August 14 to 24 Semana de la Huerta y el Mar in Los Alcazares 2023

A week of traditional celebrations, outdoor restaurants, and artisan market and folk music on the inland shore of the Mar Menor

The Semana Internacional de la Huerta y El Mar in Los Alcázares is a colourful event which has always been very popular with both residents and visitors and makes for a very pleasant visit on any one of the evenings between the 14th and 24th August. Apart from the programmed events (see below) there is plenty of atmosphere in and around the artisan market, in the “barracas”, where traditional lunch and dinners are served at very affordable prices to customers seated outside, and throughout the town as Los Alcázares recalls the days when the agricultural workers of the Murcia countryside used to decamp to the coast for a couple of weeks before returning home for the autumn.

These “barracas” open every evening at 20.30.

The schedule for the 2023 Semana Internacional de la Huerta y El Mar in Los Alcázares, the 51st time the celebrations have been held, includes the following:

Monday August 14

22.30: Opening gala at the Polideportivo Municipal in Avenida Joaquín Blume, featuring live music from Mujeres Con Raíz. Admission free of charge.

Tuesday August 15 (national holiday, Assumption Day, and the Day of the Patron of Los Alcázares, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción)

11.00 and 18.30: Holy Mass at the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

19.30: Religious procession on both land and sea.

21.00: Traditional embroidery demonstration at the Polideportivo Municipal, with live music from the Cuadrilla de Fuente Álamo.

Wednesday August 16

21.00: Traditional gastronomy at the Polideportivo Municipal: main course “ropa vieja”, dessert “torrijas con crema”, with a workshop on preparing fried rabbit with potatoes “en ajo cabañil”.

22.30: Víctor Manuel live in concert at the Polideportivo Municipal. Click here for further details.

Thursday August 17

21.00: Traditional gastronomy at the Polideportivo Municipal: main course cod balls in sauce, dessert pears in wine syrup.

22.30: Traditional Murcia theatre at the Polideportivo Municipal, with performances by folk groups from Nonduermas, Vigo in Galicia and even the Ballet Spandan Sanskrutik Trust, from India.

Friday August 18

22.30: International folk festival at the fairground outside the Polideportivo Municipal, featuring the Grupo de Música y Bailes Tradicionales from Vigo, Spandan Sanskrutik Trust from India, Asociación Folklórica “Virgen de las Cruces” from Daimiel (in the province of Ciudad Real) and the Folk Ballet “Talija Arte” from Serbia.

Saturday August 19

19.00: The Bando de la Huerta y el Mar, a procession celebrating the traditions of the Huerta around the city of Murcia. Route: Los Narejos, Avenida Ferrocarril, Calle Marqués de Rozalejo, Avenida de Los Narejos, Avenida Carril de Las Palmeras, Avenida de la Libertad, Avenida 13 de octubre (Carretera de Torre Pacheco).

The musical groups taking part include the participants in the International Folk Festival and many others from the Region of Murcia.

21.00: Clay pottery demonstration at the fairground.

22.30: Gala performance at the auditorium in the fairground, featuring a monologue in “panocho” dialect, various “troveros” (troubadours) and the Chirigota de Beniaján. Admission free of charge.

Sunday August 20

20.00: Open-air musical Mass at the fairground, with music from the Coro y Rondalla del Grupo de Coros y Danzas “Mar Menor” (from San Javier).

21.00: Lacework fan making demonstration in the fairground.

22.30: Paco Candela in concert at the fairground auditorium, tickets available at 25 and 35 euros here.

22.00: Music in the Plaza del Real de la Feria from the Spandan Sanskrutik Trust from India, and the Folk Ballet “Talija Arte” from Serbia.

Monday August 21

22.30: Golfos de Cinco Estrellas, drama at the fairground auditorium. Admission 10 euros.

Tuesday August 22

21.00: Gastronomy at the fairground, Pan de Calatrava.

22.30: An evening of entertainment to celebrate the Monteagudo district of Murcia, with performances by the Grupo de Coros y Danzas “Siete Coronas” from Puente Tocinos, the Folk Ballet “Alas de mi patria” from Chile and “Encantos de mi Panamá” from de Panama.

Wednesday August 23

22.30: Live music from Parrandboleros and Pepa Aniorte at the fairground auditorium, tickets available at 10 euros online here.

22.00: Music in the Plaza del Real de la Feria from “Alas de mi patria” from Chile and “Encantos de mi Panamá” from de Panama.

Thursday August 24

22.30: The closing gala at the fairground auditorium, with music from the international folk groups who have been in Los Alcázares throughout the week, a tribute to their countries and closing speeches. Admission free of charge.

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What’s on section of Murcia Today.