CalpeNoticias EN

Friday, 30th:

• From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Photography exhibition ‘Exogenesis’ by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30th August.
• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Guided tours of the Old Town. Compulsory registration at the tourist offices: 96 583 69 20 / 96 583 85 32 / turismo@ajcalpe.es):

19.30 h - in English

20 h - in Spanish

• Exhibition ‘From the sea and other encounters’ by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31 August.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 31st:

• From 18 to 1 h - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• 20 h - The dance company ‘Cuore’ presents the show ‘Tango eterno’. Auditorium. Free admission.
• 20 h - ‘Goodbye summer’. The Filà Almogávares #Calpe is organising this event to bid farewell to summer. With bar service and food at popular prices. And with Xaranga La Motora and DJ Joan Varela. Plaza Mayor.
• Exhibition ‘From the sea and other encounters’ by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31 August.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 1st:

• From 18 to 1 h – Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).

• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

The Calpe Town Hall is currently processing the tender for the extension works of the municipal cemetery with a base budget of 206,042.46 €. The extension of the municipal cemetery will involve the construction of a new level with capacity for 111 additional niches, distributed in four modules.

In addition to the niches, aesthetic and functional improvements will be made, such as the creation of green areas with dry stone walls and the installation of a new irrigation system. The work will begin once the tender process is completed and will last three months,

In view of the growing population and the need to meet the demands of the residents, the Town Council has begun the process of extending the Municipal Cemetery on a plot of land adjacent to the newest part of the Municipal Cemetery.

This measure was taken after an exhaustive analysis of the current situation and with the aim of guaranteeing the provision of an essential service for all citizens. The extension will increase the number of niches available, thus ensuring that all residents will have access to a dignified place for the eternal rest of their loved ones.

Marco Bittner, the Councillor responsible for the Eternal Rest Park has highlighted the importance of this initiative and underlined that ‘the extension of the municipal cemetery is a necessary measure to guarantee the wellbeing of our neighbours and ensure that they can say goodbye to their loved ones in a suitable environment’.

The work carried out at Pobla d'Ifac this summer as part of the 19th MARQ Excavation Campaign has brought to light an early 14th century shed used for storage or different functions outside the walls of the medieval city.

The Culture councillor, Juan de Dios Navarro, visited the archaeological site this morning, located on the slopes of the Peñón de Ifach Natural Park, to see first-hand the details of this five-week campaign.

Accompanied by the Environment of Calpe Environment councilor, Juan Manuel del Pino, and by the director of the MARQ and coordinator of the Campaign, Manuel Olcina, the provincial official toured the enclave where a team of professionals has been working for four weeks under the direction of José Luis Menéndez, a specialist in medieval archaeology and exhibition technician at the Alicante museum.

‘For the Provincial Council it is a great satisfaction to support this campaign to recover and promote part of the rich cultural heritage that we treasure in the province, in this case through a project in which more than one million euros has already been invested over nearly two decades of collaboration with the Calpe town council,’ said the deputy. For his part, del Pino thanked the efforts made by the provincial institution through the MARQ, whose team is already working on the site's master plan.

As part of the MARQ's Archaeological Excavations and Research Plan, which has a total budget of 114,000 euros, the work being carried out in Calpe this year has received 23,000 euros. The work has focused on the area around the West Gate, a secondary access to the interior of the city, and has determined that Building XIV - uncovered in previous campaigns - was a shed used for storage or to carry out different functions outside the city walls.

As Olcina explained, ‘the shed is more than thirteen metres long, open on both sides and covered with a wooden roof and tiles’. It was built at the beginning of the 14th century and in the middle of the century the building was abandoned in order to erect a covered gateway to secure the passage to the West Gate.

The archaeological work has also focused on documenting the first phase of occupation of this space, as well as the interior of the city, once the threshold of the West Gate is crossed. The MARQ continues to research this important enclave, which has become a reference in Valencian medieval archaeology.

The MARQ has recently been awarded the Premi 9 d'Octubre Award by Calpe Town Council for its scientific contributions and for working on the conservation of the Pobla d'Ifac and the Roman vicus of Baños de la Reina.

The lifeguard service at Calpe's beaches, provided by the company Eulen, carried out a rescue drill this morning on Arenal beach. This consisted of the rescue of a swimmer some 200 metres from the beach. The swimmer was assisted by a lifeguard who was on the beach and by a company boat which took him to the shore.

The rescued bather was simulating an arrest, so once on the beach, cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres were carried out and a defibrillator was applied. Once he recovered his pulse and was stabilised, he was taken by the company ambulance to the hospital in Dénia.

