Torremolinos shakes, rattles and rolls during Rockin' Race Jamboree

The Rockin' Race Jamboree American roots music festival transported Torremolinos back to the rockabilly era of the 1950s at the weekend, when thousands of fans dressed in an array of retro clothing and make-up converged on the town. According to the town hall, this edition, which celebrated its 30th anniversary, broke all records, with more than 30,000 attendees, many of whom were foreign, enjoying the event.

Even the festival’s founders, Guillermo Jiménez and Vivi Milla, were surprised by the figures reached this year.

“This has been the highest attendance we have recorded since we started. This is a big family that comes every year and each time they bring more friends. We are very happy to have achieved this,” Guillermo told SUR.

The festival, which took place from Wednesday until Sunday (yesterday), has gained momentum over the years because it presents around 40 rockabilly, blues, surf, and boogie-woogie bands and musicians from all over Europe, the UK, USA and Latin America.

The concerts were held at various locations throughout the town, including the municipal auditorium, Hotel La Barracuda, Plaza del Remo and the 'Paradiso Dancing Hall', a dance floor that was shipped from Holland especially for the festival.

Some of the bars in the town centre and along the promenade also presented live music, while people dressed in fabulous teddy boy and girl attire overflowed into the streets to dance, and to be seen.

One family from Malaga, wearing a mixture of ‘50s accessories, said, “Although we are not into the rockabilly scene, we have participated for a few years now. Those who attend this festival behave well and also contribute a lot to the economy at this time of year. We had a supermarket before, and during the Rockin' Race we noticed a good increase in takings.”

The visitors took advantage of the good weather, especially on Saturday, when thousands of vintage-clad fans enjoyed the exhibition of classic cars and motorcycles in Plaza del Remo.