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The City Council launches contracts for the Christmas market, campaign, and events including parades, light displays, and children’s New Year’s Eve celebration Orihuela, Spain — October 28, 2025. Orihuela City Council has opened public tenders worth a total of €500,000 to prepare for this year’s Christmas season. The contracts, managed through the Department of Commerce, include funding for the city’s Christmas market, festive campaign, and a variety of holiday events. Christmas Market and Decorations One of the key tenders is for the annual Christmas market, with a base budget of €72,282. Scheduled to run from December 5 to 24, the market will be held at the Plaza de la Centuria Romana, near Orihuela’s main shopping streets — Mayor, San Pascual, and Plaza Nueva. Opening hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with reduced hours on Christmas Eve. If administrative procedures delay the start date, the tender specifies that the market may be postponed but will still operate for a total of 20 days, excluding December 25. The market will feature stalls selling Christmas goods and crafts, alongside live entertainment and children’s activities. The area will include festive decorations, music, private security, and portable restrooms, as well as a 10-metre Christmas tree, decorative structures up to four metres tall, and at least 80 natural poinsettia plants. A Christmas-themed photo booth will also be installed. A total of 20 wooden booths will host vendors, with at least 40% of them required to be local businesses, in an effort to support the municipal economy. Workshops and Performances The program includes 26 guided workshops for children aged 2 to 12, covering activities such as storytelling, dancing, carol singing, magic shows, face painting, snow globe making, Christmas cookies, handmade jewellery, and festive crafts. Sessions will take place on weekdays in the afternoon and on weekends both morning and afternoon, with groups of up to 20 children. Additionally, 30 performances are planned — including live music, flash mobs, dance shows, and puppet theatre — held mainly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The tender documentation also outlines penalties for non-compliance, ranging from a 10% to 50% deduction in payment or even termination of the contract, depending on the severity of the infraction. Proposals will be evaluated not only on price but also on accessibility plans and emergency preparedness. Christmas Campaign and Other Events The Council has also put out a tender worth €56,829 for the design, production, and promotion of the city’s Christmas campaign. The selected contractor will be responsible for creating the official Christmas image and slogan, along with posters, brochures, digital content, promotional videos, and advertising materials for print and online media. These two new tenders — together totalling €129,000 — add to others already announced in recent days: Santa Claus Parade – €86,900 Three Kings Parade – €254,000 Children’s New Year’s Eve – €21,200 Christmas Lights and “Tardebuena” Celebration – €24,000 Continuity with Last Year’s Festive Budget Last year, Orihuela’s total Christmas budget reached nearly €900,000, including €375,000 for street lighting — a contract awarded in August 2024 by the governing PP-Vox coalition, with an initial term through November 30, 2025, and an option for a two-year extension to cover future campaigns.
