Holy Week in Alicante: what to see and where
The Holy Week in Alicante ist a celebration with a long tradition. You can witness religious processions such as ‘Santa Cruz’ and easter floats which are truly pieces of art, more than three centuries old. The historic city center is full of sentiment, tradition and thousands of people in these days.
If you are in Alicante in Easter Holidays and do not want to miss any parade, here you have the programm and the different routes of the floats.
- Friday April 7th:
Tthe traditional calvary of the ‘Christ of the sea’ opens the Holy Week on friday. This procession begins in the harbor, and from thereit goes through the promenade to the ‘Santa María’ basilica.
- Sunday 9th:
On April 9th the celebration of Palm Sunday will take the streets of the city. It is a traditional parade in which children and parents are the real protagonists with their white palm leaves. From Santa María square, just a few minutes away from you accommodation in Be Alicante, you will witness the two parades programmed for that morning.
They will pass by the emblematic walk of the Esplanade of Spain until arriving at the Basilica. In the afternoon, from 18 hours, from the same church another three floats will also tour the center of the capital.
- Monday 10th:
At 18:30 you have another important appointment. From the neighborhood of Raval Roig, one of the oldest of the city, will leave the ‘Christ Morenet’ of the men of the sea, dated from the end of the fifteenth century. It is one of our favorites, because it is precisely in this historic part of the city where you will find La Milagrosa Bed&Breakfast, home of Be Alicante. Three other processions will do that same afternoon its route, from the 18 hours.
- Tuesday 11th:
On Tuesday, another four brotherhoods will tour the streets of Alicante: The Brotherhood of Ecce-Homo, Stabat Mater, Cristo del Mar and Nuestro Padre Jesús. In this last brotherhood, just by midnight, you will be able to see the float of ‘Virgen de las Penas’, a procession in which only women take part.
- Wednesday 12th:
Wednesday is the most awaited day of the Holy Week in Alicante for one reason: the procession of Santa Cruz. It is a moment that you can not miss. From the skirts of the Castle of Santa Barbara, a few minutes from your accommodation in Be Alicante, the costaleros (the men carrying the float) will descend the crucified Christ of the artist Ortega Bru. It will be from 19 hour, a ‘descent’ through the narrow streets of the historic neighborhood of Santa Cruz, full of spectacularity, danger and thousands of visitors.
Two other brotherhoods will make their journey that same afternoon through the center of the city, filling the capital with an unrepeatable atmosphere.
- Thursday 13th:
On Maunday Thursday, from 19:30 hours, five brotherhoods will tour the capital of the White Coast. Among them, the brotherhood of The Holy Supper is one of the most beloved. It is the biggest float in Spain: a ton of weight and 11 meters in length. It is necessary more than 200 costaleros for the route. It is spectacular! That same afternoon, you will also be able to see two of the oldest images of Alicante: the Santísimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte (from the 16th century) and Nuestra Señora de las Angustias.
- Friday 14th:
On Good Friday there will be parades from the morning, at 10.30 hours, until night time. One of the oldest floats can be seen on this day. This is the ‘Holy Burial’, that goes back to 1819. After that, there will follow two other processions: Santo Sepulcro and the brotherhood of Santa María Solitude.
- Sunday 16th:
On Easter Day , all the brotherhoods gather to tour together the streets in the Resurrected Christ procession, one of the most visited of the entire Holy Week.
And if you prefer other activities, remember that music, arts, culture and gastronomy are waiting for you. April is always a good time to visit the city and take the first bath in the sea. Book your accommodation in Alicante to have an unforgtable holiday in the capital of the Costa Blanca.
