Measures in place for thousands attending Torremolinos pilgrimage on Sunday

Torremolinos has announced a series of measures to ensure the safety of the thousands of people expected to converge on the town this Sunday during the Romería de San Miguel, the traditional pilgrimage in honour of the town’s patron.

The town hall explained that the event will be supported by several security services. Over a period of approximately eight hours, the operation will involve almost 70 police officers, who will receive support from a mounted unit of Malaga Local Police. Members of the Civil Protection service will also be on hand, along with first aid personnel for those who need assistance.

The council will install six watering troughs along the route of the procession to provide water for the horses and the oxen that pull the decorative floats. It will also install 12 portable toilet facilities along the route, as well as a further six in the pine woods.

The event will also have a special cleaning operation in place, involving a team of 40 workers. This will include five street-sweeping teams, 12 operatives responsible for clearing droppings from oxen and horses and water tankers equipped to spray scented disinfectant along the route. A total of 140 cardboard litter bins will also be placed along the route.

The clean-up operation following the pilgrimage will involve 25 operatives, divided into six teams responsible for cleaning the pine groves and the fairground.

The San Miguel pilgrimage is one of the longest-established urban pilgrimages in Andalucía. This year marks the 86th anniversary of the first event, which took place on 1 October 1940 at the Fuente de la Salud as a countryside festival. It was not until 1950 that the pilgrimage was held in honour of Torremolinos' patron saint, St Michael the Archangel.

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