Last Saturday night, the El Prado building in Ondara became the epicentre of emotions, tradition and regional pride. The annual gala of the Muixeranga de la Marina Alta celebrated a historic year for the group. They closed a memorable 2024, in which they have raised seven five-story muixerangues, taking their figures to renowned squares and stages such as Algemesí or Vilafranca del Penedès.
The evening was filled with the excitement of the group to see its ranks grow and achieve the dreams of its members. The xicalla of the muixeranga was the first protagonist of the night with the intervention of little Noa, who presented her original story "La Muixeranga de la Marina Alta toca la lluna". The first part of the gala included recognitions for the members of the muixeranga, as well as the presentation of the colla's new t-shirt, whose central part is a drawing by local artist Toni Ortolà.
Some 150 attendees, including members and guests, were able to recall some of the most notable achievements of the muixeranga. There was no shortage of political and cultural representatives. The mayors and deputies of Ondara and Benissa, José Ramiro and Arturo Poquet, the mayor of Pedreguer and president of MACMA, Sergi Ferrús, the councillor and deputy of Compromís calpino Ximo Perles, as well as the President of the Federation of Muixerangues, Berta Ruscalleda, were present.
In the second part of the gala, the muixeranga presented a nice project with which they hope to "make a connection" with different regional groups, starting with the Fishermen's Guilds of Dénia, Xàbia, Calp and Moraira.
A video tribute to the seafaring families of the region filled the screen of the stage, where the group, forming a large human lighthouse, welcomed the fishing boats in the different fishing ports of the Marina Alta. The twinning with the fishermen's guilds connected the muixeranguer art and the men and women of the sea, reinforcing the union between tradition and trade in the region.
The president of the group, Vicent Pastor, and his teacher, Raquel Jurado, sealed this meeting by giving the senior patrons of Calp and Dénia, Paco Catalá and Juan Antonio Sepulcre, a lithograph by the artist Joan Castejón, a tribute of admiration and gratitude.
The dinner that accompanied the evening was another symbol of recognition for the fishermen. The impeccable red prawns from Dénia and the white ones from Calp delighted the tables, together with a delicious llauna or cruet of fresh fish.
With more than one hundred members, the Muixeranga de la Marina Alta has not only established itself as a prestigious group, but is also looking towards the future with ambition. Saturday's gala was a celebration of its recent past, a tribute to the present and a promising announcement of what is to come.
As they announced, 2025 is already looking high. In July, in the port of Calp and under the imposing gaze of the Penyal d'Ifac, the group will raise its first figure, called "Ifac". A milestone that promises to be a historic moment for the Calp sailors' festivals, where the muixeranga will become even more united with the seafaring essence. On the other hand, the group is already preparing an unexpected trip to Manacor, in Mallorca, to continue taking its human towers to new lands.
It is an honour, a wonder and a pride to belong to the Muixernaga de la Marina Alta and from here I invite the people of our region to come to one of our rehearsals in 2025 and be encouraged to become part of this great family.