A skipper, four lifeguards, the person in charge of the post, the coordinator and emergency health technicians, as well as two agents of the Local Police and Civil Protection took part in the device.

The aim of this type of practice is to control the rescue times and the coordination between the different lifeguards to guarantee an optimum service. Moreover, this type of drills, which are carried out annually, are requirements for the awarding of the Blue Flag distinction. Numerous tourists followed the drill and at the end applauded the professionalism of the lifeguards.

The councillor for beaches, Pere Moll, the councillor for Tourism Planning, Mireia Ripoll, and technicians from the Beaches Department attended the drill and verified ‘in situ’ compliance with the protocol and times.

The municipal Territory Department  has carried out a study on the evolution of tourist housing in Calpe in recent years, analysing the applications to convert residential dwellings for tourist use since 2017 with data from the Town Hall's own records manager and those of Tourism Valencian Community.

The data shows an exponential growth since 2017 except for 2020 and 2021 presumably due to the effects of the pandemic. In 2017, 441 tourist housing certificates were requested compared to the 985 requested in 2024 up to the current month. In other words, the City Council has received 985 applications in eight months to give a tourist use to residential dwellings. In 2019, 671 certificates were requested, in 2022 there were 630 and in 2023 the figure of 932 tourist housing certificates was reached.

Last June, the Town Council set up the first meeting of the working group, made up of technicians, politicians and representatives of the sectors involved, to study the housing situation in Calpe, the aim of which is to analyse the different solutions within the municipal competence framework, to determine solutions and actions aimed at achieving the objective of affordable and decent housing.

In this first meeting, the need to control and limit tourist housing was already addressed. Previously, the Town Council agreed to suspend the change of use from commercial premises to housing. In recent years, the proliferation of tourist housing far in excess of residential housing has caused problems of access to housing in the municipality.

The councillor for Territorial Planning, Juan Manuel del Pino, pointed out that ‘tourist accommodation has broken the housing market, tourist accommodation has raised prices exorbitantly and this has resulted in a social problem. We are very aware of the problem of access to housing and we are working on various lines to balance the housing situation in the municipality’.

Friday, 23rd:

• From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Photography exhibition ‘Exogenesis’ by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30 August.
• From 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• From 19 h - Street food organised by Filà Moriscos in collaboration with Calpe Town Council. With the best street food and live performances. Plaza Mayor.
• 19.30 h - Talk: ‘Dialogues with Jacinto Moragues’. Jacinto Moragues, a native of Calpe, has a PhD in Chemistry and has been the inventor and co-inventor of 107 patents in Spain, four in the USA, 18 in Great Britain and another seven in European countries. Among the best known is one of the most widely used stomach protectors, ‘Almax’. Saló Blau.
• Guided tours of the Old Town. Compulsory registration at the tourist offices: 96 583 69 20 / 96 583 85 32 / turismo@ajCalpe.es):

19.30 h - in English

20 h - in Spanish

• 20 h - Street Music: Concert by Matías Torres. Ajuntament Vell.
• Exhibition ‘The sea and other encounters’ by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31st August.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 24th:

• From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Photography exhibition ‘Exogenesis’ by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30th August.
• From 18 to 1 h - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• From 19 h - Street food organised by Filà Moriscos in collaboration with Calpe Town Council. With the best street food and live performances. Plaza Mayor.
• Exhibition ‘The sea and other encounters’ by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31 August.
• Photographic exhibition on occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 25th:

• From 18 to 1 h - Craft markets. Calle Alemania (Arenal-Bol beach) and Plaza Mediterráneo (La Fossa beach).
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Agents of the CALPE USC unit of the Local Police proceeded this week to the removal of non-perishable material, allegedly counterfeit, from the Paseo del Arenal Bol in Calpe, with an approximate retail value of 10,000 euros. The items seized, mainly sportswear, bags and accessories, were taken to police headquarters for their quantification and quantification.

So far this summer (July and August) the local police of Calpe have made 28 interventions of non-perishable material in the Paseo de Calpe, in response to the phenomenon of ‘manteros’ (illegal street vendors), in which material with a market value of more than 50,000 euros has been removed from illegal sale, materials that are kept in police custody until their destruction.

Also, within the context of these operations, two vehicles have been seized in the last few days which were used as warehouses and actively used for the illegal sale of these products.

The Local Police Department of Calpe, directed by Guillermo Sendra, has incorporated a new unit for the surveillance of bicycle rides and has recently acquired two drones that, among other functions, will be used for the fight and investigation of this illegal sale of products in areas as important for local tourism as the promenades of La Fossa and Arenal Bol.

