After the sombre events of Holy Week in Murcia there is a one-day break before El Bando de la Huerta marks the start of a few more festive days. The first day of the Spring Fiestas takes place in the principal squares and parks, where groups of people from the country ('penas') set up stalls ('barracas'), serving traditional Murcian dishes. The penas also put on folkloric performances, wearing distinctive costumes, traditional to their group. Thousands of people from the countryside fill the streets, each in the costume of their village, to join in the street parades and festivities which engulf the town. The day begins with a floral offering to the Virgin of Fuensanta, the patron of the city, at the cathedral. After a long lunch at the barracas, the parade moves on through the afternoon, a long cavalcade of floats and marchers bearing the products of the countryside, through adjoining neighbourhoods and back to the centre.

Times
Various.