A rock and roll theme park in Torremolinos

The weather, due to an extraordinary succession of storms in Andalucía, this year is "worse than England" said Mark and his wife in Torremolinos on Friday.

However, the couple admitted that, although the weather they have encountered this year is worse than in Britain, they were really enjoying their fourth year at the Rockin' Race Jamboree.

Their journey from Brighton was well worth it, they explained at the entrance to the Pez Espada hotel. The iconic Costa del Sol hotel was yet another stage at the 32nd edition of the festival, which was interrupted and altered by the endless rains; there were some changes of location to provide a roof for those attending the non-stop concerts, dances and DJs scheduled from 4 to 8 February.

The programme for Friday lunchtime was in splendid sunshine, despite the stormy weather forecast. This was a joy for those who gathered around the swimming pool of La Barracuda hotel, the main venue for the event, to listen to bands like Two Bit Troubadours, Los Lobos, Los Sirex and Jay Siegel's Tokens. And the Rockin' Race Jamboree music lineup was washed down with fresh beer and plates of paella, among other delicacies.

The question of whether or not it was raining was, therefore, a topic of conversation, like in a lift. If there's one thing this musical event has, it's the community that has been bringing it to life for more than three decades.

Lolo, David, Jimmy, Óscar, Susana, Martín, Lola, Maribel, Serafín and Laura, a group of friends from Granada, Seville and Jaén, consider the 'Rockin' to be their special "amusement park" to which they go, no matter what, even if the motorway is cut off, as has happened to the people from Jaén.

"It's just that at no time have we thought of postponing the meeting," said these veterans, who have been part of this party of sideburns, skinny jeans, toupees, Wayfarer shades, full skirts and headscarves since its origins, at the town's legendary Pink Elephant.

The complexity of the journey, "from Madrid, by car and with the convoys of the Military Emergency Unit", was not an obstacle for Ricardo, Paco and Anabel, who, more than for the artists, who they know will be good, come to the rock paradise of Torremolinos for "the vibe". They know it is a well organised event where they have the opportunity to meet other "devotees" of a musical style which, they say, has no signs of dying out.

Ruth, Paqui, Eduardo, Daniel, Richard, Raquel and David, friends and residents of Cartagena, who, beyond being a bit fed up with carrying an umbrella, point out that the scene and the "rockabilly look" is experiencing a resurgence in their home city which suits them perfectly - they have it in their blood. They confirmed their loyalty to Torremolinos, as a world mecca for this way of understanding and listening to life.

And to the question of whether you are born or made, the answer is the former, if you take into account Vega and Darío's life experience.

The little girl and the little boy are not even three years old and have more than one Rockin' Race Jamboree under their belts. The adults accompanying them from Tenerife are Elena, Sara, Begoña and Andrea, an Italian from Sardinia who lives in the Canary Islands and who, if he thinks of holidays, wants to spend them at the Torremolinos festival.

Not in vain, for those in the know, the Rockin is the best in the world for those who love rock and roll.