The Calpe Local Police Department, in coordination with the Police Headquarters, is using all available resources, without neglecting the other services required by Calpe, to fight against this type of illegal sale.

The Local Police Councillor reminds and points out that ‘residents and visitors to Calpe should know that the sale and purchase of these products is prohibited and that our visitors should be aware that the buyers of these products could also be sanctioned’. In this respect, an information campaign on the responsibility of the consumer of illegal products will be launched shortly.

On the other hand, this week several members of the Calpe government team met with various representatives of the Association of Businessmen and Traders of Calpe to discuss the street selling of products on the promenades. Among those present at the meeting were the mayoress Ana Sala, along with councillors Paqui Solivelles, Guillermo Sendra, Marco Bittner, Mireia Ripoll and Itziar Doval, who reiterated the commitment of the local government to comply with current legislation.

During the meeting, the importance of enforcing the municipal ordinance prohibiting street vending in these spaces was discussed. The municipal representatives underlined the effectiveness of the established regulations in ensuring a safe and orderly environment for residents and the thousands of tourists who visit Calpe. The commitment of the local government is not only focused on law enforcement, but also on raising community awareness of the risks and implications of supporting this type of illegal trade.

The results of the water analysis of the Arenal-Bol beach reveal that the water is in an excellent condition, so the Town Council has reopened the stretch of the beach at the mouth of the Quisi ravine to bathing.

The Directorate General for Water has sent the Town Hall the report on the analysis of the water samples from the bathing area taken last Monday, when the possible breakage of the purified water collector was detected. However, after the appropriate checks, it has been ruled out that this was the cause.

The municipality of Calpe immediately took preventive measures to avoid health risks, such as building a sand dike at the mouth of the Quisi ravine to prevent more water from reaching the sea, fencing off the area to prevent users from accessing it, as well as prohibiting bathing in that section. The treated water was also chlorinated to reduce the possible load of microorganisms and to keep the water on the beach at optimum levels for bathing.

‘In Calpe, we have acted with caution and transparency, prioritising health safety. Finally, it has been verified that the outfall has not broken and that the water for bathing is of excellent quality’, said the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala.

The Calpe Local Police has set up a specific aerial resources’ unit called UMAC (Calpe Aerial Resources Unit) made up of four officers trained in the use of security drones.

This unit was created with the acquisition by the City Council of 2 latest generation security drones model DJI Pack Mavic 3 PRO, one of which has an infrared camera for night vision to locate people or animals.

The drones have cameras with different zoom, loudspeaker and spotlight and have a range of 10 kilometres. These devices also have an automatic tracking system for identified vehicles and people, a parachute to cushion falls in the event of flying over urban areas and sensors to avoid collisions with obstacles. The equipment, with an investment of €10,000, includes not only the drones, but also 6 batteries and training for the officers, as well as licences and insurance.

The new unit of the Local Police includes multiple functions, from traffic control or pursuit of vehicles and people to surveillance of boats, assistance in health services, search for missing persons, surveillance at rallies and events, pursuit of illegal dumping and environmental crimes or surveillance of promenades and pursuit of illegal sales.

The Councillor for Public Safety, Guillermo Sendra, pointed out that ‘the UMAC is related to security issues and traffic control, the unit is going to be formed little by little as its functions are multiple, from traffic control or search for people to the control of illegal dumping. It has a camera, spotlight and microphone, so it can be used at night and can be used to hold conversations in the event of rescues or situations that are difficult to access. Although the devices are small, they are the latest in this type of technology and will become an essential tool for the Police and the City Council’.

Calpe Town Council has carried out a campaign to encourage the participation of visitors and tourists in the satisfaction survey of the Smart Tourist Destination Plan (in Spanish, Plan de Destino Turístico Inteligente DTI).

To this end, a gift has been given to all those who have participated in this survey, which aims to collect information about their experience in Calpe. The initiative has been a great success as 68 surveys have been carried out in two days, until the stock of gifts has been used up. The survey will be available all year round and it is planned that other actions will be developed at a later date to encourage tourist participation in these questionnaires.

‘I would like to encourage all tourists and visitors to continue to participate in the Smart Tourism Destination Plan survey. The collection of these opinions is essential so that we can continue to improve the tourist experience in our town,’ said Tourism Planning Councillor Mireia Ripoll. She added: ‘The data collected will serve as a guide to develop and plan more promotional actions aimed at attracting visitors throughout the year, which is why this action will not be the only one we will carry out to encourage responses as we want to have opinions of the different profiles of tourists who visit us at different times of the year. The ultimate goal is to enhance the diversity of visitor segments and improve the sustainability of tourism in Calpe’.

