Por Pablo Arranz 
San Vicente del Raspeig gives the starting signal to its Bonfires and Barracks Festivities from the balcony of the old Town Hall with the proclamation by the well-known entrepreneurs of «VicBros», the San Vicente natives Óscar and Daniel Victoria, owners and founders of the famous burger joint «The VicBros Burger».
The event, presided over by the mayor, Pachi Pascual, accompanied by the Councilor of Festivities, Cristian Gil, and the Belles of the Foc María Martínez and Victoria Campillo and their Maids of Honor, began with a previous parade to the Plaza de España.
The mayor opened the interventions to address all the festival-goers and introduce the proclaimers, highlighting that they are «a true example of San Vicente entrepreneurship». He also thanked them for helping to promote the municipality through their well-known burger recipes «that they prepare with the same passion in the kitchen as they carry the flag of their town throughout Spain».
For their part, the Victoria brothers, with a close and heartfelt proclamation, took a tour of all the Bonfires and Barracks, eliciting smiles and applause. «Who would have thought that from setting up a burger joint we would end up giving the proclamation of the festivities of our town?» they said emotionally, proud to be neighbors of San Vicente. During their intervention, they humorously reviewed some of the most traditional elements of the festivities, from the mascletàs and the barracks to the ninot parade and the cremà. They also fulfilled their promise to distribute «The VicBros Burger» merchandise from the balcony, closing the proclamation with an energetic «Long live the Bonfires and Barracks of my town!».
The event was closed by the maximum representatives of fire in the municipality, María and Victoria, who highlighted that «our hearts are already ready to feel the roar of the mascletàs, to experience the pride of offering to our patron saint and the emotion of the cremàs». Both Belles of the Foc proclaimed, in unison, the traditional phrase that marks the beginning of the festivities: «Santvicenters, santvicenteres, we are already in Bonfires!».
The official entourage, along with the entire festival community, continued the evening with a procession from the Plaza de España to the La Inmaculada site to attend the evening mascletà that closed this first festive day.
Upcoming festive events
The festive events will continue today at 9:00 p.m. with the Ninot Parade that will travel along Calle Alicante and the avenues Ancha de Castelar and Libertad to the La Inmaculada site, where a Brotherhood dinner followed by the great Ninot party will be held. Tomorrow, Sunday, at 7:30 p.m., a solemn mass will take place, followed by the procession in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Crowned.
The plantà will begin on Tuesday with the official bonfires, and on Wednesday, the remaining adult and children’s bonfires, as well as the racós, barracks, and decorated streets, will continue.