The Town Hall of garachico has had to assume the responsibility of organizing the next edition of the patron saint festivities of San Roque and Santa Ana, but with the conviction that citizen participation must once again be key after the dissolution of the association that until 2022 was in charge of the preparations for this long-awaited annual celebration. Mayor, Jose Heriberto Gonzalez (CC)recalls that after the disappearance of the entity called «a neighborhood assembly to debate and decide on the future of the festivitiesin which the citizens made the decision that the City Council was the organizer and that all the associations and people interested in helping and collaborating joined ».
The municipality has experience in these situations, since In 2012, the patron saint festivities were in danger due to the en bloc resignation of the old festivities commission, just a month before the acts began. Eleven years later, history repeats itself, with more time, and the northern Consistory must come out again to the rescue of this celebration.
«We already did it years ago, when similar circumstances arose, and it was also proposed in the first assembly that the entities or persons interested in designing or organizing any of the acts present their proposals and then put them in common”, details González.
In the absence of three months for the start of the festivities, Garachico City Council The budget for this year’s 2023 edition has been definitively approved, and it has numerous proposals from associations and citizens who will organize specific events or take care of some aspect related to the festivities. For example, there are proposals for citizen participation for “the organization and coordination of different acts such as the proclamation, the Festival of Traditions, the Song Festival or Children’s Day. Also there are several associations that have proposed decorating and framing different spaces holidays, such as the Plaza de San Roque or the place from where the carts leave”, details the mayor.
The municipality will recover this August the dance of magicians “apart from the girl pilgrimage”
The program is not yet closed and, according to the mayor, “there is still time to continue proposing things.” For example, one of the novelties of this year is recover the celebration of a dance of magicians “on the margin of the Chica Pilgrimage”.
Jose Heriberto Gonzalez explains that “all the proposals were voted on by the residents attending the assembly and approved unanimously or by majority, including recovery from the wizard ball». In his opinion, “the agreement is being fulfilled. The City Council sets the conditions for the festivities to be held, as well as financing, legal support, logistics and security, while the Garachiquense associations and residents who so wish may organize specific events or collaborate in their proper development. They will be participatory and democratic partieswhich will be left with a sufficient level of organization so that, if there were a new government after the May 28 electionsI could complete them without problem ».