Through this consultation, tourists give their opinion about the tourist services in the town, about mobility, transport and accessibility in Calpe, about the tourist information available, if they consider that there is enough tourist infrastructure and activities on offer, if they have felt safe and if they have used mobile applications or online technologies to improve their tourist experience, among other questions.

The survey is available online. It can also be accessed through a QR code in the tourist offices and tourist information points and on the digital information screens distributed in the old town of Calpe and at other points of the municipality (Fisherman's market, Fossa promenade, Arenal-Bol promenade and next to the Red Wall).

Calpe Town Council has closed a stretch of Arenal-Bol beach this morning after detecting a possible break in the collector that sends treated water from the treatment plant to the sea. The closed section affects the mouth of the Quisi ravine.

Despite being treated water and to avoid possible health risks, the Calpe town council has taken preventive measures such as banning bathing in the area, for which the beach has been marked with buoys. A sand dyke has also been created at the mouth of the Quisi ravine to prevent more water from reaching the sea and the area has been fenced off to prevent users from accessing it.

In addition, a water sample has been taken from the spring - from the point where the possible break in the collector is located - and from the bathing area to find out if the water is suitable for bathing. And the treated water has been chlorinated to reduce the load of microorganisms and to keep the beach water at optimum levels for bathing.

At the same time, the Blue Flag of the Arenal-Bol beach has been lowered and will not be raised again until the results of the analyses are available. Calpe Town Council has notified the Directorate General for Water and ADEAC - the body that awards the blue flags - of all these incidents.

All these preventive measures will be maintained until the results of the analyses confirming that the beach is suitable for bathing are known.

The mayoress Ana Sala, as representative of Calpe Town Council, and Miguel Pastor, as president of the Calpe-Ifac Unión Musical, have ratified before a notary the exchange of land that will allow the start of the accessibility works to the premises of the Department of Social Welfare located in the building called Casa de la Música.

The agreement between Calpe Town Hall and the Calpe- Unión Musical allows the exchange of 50,02m2 on the ground floor of the building owned by the Unión Musical for 70,03 m² on the first floor owned by the Town Hall. This exchange corresponds to the need to adjust the access of the building where the offices of the Social Welfare Department are located to the requirements established by the regulations for public buildings.

In 2007, the Town Council and the Unión Musical signed a protocol of intentions by which the Calpe band ceded to the Town Council the plot of land it owned on Avenida del Puerto de Santa María. This protocol committed the Town Hall to the construction of a building, transferring to the Unión Musical the ownership of the ground floor premises, of approximately 515 m², where the rehearsal room would be located, with direct access from the street, storage for instruments, toilets and other rooms attached to the band, and an area on the first floor for classrooms and administrative areas. The rest of the four-storey building became municipal property.

Although it was originally planned to use these municipal facilities for social housing, it was finally agreed to locate the offices of the Social Welfare Department in them. Hence the current need to adapt the access to the requirements of a building for public use.

This signature makes it possible to tackle the refurbishment and the preparation of the facilities with the aim that the facilities of the Social Welfare Department of will be operational before the end of the year. This municipal department will finally have suitable premises.

This week the Parc dels Garrofers has been opened to the public, after the remodelling works started last May. This is the complete remodelling of this urban park located next to the Casa de Cultura and close to the Civic Centre. The works were awarded to the company Cemer Play S.L. for 230,989 euros and are 100% financed by the Provincial Council as part of the n +Cerca 2023 Plan.

At present, the work has consisted of replacing the children's playground equipment and installing a continuous shock-absorbing pavement. The park equipment has also been replaced with new benches and new litter bins. All the wooden material in the park is made of rice husk, this type of material does not need maintenance and is much more durable as it is waterproof. In addition, some of the playground equipment contains elements made from sea plastics recycled by Gravity Wave.

In the lower area of the park there was a circuit of healthy elements in poor condition due to its time of service and new equipment has been installed with 4 healthy elements and 2 elements for users with reduced mobility. In addition, a wooden pergola has been installed in a paved area with tables and wooden benches.

The fencing which was in poor condition and which encloses the perimeter of the park has also been renewed. To increase the shade in the children's play area, mulberry trees have been planted in specific areas and the public toilets in the park have been renovated.

The mayoress, Ana Sala, visited the park this morning, accompanied by councillors Juan Manuel del Pino and Guillermo Sendra, and pointed out that "our aim is to continue renovating and improving the municipality's parks, and projects are already underway to improve the park in the Plaza de Ifac and the park between the Plaza Mayor and Navío Street. We need to renovate these facilities and provide them with more shade".

Friday, 9:

• Blood donation day, at the Calpe Red Cross headquarters (C/ María Jorro, 1) from 16.30 to 20.30h

• Concert by Ensemble Blechkrafto, 20.30h, Plaza del Mediterráneo (Paseo Marítimo La Fossa beach).

• Bous al carrer, in Conde de Altea street, at 19.30 and 23.50 h.

• From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Photography exhibition "Exogenesis" by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30 August.

• Exhibition "From the sea and other encounters" by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31st August.

• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 10th

• Bous al Carrer, in Conde de Altea street, at 11 am, 7 pm and 11:50 pm.

• From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Photography exhibition "Exogenesis" by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30 August.

• Exhibition "From the sea and other encounters" by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31st August.

• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 11th:

• Festivities in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves, Gran Cabalgata from Avenida Puerto de Santa María at 20:00.

• Bous al Carrer, in Calle Conde de Altea at 11 am and 11:50 pm.

• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Calpe will celebrate a new edition of the Calpe Pop Festival on 14 and 15 August, which this year will feature performances by DJ Kofy, DJ Raúl Platero, Grupo Double Visión, DJ Chimo Bayo and DJ Vicente Buitrón on the Remember Night on 14 August. And on 15 August, DJ Sifo, Mikel Erentxun, Los Rebeldes and DJ Joan K-Zu are scheduled to perform.

The Calpe Pop Festival was born in 2021 as an event to promote leisure. Calpe is a family tourism destination with demand for leisure activities from the young people of Calpe and tourists, which is why four years ago the Town Hall decided that the 15th August long weekend was the ideal time to hold an event of this type aimed at all audiences and that, as it has two days, it can offer specific shows for adults and for a younger audience. Previously, Los Secretos, Marta Sánchez and Camela have performed.

Although admission is free this year, in order to attend the Calpe Pop Festival it will be necessary to book tickets online at the following links:

https://www.notikumi.com/.../Calpe-pop-festival-remember...for the 14th and

https://www.notikumi.com/.../Calpe-pop-festival-15...for the 15th.

Tickets are nominative and it will be necessary to show a photo ID at the entrance. Tickets will lose their validity at 22:15h.

 Yesterday a meeting was held at the Town Hall to establish the security arrangements for the event. It was agreed that for both concerts there will be a fixed police operation in the Parc de la Creatividad, and eight controllers from the company that manages the concerts will be on duty at the entrances and exits of the venue. There will be a platform and toilets for the disabled and the event will be attended by two ambulances. The concerts will start at 9 p.m. in the Parc de la Creativitat.

The business confidence survey launched in the municipality by the Tourism Department in order to know the perception of businessmen about the evolution of the economic situation of the municipality has its first conclusions regarding the third quarter of 2024.

The data reflect a positive business confidence in Calpe and higher than the average for the Valencian Community and Spain. 34% of companies rated the previous quarter as favourable, compared to only 15.3% who considered it unfavourable. As for the current quarter, 29.9% expect it to be favourable, while only 17.6% believe it will be unfavourable.

In the employers' assessment of employment, the survey shows a positive balance of job creation in the previous quarter (11%) and this is expected to continue in the current quarter (9.9%). Larger firms tend to increase their workforces more in this quarter.

In terms of prices, there is an upward trend in prices, with 26.2% of firms increasing prices last quarter and 20.6% expecting to do so in the current quarter. The turnover balance was also positive (6.2%) in the previous quarter and is expected to improve (13.7%) in the current quarter. There was a positive investment balance (13.9%) in the previous quarter, although the expectation for the current quarter is slightly moderated (5.3%).

Regarding the main constraints on activity, Calpe businesspeople point to: inflation (44%), increased competition (35.9%), weak demand (29.3%) and a shortage of suitable labour (28.5%).

Overall, the report shows an optimistic outlook for Calpe's business sector for the third quarter of 2024, with positive expectations in most indicators, although some challenges are also identified, mainly related to inflation and competition.

According to the Councillor for Tourism Promotion, Marco Bittner, "The results of the business confidence survey show that Calpe is in a solid and growing position, exceeding regional and national expectations. Our entrepreneurs are creating jobs and increasing their investments, which reflects their confidence in the future of our town.

