Marbella's annual San Bernabé festivities kick-off in style

Lanterns and polka dots already adorn the streets of Marbella as the town kicks off its 2025 fair in honour of San Bernabé. Fireworks and street lights illuminated the town on Monday, but today Tuesday is officially the first day of the Feria de Día (day fair).

Popular Marbella resident Carmen 'Pichu' Pastore - a beloved figure in the town's social and cultural life - had the honour of giving the speech to announce the start of the festivities. A native Argentinian, she moved to Spain, and to Marbella specifically, in 1976. Since then, she has played a huge role in keeping the town's heart beating, as she is herself "a Marbella resident at heart". She has even been crowned 'honorary citizen of Marbella'.

Pichu surprised the audience with a theatrical speech, with images of the patron saint, matching her words to the sound of bells. It was an immersive experience for those present at the inauguration.

Pichu has worked for the town hall for more than 40 years, starting first in the sports field and later forming part of the festivities delegation. It is her participation in the latter that has given her the best memories and anecdotes that she doesn't shy away from sharing. "One of the moments I remember most fondly is the day I was named Reina Popular (the people's queen)," said Pichu, proceeding to tell the humorous story. "I was coming back from the beach with my cousins from Argentina and I took them to the fair. I was dressed as Maya the bee, with my hair unbrushed, when, suddenly, they called me to the stage. I was dying of embarrassment," she said.

Pichu has always been closely linked to the organisation of all sorts of shows and spectacles in the town. During her speech, she recalled other funny moments from being part of the management team like, for example, when the smoke machine for one of the shows broke and there was so much smoke that people thought there was a fire.

Carmen also paid a heartfelt tribute to all her colleagues in the festivities delegation, with whom she has shared so many years of work.

Fair programme

Festivities begin with the ringing of the bells and the placing of the banner in the town hall, at 12pm on Tuesday, 10 June. On Wednesday, 11 June - the day of St Barnabas - the Cruz de Humilladero brotherhood will hold a procession at 10am, followed by a mass and another procession in honour of the patron saint. This year, the event will include the participation of the horse division of the Local Police force as a novelty.

The fair will have a space dedicated to the elderly in the Caseta Mi Hogar and there will also be a space for young people with DJ performances.