Everything ready for the start edition number 679 of the Cocentaina Fair. So, this Thursday afternoon your more than 800 exhibitors They will open their doors for this case competition seven centuries of history.
The exhibition area increases this year to 142.000 m² with more innovation, automotive and local products, incorporating new electric tractors and reaching the highest occupancy of the last decade in the automotive sector. And it counts as one of the novelties with the presence for the first time of the giant Tesla.
Thus, the commercial opening of the event will take place this Thursday at 18:00 hours. In addition, one hour before the little ones will be offered the possibility of using the mechanical attractions at popular prices (2 euros) during this day, within the “Day of Boys and Girls.”
Fair coordination meeting held this week / INFORMATION
And the three big days will start on Friday with the official opening at 11:00 a.m. in the Plaza del Pla. Thus, after the official reception of the attending authorities, the event will begin with the reading of the royal privilege by the association Afama Cocentaina. Next, the Colla of Dolçaines and Mal Passet Tabalsaccompanied by a sample of metal instruments, will perform the official anthem “Dolça Fira”.
Last preparations
The Cocentaina City Council has been finalizing the work prior to the celebration this week. The Fira Department coordinates the municipal team and the collaborating companies with the aim of guaranteeing that the assembly and operation of the event are carried out with total normality and with all the guarantees of safety, accessibility and quality.
This final phase is the result of a process of planning that takes place throughout the yearwith periodic meetings between the Fira Department and all the municipal areas involved, such as Works and Services (installation of infrastructure, signage and logistics), Culture (cultural programming and exhibitions), Youth (concerts and leisure activities), Local Police, Civil Protection, Environment, Communication and other support services.
The Tots Sants Fair in its edition last year / Juani Ruz
Likewise, coordination extends to external companies responsible for the assembly of structures, electrical supplies, cleaning, security, waste management, lighting and event productionwhich work in synchronization with municipal services to adapt urban spaces to the fair device.
In the last technical meeting the timeline assembly, which includes street closures, the conditioning of plots and the fine-tuning of electrical and hydraulic infrastructure, so that all exhibition spaces are fully prepared for the official opening.
As the Fira councilor, Marcela Richart, explained this week, “the work of organizing the Fira begins many months before, but it is in these last days when everything planned comes to life in the streets. We are talking about a fair that completely transforms the municipalityand that is only possible thanks to the coordination and joint effort of all the municipal areas and the companies involved.”
“The work of organizing the Fira begins many months before, but it is in these last days when everything planned comes to life in the streets
Richart has also highlighted the importance of this final phase: “The last fifteen days are the most intense, but also the most exciting. It is the moment in which we see how all the work of a year becomes visible. Our objective is that, when October 31 arrives, everything is ready for Cocentaina to once again show the best image of the Fire Fair”.
With this technical and logistical device, the Cocentaina City Council reaffirms its commitment to a coordinated, safe and efficient managementwhich allows a new edition of the Fira de Tots Sants to be celebrated with all the guarantees and with the quality that characterizes this historic event.
Businesspeople
For its part, from the Federation of Businessmen of l'Alcoià and El Comtat (Fedac), have highlighted this Wednesday the leading role of the Cocentaina establishments, which turn the Fair into a true celebration of local commerce.
And they have remembered that the Fair of All Saints in Cocentaina “is not only history, tradition and culture; It is also one of the most important events for local commerce, which every year goes out of its way to bring life to the streets of Villa Condal.”
To Natalia Valls Pascual, vice president of Fedac, “local commerce is part of the soul of the Fira. The businesses of Cocentaina are very involved: they decorate the windows, extend opening hours and are filled with festive atmosphere. For us, the Fair is an opportunity to show what we are: proximity, tradition and quality. Without local commerce, the Fair would not be the same,” they explain from the merchants' association.
Natalia Valls, who also chairs the Cocentaina merchants association, maintains that during the three days of the Fira, the town is transformed. The streets fill with visitors and the commerce becomes a living showcase of the best of the territory.
“Seeing the town full of people gives us a huge boost. Many visitors discover stores and products they didn't know. It is a way to make Cocentaina's commerce visible and to remind everyone that here you buy well and you buy nearby,” he adds.
More than three days
Furthermore, the effects of the Fira do not remain in those three days. Many visitors return later to buy, eat or just walk around Cocentaina.
According to Valls, “the Fira is like a first contact: people fall in love with the atmosphere, the treatment and what they find here. Then they return during the year, and that fills us with pride,” the merchants emphasize.
Fedac reminds us that Cocentaina's trade is one of the most active in the central regions, thanks precisely to that participatory and close spirit. “Here we have a very lively business with a lot of personality. The Fair gives us visibility and reinforces our identity. Close treatment continues to be our strong point,” he remarks.
Finally, businessmen and merchants launch a invitation open to all residents of the regions and visitors: “We invite everyone to come, to enjoy the Fair and the special atmosphere that is breathed in Cocentaina. Let them come to our shops, discover what we have and experience the Fair as we do here: with great enthusiasm and pride for our town.”
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