However, we cannot ignore the challenges we face. Inflation, increased competition and a shortage of skilled labour are real concerns for our local businesses.

We are therefore committed to working closely with the business sector to address these challenges. We will promote training programmes to improve the skills of our workforce, we will promote policies that encourage innovation and competitiveness, and we will look for ways to mitigate the impact of inflation on our local businesses.

Friday, 2nd:

Festivity in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves (Children's Day):

• 10 h - Children's Despertà through the different streets of the town.
• 10.45 h - Aqua - jocs. At the end, foam party for the little ones. Parc de la Creativitat.
• 19 h - Children's musical ‘La Rosa encantada’. Plaza Mayor
• 22.45 h - Musical ‘Los 40 Principales’. Main Square.
• 1 h - DJ Night. Plaza Mayor
• 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. - Photography exhibition ‘Exogenesis’ by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30 August.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Saturday, 3rd:

Festivity in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves (Day of the Commissions):

• 8 h - Despertà through the different streets of the town.
• 10.30 h - Mini Disco. Mosquit Square
• 11.30 h - Cucañas, enlivened by Xaranga. C/ de Fora
• 14 h - Giant Paella, enlivened by Xaranga. Conde de Altea St.
• 16 h - Big colourful party for the little ones. Arcoiris Park
• 16.30 h - Gran Cordà d'aigua (water party).
• 00 h - Seven Crashers Orchestra. Plaça Major
• 10:30 h - Guided tours of the Old Town (in Spanish). Compulsory registration at the tourist offices: 96 583 69 20 / 96 583 85 32 / turismo@ajcalpe.es)
• From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - Photography exhibition ‘Exogenesis’ by Aitor del Arco. Exhibition Hall of the Casa de Cultura. Until 30 August.
• 19.30 - Opening of the exhibition ‘Del mar y otros encuentros’ by María Pérez Herrero. Exhibition Hall of the Ajuntament Vell. Until 31st August.
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Sunday, 4th:

Festivity in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves (Day of the Offering):

• 8 h - Despertà through the different streets of the village.
• 10.30 h - Aqua-jocs. Afterwards, Foam Party for the little ones. Parc de la Creativitat
• 13 h - Ringing of bells in honour of Our Lady the Virgin of Las Nieves
• 20 h - Parade of the Commission and gathering of the authorities. Afterwards, Offering of Flowers Nuestra Señora la Virgen de las.
• 23.55 h - Great Mascletà at night, by Caballer pyrotechnics. Plaza Mayor
• 00.30 h - Montecarlo Orchestra. Plaza Mayor
• Photographic exhibition on the occasion of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

Monday, 5th:

Festivity in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves.

• 10 h - Aerial bombardment by Caballer pyrotechnics.
• 12 h - Parade of the Commission and gathering of the authorities
• 13 h - Daytime Mascletà by Caballer pyrotechnics. Plaza Mayor
• 18.30 h - Parade of the commission and collection of the authorities.
• 19.30 h - Mass in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves. At the end, solemn procession in honour of Nuestra Señora la Virgen de las Nieves
• 11.59 p.m. - Castell a la Mar (organised by the Festivity Council).
• 00.30 h - Orchestra La Tribu. Plaza Mayor

• Photographic exhibition on of the Centenary of the Calpe Fishermen's Guild. In Plaza Colón, Plaza Constitución, Plaza Beato Sendra, Plaza Manuel Miró and in the port (next to the Fishermen's Guild).

As tradition dictates on Fadrí Day, Calpe has a new mayor. This morning, 18-year-old Maties Pastor Font became the town's new mayor after being handed over the baton by Mayoress Ana Sala. And although it will be for 24 hours, he has prepared a programme of measures that will be in force throughout the day.

The new mayor addressed the audience from the balcony of the Town Hall - members of the committee and citizens - and pointed out first of all that: ‘although I am the “fadrí” mayor, it is the fifth of 2006 who governs, and he said “it is a source of pride to be mayor of my town and to represent my fifth”. And among the proposals to be implemented by his government team, he announced the abolition of the time limit established by the mayoress to regulate the activities of the ‘peñas’ or ‘casales’ of fiestas that have been taking place for some years. Also, due to the drought situation, the suppression of fountains such as the recently installed filtered and refrigerated drinking water fountain in the Plaza Constitución, for which he encouraged people to drink ‘cerveza a gogó’, as well as the installation of escalators for the Avenida Gabriel Miró, among other proposals.

