Parade and party posting

The Publication of Festivals act takes place on the last Saturday of June; it consists of a parade in which participate: a child and the First Tro of each comparsa, dressed in their gala costume; a bearer of the standard of each comparsa with the daily suit; the captains, ambassadors and standard-bearers of the previous year and those of the current one; and the president and representatives of the Governing Board of the Society of Festeros, accompanied by different bands of music.

The parade ends at the foot of the castle, in a Plaza Mayor packed with people waiting for the magic words.

From the platform that presides over the square, the secretary of the Society, escorted by the First Trons and children, calls the standard-bearers of the different comparsas so that the president and mayor impose the accrediting medals on them.

Next, the captains, ambassadors and standard-bearers of the past year, will carry out the protocol The mayor and the president address the audience with a few words of festive praise, ending with the expected phrase: 'Ladies and knights: We are in the Festivities!' The band plays the hymn to Ontinyent, which is sung by all those present, and the event is concluded. Significance of the Publication event: Nowadays, when we enjoy a certain economic and political balance, this is an expected event because it announces the proximity of the Festival. But in times past, with less stability in all fields - times with fearsome diseases capable of decimating the population; times when the local economy was affected by both the lack of rain and the excess of it; times of political uncertainty and war - the Publication was not just another day of celebration; it was not only music and a parade in the streets; it meant much more; It meant that there would be festivities that year and that the groups that took part in them - and only those - would be the ones that would participate in the upcoming festivities.