Jumilla nearer to achieving National Tourist Interest status for the August fiestas

The highlight of the annual Fiestas de la Vendimia is the Cabalgata del Vino

On Friday 10th July the municipal council of Jumilla unanimously backed the report which has compiled to back up the claims for the annual Fiestas de la Vendimia in August to be awarded National Tourist Interest status, a move which would further strengthen the already considerable fame and prestige of the unique celebrations related to the grape harvest and wine culture of the Altiplano area in the north of the Region of Murcia.

Mayoress Seve González, accompanied by the president of the Association of “Peñas” fiestas groups, Toñi González, underlined the unity of all political colours represented in the Town Hall in backing this initiative, stressing the 50-year history of the festivities and the deep roots of their origin in what is arguably the most emblematic aspect of the entire community, including both the town centre and the wide swathes of countryside, many of which are occupied by vineyards.

The highlight of the fiestas is for many people the Saturday “Cabalgata del Vino”, in which the streets of the town run red with wine as revellers drench each other with the liquid before heading for a much-needed shower – watch out for this year’s schedule of events, which will be published shortly!

It was as long ago as 2013 that the proposal was initially supported in council, but in recent years progress has been slow as changes in State rules made it necessary to re-structure large sections of the report submitted. In these circumstances much of the work carried out prior to 2022 was effectively in vain, but the process has now finally been concluded.

The next step is for the claim to be submitted to the Instituto de Turismo de la Región de Murcia (ITREM), which will review it before filing it with the national Tourism authorities for appraisal.

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