The Mar de Santiago Maritime Station has just hosted the official presentation of the 31st Mussel and Cockle Festival of Vilanova de Arousa. The event will take place between 7 and 10 August, “and we hope it will be another success in terms of attendance. We are forecasting an increase of between 15 and 20% compared to last year,” said the councillor, Gonzalo Durán. He was accompanied at the event by the deputy mayor and provincial deputy, Javier Tourís, and by the Vilanova councillors Ana María Carballa, Nuria Morgade, Eliana Vidal and Áurea Bermúdez.
One of the major new features of this 31st edition of the event will be the increase in the capacity of the food tent. “Last year it was too small, so we decided to expand this space to accommodate 600 diners,” said Durán.
The mayor of Vilanova de Arousa expressed his satisfaction with the “tourism figures in our municipality, which are once again record-breaking,” leading him to believe that the event will attract a large number of visitors. Durán encouraged everyone to come to the 31st Mussel and Cockle Festival; “come, enjoy, eat, drink and, above all, protect yourself from the sun,” given the heatwave forecast for this week.
For his part, Javier Tourís gave a brief overview of the programme of activities for the “big week in Vilanova de Arousa. ‘We will start on Thursday, 7 August, with the opening of the food tent at 1 p.m., and we will be joined by the Regional Minister of Culture,” he said. Regarding this space, he indicated that they expect to exceed ‘the more than 5,000 servings of dishes’ with mussels and cockles during the four days of festivities that were recorded in the previous edition.
The tasting area will be set up in the Plaza de O Castro and will have a capacity of up to 600 diners per shift. The opening hours will be from 1 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. “Every year, the Mussel and Cockle Festival grows exponentially, and we encourage everyone to visit Vilanova, which was recently named the most beautiful town in the province of Pontevedra by a renowned travel magazine,” concluded the Councillor for Tourism.
Music for all tastes
Another highlight of the programme for the 31st Mussel and Cockle Festival in Vilanova de Arousa will be the musical performances, which Javier Tourís spoke about. “We will once again have the Panorama Orchestra show, which will be on Friday 8th in O Cabo Park from 11 p.m.” On Saturday night, the renowned group Milladoiro will perform in Plaza del Castro at 9 p.m. On Sunday, the big day of the festival, there will be parades with the Mekánika Rolling Band brass band at 12.30 p.m., and the grand finale will be Roi Casal with a concert in the Jardín Umbrío at 9.30 p.m.”
Opportunities Fair and maritime procession
In addition to food tasting and music, the event will feature the 21st Local Trade Opportunities Fair, organised by the Vilanova Centro Association. It will take place on Avenida de O Recheo between 8 and 10 August, and opening hours will be from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Following last year’s excellent reception, the childcare area will once again be available so that children can enjoy different types of activities while their families take advantage of the opportunity to find items and products at bargain prices at a total of 22 commercial stands.
There will also be a traditional maritime procession in honour of the Virgin of Carmen. As on previous occasions, the procession of the image of the patron saint of seafarers will begin at 7:00 pm from the parish church of San Cipriano and then make its first stop at the Mar de Santiago Maritime Station. From there, the image of the Virgin of Carmen will depart in procession to the O Seixo Lighthouse, guarded by dozens of boats decked out in their finest to accompany the Saint. Once at the stopping point, the traditional floral offering will be made in memory of the victims of the sea.
All the information about the 31st Mussel and Cockle Festival in Vilanova de Arousa can be found on the website www.festadomexillon.com, as well as on the event’s Facebook and Instagram profiles. This celebration is made possible thanks to the support of the Xunta de Galicia, the Pontevedra Provincial Council and Abanca.