The Pilgrimage of San Miguel in Torremolinos will gather more than fifty carts

Torremolinos will celebrate its San Miguel Pilgrimage next Sunday, September 21, a pilgrimage that this year will feature 53 carts, 13 pulled by oxen and 40 by tractors. At 9:00 AM at the San Miguel hermitage, a blessing of the pilgrims and the departure of the patron saint of Torremolinos towards the Avenida de los Manantiales will take place. It is here, specifically at the height of the Urbanización Los Palacios, where the gathering of carts and pilgrims will occur. At 9:45 AM, near the roundabout area, a pilgrim mass in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel will be celebrated, sung by the San Miguel Rociero Choir. The procession will depart at 10:30 AM from Avenida de los Manantiales and will pass through Plaza Costa del Sol, Avenida Palma de Mallorca, Avenida Joan Miró, Calle Rafael Quintana Rosado, Carretera de Benalmádena, and cross at Pozuelo towards the pine forests, where the camping of participating clubs, associations, and groups will take place. The Torremolinos City Council plans to install five watering places along the route for watering the animals. Additionally, six public toilets will be installed along the itinerary and 12 in the camping area of the pine forest. Due to the success of previous years, this 2025 the Pilgrimage will again feature musical performances in the Pinar de los Manantiales. Starting at 4:00 PM on the esplanade of the hermitage, Carlos Bravo, Callejón, Las Carlotas, María de la Colina, and Las Soles will entertain the day. These performances are free and open to all who wish to attend. It is reminded to the groups participating in the pilgrimage that according to the Order of May 21, 2009, from BOJA, it is forbidden, from June 1 to October 15 each year, to light fires for food preparation or any other purpose, including rest areas of the road network, and recreational and camping areas, even if they are enabled for it. Once again, the Cart and Tractor Contest of the San Miguel Pilgrimage has been organized. A jury will score the participating carts that will compete for various prizes such as the best decorated tractor and cart or the most cheerful and lively. The prizes will be awarded on September 26 at the Caseta Aguas de Torremolinos at 10:00 PM. The seniors from the active participation centers of Torremolinos will also have their space in the Pilgrimage. This year the boards of directors have decided not to create their own carts but instead, with the aim of promoting local traditions, have agreed to accompany San Miguel on the pilgrimage route, and for this reason, they have made a call to all the seniors in the municipality in order to keep the customs and roots of the town alive. At the end of the pilgrimage, the Torremolinos City Council will offer participants a free lunch outside the Casilla del Viento, where a day of fellowship and brotherhood is expected. In total, 200 places have been enabled for this lunch. The completely free tickets will be available starting tomorrow, Tuesday, September 16, at the active participation centers of the municipality. The San Miguel Pilgrimage will have a comprehensive security device that includes Local Police, Firefighters, and Civil Protection. The Local Police will set up a service related to the concentration of participants, routes along the planned itinerary, and the pine forest area, as well as points of mass concentration such as Plaza Federico García Lorca and the Real de la Feria. The total number of officials reinforcing the service on the day of the Pilgrimage will be 50. Additionally, the service will include a unit of 12 horsemen from Málaga for horse control. Also, the Pilgrimage will have 25 Civil Protection volunteers who will carry four cars. From the delegation, two ambulances have also been hired for the route and camping. The pine forest area will have a Civil Protection post and another Local Police post, which will be located in front of the Municipal Nursery. To promote equality, raise awareness on gender violence, prevent sexist sexual assaults, and ensure a safe environment, the City Council will incorporate Violet and Rainbow Points in the Pilgrimage, on the Camino de los Pinares, from 5 to 8 PM. They will offer information, advice, and attention if necessary. Additionally, the Pilgrimage has a special cleaning device that will have a team of 40 workers distributed among 4 sweeping brigades, 15 operators in charge of cleaning excrement from oxen and horses, a support vehicle with driver, two tank trucks with perfume and disinfectant along the route, three sweepers, a standby tractor, and a collection truck. Also, 100 cardboard trash bins will be placed along the route. The service after the Pilgrimage will be carried out by 25 operators distributed among 6 brigades for cleaning pines and fairgrounds, a compacting truck for collecting bags, two open-box vehicles inside the pine area for transferring bags and remains, and two sweepers in the fairgrounds. The San Miguel Pilgrimage is one of the most traditional urban pilgrimages in Andalusia. This year marks 85 years since the first one was held on October 1, 1940, at the Fuente de la Salud, as a country festival. It was not until 1950 that the Pilgrimage was celebrated in honor of Torremolinos' patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel.