Albox City Council is currently working on getting the entire Santuario del Saliente, the road and accesses ready for the celebration of one of the most important festivals of the year. On September 8th, the day of the Virgen del Saliente, Patron Saint and perpetual mayor of Albox, is celebrated.
This year, a massive attendance is expected as the festival coincides with the weekend. On the night of September 7-8, the pilgrims will begin their journey to Monte Roel, where La Pequeñica awaits them.
Hundreds of devotees will set off from the Plaza Mayor in Albox and will travel the nearly 20 kilometres that separate them to the Santuario del Saliente to meet their Patron Saint. And as is tradition, there will also be numerous neighbours who will do so from different points in the Almanzora and Los Vélez regions. The devotion to the Virgen del Saliente even transcends the province of Almería. The arrival of numerous buses and private cars is expected throughout the weekend from all over Spain. That is why the City Council recommends using public transport, which has been set up to operate on Saturday and Sunday, to avoid large traffic jams and guarantee the safety of all attendees.
“Public transport has been set up on Saturday and Sunday, starting in the early hours of 7-8 September, leaving the Sanctuary at 1pm and running until 7am. And on 8 September, the bus will start at 10.30am to pick up devotees from the Martín García Ramos Secondary School, Plaza San Francisco, Locaiba and Llano de los Olleres, to take them to the Sanctuary of El Saliente to celebrate the big day with the Patron Saint. The return is scheduled for 2pm,” explains Martín Martínez, councillor for security.
During these days, the construction area is working on a special cleaning device; clearing ditches, cleaning the access road to the Sanctuary and a few days before the festival, a grader will pass over the entire path of the rambla that thousands of pilgrims will travel.
In the Sanctuary itself, a large marquee is planned to be installed, with similar characteristics to those of last year, since the temple is still under construction. Stage, sound, chairs and everything necessary to celebrate the Pilgrimage of the Virgen del Saliente. “For us, the day of the Virgen del Saliente is a very important date, with the Patronato itself and from the City Council, we make a great effort to welcome the thousands of devotees who profess a great faith in our Little One,” assures the mayor, María del Mar Alfonso.
A special security device has been designed with the Civil Guard, Local Police, Civil Protection of Almería and this year, in addition, the Civil Protection team of Albox will be joining the forces after several years to ensure that the Virgen del Saliente festival is a complete success.