Salobreña has all sorts of things lined up for the Fiestas de San Juan this year, which will be held from Thursday the 23rd to Sunday the 26th.

Of course there is the religious side of it, which is in honour of San Juan Bautista, but which just happens to fall on the pagan festival of the summer solstice…

Then there’s live music in the form of two pachanga (knees up) bands, Odysseus and Orquesta Tentación, who will do their best to provide sonic poisoning so that those prone to merriment can rattle their bones accordingly… I’m referring to dancing, not horizontal wrestling. The latter will no doubt take place in more secluded areas of the beach.

The Feria del Día starts on Saturday the 25th in the municipal marquee, after a two-year absence owing to Covid. Councillor for Fiestas and Fiddly Bits, Gabriel Alonso, considers its return to be wonderful news, which is most likely not shared by the struggling bars and restaurants, trying to keep their doors open throughout the year – just saying!

There will also be DJs on Playa de la Charca on the night of the 23rd, which together with dozens of bonfires will usher in the midnight blitz, which is when the firework display will pop off in luminous magnificence.

Finally, for children and the occasional drunk father, there is a foam party on Sunday morning next the Peñon, ending the fiestas.

(News: Salobreña, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)