Beaches throughout Sitges will be closed for the night of the eve of Sant Joan (Wednesday 23 June), following the recommendations of Catalonia’s Civil Protection Agency (Procicat) and coinciding with decisions taken by neighbouring municipalities. The beaches were also closed in 2020.
The Sant Joan festival is often called La revetlla de Sant Joan in Catalan or Verbenas de San Juan in Spanish. The celebrations closely coincide with the shortest night (the Summer Solstice or Midsummer Night), with huge bonfires and fireworks on the beaches across many regions of Spain on 23 June night, with 24 June being a public holiday.
Measures will begin from 9am on 23 June with the prohibition of parking in the area of the beachfront near the town, with the aim that at around 5pm the traffic will be totally cut off. Traffic will also be stopped at the Passeig de la Ribera with Avinguda Sofia from noon. There will be barriers to protect the pedestrian area of the promenade.
Throughout the afternoon and evening, the beaches will be gradually evacuated and blocked off with barriers, as was done last year. Vehicles that have to enter car parks in the area or provide services to beach bars will be allowed to do so.
The chiringuito beach bars will be open with perimeter barriers in place, so that their customers will only be able to access them until closing time, which is currently scheduled for 1am.
According to the Sitges Town Council, the local police will deploy the maximum number of agents available, with the collaboration of Catalonia’s Mossos d’Esquadra, ‘to attend to any possible incidents that the night of Sant Joan may generate’. From the afternoon there will also be civilian patrols in the streets, ‘to pay special attention to the sale and handling of fireworks, the sale and consumption of alcohol on public roads or by minors, as well as compliance of measures against Covid-19′. The council reminds the public that large gatherings must not be held, and that it is still necessary to maintain social distancing and the use of face masks.
During the night of the eve of Sant Joan, the police ‘will also use dogs trained to locate narcotics and alcohol, and checks will be carried out to prevent road accidents’. The police operation will end on the morning of 24 June, when the areas closed to traffic will be re-opened, as will the beaches.
The council has also issued a ‘Safe Verbena’ poster:
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