Maties Pastor closed his speech by inviting the whole town, citizens and visitors to enjoy the intense programme of events prepared by the festival committee. He then held the first plenary session of his mandate with the appointment of his government team.

The plenary session of the Calpe Town Council has approved a credit modification of 579,996.12 euros from the remaining cash flow, which will allow different expenses and investments to be made.

As explained by the mayoress of Calpe, Ana Sala, 150,000 euros of this amount will be used to organise a Christmas Fair ‘different, more extensive, with greater emphasis and scope’. Also, 85,382.86 euros will be invested in the installation of LED lighting for the historic centre of the town, 50,000 euros in the purchase of security cameras, 25,000 euros in the leasing of four motorbikes for the Local Police, 15,000 euros for the organization of a new Meeting of Innovative Communication and 40,000 euros for the purchase of furniture for the Social Centre of Social Services. In addition, 30,000 euros have been earmarked for the possible organisation of a new event in the last quarter of the year to celebrate the centenary of the Fishermen's Guild and another 40,000 euros for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Calpe music band.

 In addition to all this, 144,613.26 euros will be used to pay outstanding invoices for the ambulance service for the year 2023.

The topic has been approved with the votes of the government team (Somos Calpe, Psoe and Compromís) and the abstention of Defendamos Calpe and the popular municipal group.

The spokesman for Defendamos Calpe, Paco Quiles, pointed out that the government team does not have ‘an order of priorities, which establishes what is most necessary in the municipality’ and reproached them for spending money on ‘more fiestas when there are shortages’ and suggested the construction of a sports pavilion or the purchase of instruments for music schools, among other issues.

For his part, the spokesman for the popular group, Miguel Crespo, indicated that with this new credit modification Calpe will consume more than 17 million euros of surplus, according to a report by the Intervention and that presumably the spending rule will not be met in 2024. He accused the government team of lack of foresight and of using a ‘populist’ criterion when it comes to managing spending and the surplus. ‘It is necessary to have a political government project, which sets a direction and it seems that we often improvise too much,’ he said.

Guillermo Sendra, spokesman for the socialist municipal group, explained the need for the investments proposed by his delegations, such as the four new motorbikes for the Local Police, whose staff has increased by 16 new officers this year, and the installation of LED lights in the historic centre. ‘We are one of the few towns that still do not have low-energy lighting in the historic centre; it is imperative that we have lighting for the 21st century,’ he said.

 The spokesman for the government team and Compromís, Ximo Perles, pointed out that ‘as soon as a budget is approved, no matter how well you do it, it generates a surplus’, such as the fact that a member of the municipal staff is on sick leave - as 75 percent of their salary is paid by the Social Security. He also described it as ‘demagogy’ to compare investments in fiestas with the purchase of musical instruments, as Calpe does not have a public music school, and agreed on the need for a pavilion. "But if they are not in this surplus or in the general budget, it is because these investments require a project and as this project has not been drawn up, we do not want to make investments that are not going to be able to be executed.

On the other hand, Somos Calpeespokesman Juan Manuel del Pino pointed out that they have tried to cover the needs that had to be met ‘with an honest and sensible criterion’.

 Mayor Ana Sala defended the work of the government team in economic management. ‘We are a very responsible government in terms of the accounts; in the last five years this council has approved the budget in time and form’ and added that ‘if there is surplus available, what better way to invest that money than to give it back to the citizens’ through these projects.

MODIFICATION OF CEMETERY ORDINANCE

On the other hand, the plenary session unanimously agreed to the initial approval of the modification of the Ordinance for the regime and governance in the provision of services in the municipal cemetery. The aim is to provide a solution to a problem detected, which is to allow family members of Calpeinos up to the sixth degree of consanguinity who are not registered in the municipality to be buried in the cemetery. This modification will be applied to niches that already belong to the family and not to those newly occupied. Likewise, registration will not be required for the deposit of ashes in columbaria or in the family niche.

‘Today is a day when by changing one paragraph we improve people's lives, we try to mitigate the pain that this measure could cause’, emphasised the councillor for the Park of Eternal Rest Marco Bittner;

This is an amendment that has been in the works for a year and will also reflect the updating of the timetables that were already in place.

TRADE VOUCHERS

The plenary approved the modification of the bases of the Bono Comercio 2024 campaign to move the phase of the campaign planned for the first half of the year to the second half of the year. This has had to be delayed due to the new legal requirement to put out to tender the designation of the economic association in charge of managing the vouchers.

