Torremolinos: A celebration of Andalusian culture for San Miguel

Torremolinos hosted as many as 200,000 people last Sunday, including visitors from all over Spain and foreign tourists, to celebrate the annual Romería de San Miguel.

For many, the main appeal of the traditional pilgrimage is joining in with the singing and dancing. Linda, from Surrey in the UK, who had come back to Torremolinos for the third year in a row, likened it to a “carnival atmosphere”.

Locals take the opportunity to dress in traditional Andalusian attire - with women in 'sevillana' style dresses, and men in 'rociero' costume, donning Cordovan hats.

This year, the romería took place on 21 September, starting with a 9am mass, in which the shrine of the patron saint of Torremolinos, San Miguel (Saint Michael), was blessed.

This marked the beginning of the annual pilgrimage, as locals demonstrated their gratitude to the town's patron, after whom the San Miguel chapel is named.

Once the mass finished, the street procession began, as people made their way from the chapel to the old town. By midday, the streets were crowded with people and temperatures had reached 32C. Mercedes, from Alicante, described this as “el veranillo de San Miguel”, a phenomenon where during the celebratory week, the heat can be impossible to bear.

Despite this, church bells rang in tandem with the buzz of people's excitement, oohing and ahing at the 'carretas' making their way through Avenida de las Manantiales: 53 colourful carts, drawn by oxen and tractors.

There's a “solidarity”, Mercedes added, between the young and the old, the Spanish and the non-Spanish, embracing Andalusían flamenco, but also singing and dancing to pop hits such as Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido by Karol G, and classics like Suavemente by Elvis Crespo.

The procession continued through the central Plaza Costa del Sol, until the carts reached El Pinar pinewood, where a competition was held for the best decorated cart.

At this point in the afternoon, people traditionally celebrated by setting up picnic tables and barbecues, however barcecues are now banned by the town hall. In any case, people enjoy food and drinks that can be found in chiringuitos - such as Iberian ham and Cartojal, a sweet white wine produced in Malaga.

Surrounding the pinewood are 'casetas', temporary booths set up for the San Miguel celebrations, which continue open this week with the annual feria. Many of the cultural festivities take place inside the casetas on the fairground; starting from this Friday, the caseta municipal infantíl will offer theatre and games workshops for children.

Other casetas offer “a beautiful opportunity to get to know flamenco”, Lucía, a native from Torremolinos, said. Flamenco shows are performed in the evenings, in addition to other anticipated acts such as Orquesta Metropolis.

The casetas represent Andalucía, as well as the romería, with locals such as Lucía celebrating the pilgrimage since she was a child, as a way of honouring different aspects of her culture. “They symbolise Andalucía, the flamenco, the flowers, the traditional dress, the grapes, the Cartojal.”

Sunday's festivities continued into the night, a prelude to this week's ongoing feria.

The mayor of Torremolinos, Margarita del Cid, expressed her desire for locals and tourists alike “to enjoy [the fair]; may it be a time to come together with your families, with your friends and with people that love Torremolinos.”

After the romería, the second part of the cultural and musical festivities started on Thursday and continues until next Monday, 29 September.

Sunday's romería went ahead without incident. Throughout the day, Local Police and emergency professionals were situated in the busiest areas, such as Plaza de Federico García Lorca and the pinewood and fairground areas.