Lorca welcomes traffic disruption as the Easter processions approach!

Temporary stands for spectators are being put up in the city centre of Lorca

Driving through the centre of Lorca can at times be, as in any large city, a trial of patience, but the latest disruption on the central Avenida Juan Carlos I will be a welcome sight for locals as it means that the annual Biblical Parades of Easter Week are just around the corner!

The avenue was partially closed to traffic early in the morning of Friday 20^th March as work began to put up the temporary stands for spectators along the processionary route, where in a fortnight’s time Roman chariots will be hurtling down the street, the exquisitely embroidered cloaks of the riders trailing behind them. This is one of the most spectacular sights of Semana Santa in all of Spain, and the city is divided by the rivalry between the Whites and the Blues, the two brotherhoods who play the most important parts in the procession.

Street furniture and advertising hoardings have already been removed from the avenue and the construction of the stands is now under way between the Plaza del Óvalo and Calle Floridablanca. The only traffic currently permitted is for residents and the delivery and collection of goods along the busy thoroughfare, and the situation will remain this way until 4^th April, the day after the last of the biblical processions.

Buses in the city continue to use their usual route on Calle Santo Domingo, Lope Gisbert, Príncipe Alfonso, Músico Juan Antonio Gómez Navarro, Santa Paula and Plaza del Óvalo, but from 1st to 4^th April even residents will be unable to use this main artery.

For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist office at the Palacio de Guevara (telephone 968 441914) or go to the home page of Lorca Today.