La Herradura had a good ‘knees up’ (party) during the Fiestas of the Virgen del Carmen, (16th -18th July) who is the patron saint of fishermen. Things kicked off on the Friday with a solemn Mass, accompanied by the choir Bahía de La Herradura.

After that, the Virgen was dragged screaming from the church square, dumped in a Zodiac inflatable dinghy and taken for a burn round the bay, which is always good for a wheeze. It’s worth mentioning, that the procession was accompanied by the Almuñécar municipal band, rather than the La Herradura one, because apparently they ‘couldn’t get it together’ for the occasion.’

Whilst the wooden & plaster virgin was out in the bay getting seasick, a firework display, put on by Pirotecnia Martín, tried to sink her, but failed. Null points.

After that, everybody got pissed, including the Virgen, and the dance band played until the early hours of the morning, as is the timeless tradition. Plenty of grub too, even octopus, which after the timely cephalopod backing during the World Cup, should be banned, of course.

One of the most popular events during the fiesta weekend was the foam party, which was held in the Plaza Nueva. Much of the bubble frolicking was to the tune of Waka Waka, whilst not being exactly traditional music like flamenco, did at least keep most kids above the surface of the foam.