 In this way, the two phases of the campaign will be grouped into one with a total amount of 500,000 euros, although the rules foresee that in the event that this amount is not used up, a second call can be made in which the people who acquired a voucher in the first call can also be beneficiaries of a new voucher.

The bases of the Bono –Consumo 2024 campaign, financed entirely by the Diputación de Alicante and which will allocate 290,845.00 euros to Calpe, have also been approved. This campaign will take place after the celebration of the Bono Comercio campaign in order to continue with the objective of reactivating consumption in local commerce.

Calpe begins tomorrow, Wednesday, the patron saint fiestas in honour of the Virgen de las Nieves, organised by the 2024 Fiestas Commission and Calpe Town Council.

Tomorrow will begin with the aerial bombardment to announce the fiestas and the ringing of bells. In the afternoon, the festival-goers will gather in the Plaza del Arco Iris to perform the Entrada de la Murta through the streets of the old town until they reach the Plaza Miguel Roselló. There the queens and the children's king of the fiestas will perform the ‘Crida a la festa’ from the balcony of the Town Hall and the lights will be switched on. In the evening, the Plaza Mayor will host a performance by the orchestra ‘La Fiesta’.

On Thursday 1st August, the ‘Día del Fadrí’ will be celebrated, when the young festeros will take over the Town Hall and the ‘the staff of command will be exchanged for the 2006 festeros who will rule the streets of the municipality for a day. At midday there will be a ‘globotà’ in Llibertat street and cucañas in For a street, in the afternoon the parc de la Creativitat will host aquajocs and a foam party for the little ones. In the evening there will be a performance by the orchestra ‘Carnavalia’ in the Plaça Major.

On Friday 2 August, ‘Children's Day’ will be celebrated with various activities for the little ones. There will be a children's wake-up call, aqua-jocs in the Parc de la Creativitat and in the afternoon there will be traditional musicals in the Plaza Mayor, the children's ‘La rosa encantada’ at 7 p.m. and the general ‘Los 40 principales’ at 10.45 p.m., and at 1 a.m. ‘DJ Night’ in the Plaza Mayor.

On Saturday 3rd August, ‘El Día de las Comisiones’ will be celebrated with a mini-disco in the Plaza del Mosquit and cucañas and charanga in the Carrer de Fora in the morning, plus a giant paella in the Calle Conde de Altea, in the afternoon a water party in the Plaza Mayor and in the evening a performance by the orchestra ‘Seven Crashers’ in the Plaza Mayor.

On Sunday 4 August, the eve of the main festival, at 20:00 there will be a parade to collect the queens and members of the 2024 Festival Committee to gather in front of the Town Hall to go to the Parish Church where the Offering of Flowers to the Virgen de las Nieves will be held. In the evening there will be a big night-time mascletá (firework display) by Pirotécnia Caballer, followed by a performance by Orquesta Montecarlo in the Plaza Mayor.

On Monday 5th, the feast of the Virgen de las Nieves, Patron Saint of Calpe, the events will begin with an aerial bombardment and a parade by the Commission. At 13:00 a mascletá will be fired in the Plaza Mayor. At 19:30 the mass in honour of the patron saint is scheduled to take place in the Virgen de las Nieves parish church, followed by a procession through the streets of the old town, followed by the well-known Castell a la Mar organised by the Department of Fiestas, an ‘aero-aquatic’ fireworks display that will be set off from the Arenal-Bol beach breakwater. At 00:30 hours the Plaza Mayor will once again be the meeting point with a performance by the orchestra ‘La Tribu’.

On Tuesday 6th August, the Day of San Salvador, there will be a children's ‘despertá’ and a traditional game of Valencian pilota in García Ortiz Street. And in the afternoon, the festeros and authorities will move to the hermitage of San Salvador where the traditional mass in honour of San Salvador is scheduled to take place. This will be followed by a popular aperitif.

From the 6th to the 12th of August the traditional ‘Bous al carrer’ will be held in Conde de Altea street with afternoon and evening sessions organised by the Associació Festera Bous al Carrer. And on Sunday 11th August, the great parade of floats will be held from Benissa Street to Plaza Colón.

The festival will end with free concerts on the 14th and 15th of August with the Calpe Pop Festival. On the 14th of August from 21:00 onwards, it will be remember night with DJ Kofy, DJ Raúl Platero, Grupo Double Visión, DJ Chimo Bayo and DJ Vicente Buitrón. And on 15 August, from 9 p.m. onwards, DJ Sifo, Mikel Erentxun, Los Rebeldes and DJ Joan K-Zu will perform. These concerts are held in the Parc de la Creativitat and are free of charge.