Plaça de l'Ajuntament, so everyone, no matter how young they are, can enjoy this festival.

The Town Council has contracted a bus service to make it easier for residents and tourists from La Cala and the residential complexes to get to the historic town centre. Departure time will be at 11:30 am from the beach roundabout at the end of Avenida Marina Baixa and the bus will pass through the various residential complexes of Sierra Cortina, Golf, Terra Marina and Balcón on its way to Finestrat historic town centre. The return bus service is scheduled at 2:30 pm.