Por Redaccion 
Benidorm celebrates this weekend the 285th anniversary of the Finding of the Mare de Déu del Sofratge. Today, it has done so with a massive offering that, as every March, has filled the doors of the church of Sant Jaume and Santa Anna with thousands of flowers. The people of Benidorm have once again shown, one more year, their faith and devotion to their patron saint, as they will do again tomorrow morning with the Alba procession.
The vast majority of the festive, cultural, and civic entities of the city gathered at Elche Park from 5:30 p.m. to participate in the pilgrimage to the church, with the image of the patron saint carried on the shoulders by the members of the Cultural and Recreational Association La Barqueta. The pilgrimage started after six in the evening. Following La Barqueta, the honorary mayors and the 2024 Flag Bearer, Vicente Fuster, led the way for the Queens of the Festes Majors Patronals, Paula Pascual and Aitana Pérez, who, along with their courts of honor, wore their regional costumes for the first time that will accompany them throughout this festive year.
Next, the mayor and president of the Provincial Council of Alicante, Toni Pérez, presided over the line of authorities, alongside the Councilor for Festivals, Mariló Cebreros, and the presidents of the Festivities Committee, Susana Martínez, and the Association of Penyes Verge del Sofratge, Jonathan López, as well as a significant representation of council members from the municipal Corporation. Also participating were regional deputies Manuel Pérez Fenoll, José Ramón González de Zárate, and Mario Villar.
The pilgrimage passed through Paseo de la Carretera, Alameda, Calle Mayor, and Plaza de Sant Jaume. Upon arrival at the square, the image of the Virgin of Sufragio was placed under the church’s portico, which, as the evening progressed, was filled with bouquets and baskets of flowers until completely surrounding the patron saint. The last to place theirs were the ladies of the 2025 Festes and their queens, Paula and Aitana, as well as the councilors and the mayor, who also made offerings on behalf of the entire city. Then came the moment of the imposition of ribbons on the banners of La Barqueta, the Association of Penyes, and the Festivities Committee Majors Patronals.
Following this, the child queen Aitana Pérez recited a verse to the Virgin, to whom «we dedicate these festivities that we prepare with such devotion.» «This little queen asks for your glory today,» Aitana Pérez concluded. And after her, Paula Pascual delivered her first public speech as the city’s top festive representative. In it, she stated that her devotion to the festival «came while my body was forming, because the music and atmosphere of the Festes Majors were already being heard.» She also mentioned that at just three months old, «I made my first offering.» «I later dreamed of being part of the court of honor, I was a child lady, and now I fulfill my dream,» she said while remembering her grandfather, «who always wanted to have a granddaughter as the queen of the festivities,» and her uncle Jaume Antón. Paula Pascual emphasized the importance of this day «because we are wearing the regional costume for the first time» and promised to «put our utmost effort into fulfilling our role as representatives of the Festes Majors Patronals.» She also congratulated the child queen «for reciting the verse with such affection» and ended by singing a part of the Benidorm anthem «that always moves me.»
Finally, the mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, addressed the attendees and assured that on March 16, 1740, «the people of Benidorm went out at dawn to seek her without knowing what they would find.» The mayor said that day was «a turning point in our history.» «Today we go to offer to her, and tomorrow, in a few hours, we will return again to be with her in the Alba procession,» he concluded, congratulating the mayoral commission.
The offering ended with the interpretation of the anthems of Benidorm and the Valencian Community and the firing of a fireworks castle from Plaça de la Senyoria.