Santa Tecla is going out. Almost all of their festive events are having a massive response in the streets and squares, most of them linked to tradition and a powerful associative network, in a large heritage setting like the Part Alta. Santa Tecla is a source of pride for Tarragona and reinforces its often weakened self-esteem.
The growth of the party, unstoppable in the last decade, has opened and encouraged debates that were unthinkable not long ago. Blessed problem, some respond; It is time to act so as not to die of success, warn others.
Among the dilemmas of Santa Tecla: whether its popularity is drifting towards massification, as is happening in the euphoric and multitudinous Baixada de l'Àliga, this last night through the streets of the Part Alta. Second year of special security device with public address system to prevent incidents.
“It is one of the issues that I will not say worries us, but we are very attentive. We put all the means and we control it,” explained Xavier González, head of Festivals at the Tarragona City Council, at an event organized by one of the major sponsors of Santa Tecla, Repsol, to reflect on the festivities. “I like to talk more about participation than about massification; It is evident that Santa Tecla has all the contrasts. We are happy that it is a formula for success,” González added.
There are events that have begun to control the capacity with tickets, as is the case of the Ball de Dames i Vells, a resounding success. “Participation can get out of control and become overcrowded, whether by foreign or local audiences. Many years ago no one followed the dance; We are happy to have so many people,” highlights Joan Carles Blanch, president of Dames i Vells. “We are in the spotlight for the holidays and this is super positive,” adds Bianca Garcia, from La Mulassa.
The other big debate revolves around decentralization. The Part Alta is the undisputed scene of Santa Tecla, but for years the City Council has been trying to move part of the party outside of the center. He did it a year ago, bringing the Ball de Dames i Vells to the Ponent neighborhoods for the first time. And it has done so this year by placing the big concerts in a festival-like setting, in the Parc del Francolí, next to the river, on the physical and mental border between Tarragona and its neighborhoods.
“Decentralization is good,” highlights Blanch. “More than decentralizing, we are talking about looking for different centralities. We will continue working to create three or four new centralities,” reasons González. The commitment to decentralize is being a success. The concert with The Tyets on Sunday afternoon became the largest in the history of Tarragona, with almost 14,000 spectators along the river. The massive attendance exceeded all expectations and mobility became chaos. Parking and mobility management is one of the great challenges facing the Santa Tecla boom.
The Upper Part concentrates the problems derived from overcrowding in streets and squares. Santa Tecla increasingly attracts visitors from outside, including tourists. At the same time, the number of tourist apartments has skyrocketed, a great attraction for groups of young people who come from abroad to experience Santa Tecla to the fullest. The duration is another of the unique characteristics of these festivals: ten days, with two weekends. “The consumer of the festivals is the tarragoní and tarragonina, we have never thought of them for tourists,” says González. And this is not going to change.
