The 11th “Benicàssim Belle Époque” will celebrate the arrival of the railway in the town

Between the 2nd and 4th of September, this Costumbrist event will bring paseo Pilar Coloma to life

Benicàssim, 11 August 2022

In 1872, the railway engineer Joaquín Coloma Grau was placed in charge of defining improvement works to the railway line route between Tarragona and Almansa. Construction of the line between Benicàssim and Oropesa took longer than expected, leading Joaquín Coloma and his wife, Pilar Fortis Mas, to make Benicàssim their temporary home. During this time, the couple fell in love with the town and decided to build a summer villa here. Villa Pilar was the first of over 50 villas to appear along Benicàssim’s promenade.

The 11th “Benicàssim Belle Époque” will celebrate the arrival of the railway in Benicàssim 150 years ago. The town’s mayor, Susana Marqués, along with the local Tourism councillor, Cristina Fernández, and organisers of this Costumbrist event have unveiled the poster for this year’s edition and revealed part of the programme taking place between 2nd and 4th September. “We will be taken back again to the happy years of the Belle Époque through an event that, after ten previous editions, is here to stay and is eagerly awaited in the first weekend of September by locals and visitors alike. The event has proved an excellent way to showcase our architectural and historical heritage”, says the mayor, Susana Marqués.

The local Tourism councillor, Cristina Fernández, was in charge of unveiling the programme planned for the event, saying that “we will be bringing back the Modernist market, to be held in paseo Pilar Coloma, and traditional craft stalls always attract attendees as we recreate the period when Benicàssim was considered the Biarritz of the East Coast”.

In addition to the Modernist market, which will open its doors in the late afternoon of Friday, 2 September, the opening day of “Benicàssim Belle Époque” will feature a re-enactment, a travelling theatre courtesy of the 19th-century authorities, a classic train carriage exhibition, a railway track and a musical parade performed by Benicàssim’s Santa Cecilia Musical Society. The evening will see the first show in front of Villa Amparo, performed by Cirkofonic (Holly Musty and Isaac Dube Tallon) and entitled “Tea Time”.

On Saturday, 3 September, the Modernist market will open its doors again at 11 am and in the late afternoon, from 5:30 pm onwards, paseo Pilar Coloma will play host to several different activities: from a fast painting, photography and costume contest, to classic car exhibitions and the parade entitled “Llegada de los veraneantes a las villas” (arrival of holidaymakers to the villas), which will make its way from Sant Vicent tower to Voramar. The National Association of Modernist Institutions (ANEM) will also meet at Villa Elisa as part of Saturday’s programme, which will culminate in the Belle Époque open-air dance to the sound of the Nova Dixieland Band.

The final day of “Benicàssim Belle Époque” will once again include activities at the Modernist market, along with an exhibition of the artwork produced in the fast painting contest, a railway track for children, a travelling theatre, a Modernist locomotive on display and a performance by the Sedajazz Kids Band to close this year’s edition. The full programme will be available over the coming days on the town council’s website https://turismo.benicassim.es/.