Javea Festival – Mid-year Mare de Deu de Loreto

The Mare de Deu de Loreto is the main festival in the port area of Javea – and it’s so popular there’s a mid-year version of it six months before the real thing.

The mid-year Mare de Deu de Loreto (Our Lady of Loreto) takes place for just a day at the end of March each year.

But if you’re in the port area of Javea, you’ll still be able to take part in a few highlights of the real Festes de la Mare de Deu de Loreto which take place every year from the end of August until September 8th.

Photo credit: Javeaconnect.co.uk

When is the mid-year Mare de Deu de Loreto festival in Javea?

The last weekend in March.

Where is the mid-year Mare de Deu de Loreto festival in Javea?

The festivities are in the port area of Javea, and in particular around the fishing harbour.

What’s the highlight of the mid-year Mare de Deu de Loreto festival in Javea?

The popular Baret de Bous which serves freshly caught seafood and drinks.

The mid-year Festival of the Mare de Deu de Loreto

The Mare de Deu de Loreto (Our Lady of Lady of Loreto) is a religious icon salvaged from an Italian boat which ran aground close to Cap Ptim in 1850.

The Mare de Deu de Loreto quickly became the patron saint of Javea’s port parish, and gives its name to the famous church just a stone’s throw from the Playa de la Grava.

Ever since the mid 19th century, residents of the port area of Javea (traditionally fishing families) have held festivals in which the Mare de Deu de Loreto is paraded through the streets in the port, while people jump into the sea with bulls, play games of traditional Valencian handball, hold community dinners, decorate the streets and enjoy a huge aquatic fireworks display at the end.

The final day of the Festes de la Mare de Deu de Loreto is September 8th.

But the mig any de Festes de la Mare de Déu de Loreto is held on the last weekend in March for just a single day.

Here’s what you can expect on the last saturday in March:

9am – a wake-up call in the streets of the port area
11am – a game of Valencian handball (raspall) in Calle Triana between local players
11am – games of chess in the Paseo Jaime I
12pm – the opening of the Baret dels Bous on the Paseo Jaime I, with freshly caught prawns, seafood and drinks as well as inflatable castles for children
3pm – Valencian paella at cheap prices

The purpose of the mid-year festivals in honour of the Mare de Deu de Loreto is to raise funds for the real festival which takes place at the end of August until September 8th.