The 12th edition of the San Isidro Murals will be celebrated in Orihuela from Friday May 22th to Sunday May 24th. This event has become one of the most significant cultural events in the city and region, transforming the neighbourhood into an open-air museum filled with poetry, music, and painting in honour of Miguel Hernández.
The Orihuela City Council has issued a tender for the organisation, development, and advertising of the city for 76,980 euros. This amount represents an increase of 8,000 from the previous year’s budget of 68,971. This approach has been implemented since 2024, when it was previously conducted through direct contracting and minor contracts. This approach resulted in an investigation by the court, which initiated proceedings in response to a complaint from the Orihuela PP regarding an alleged crime of malfeasance by splitting the contract. The total amount would have been 120,000 euros; however, the case was ultimately dismissed due to the absence of any evidence of a crime.
The Department of Culture, under the leadership of Anabel García (Vox), is currently promoting an exhibition of artistic murals that have been painted on the facades of houses. The initiative is participatory because artists, groups, and institutions voluntarily collaborate. Its origins can be traced back to 1976, when a variety of associations paid tribute to the poet by painting murals featuring a variety of images and poems from the writer’s life. These murals reflected the ambiance of the transitional period, which occurred four months after Franco’s death. The City Council revived a commemoration that has since become popular in 2012, albeit with some interruptions.
The event will feature a variety of cultural, artistic, and instrumental activities in the squares of San Isidro and the Hermitage of San Isidro, as well as along Oriolet and Previsión streets. It occurs in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Generalitat’s suppression of funding for the Senda del Poeta and the request by Cambiemos and the PSOE for the Declaration of Intangible Local Relevance Asset for the Murals in a motion.
The Culture Department, as per the proposed contract, is unable to organise and execute the event due to a lack of personnel and technical resources. Consequently, a specialised company is necessary to ensure the safety, accessibility, legalisation of facilities, and proper technical execution of the event.
Protection
In this regard, the procurement documents suggest that the drafting and delivery of the Emergency Plan are a critical contractual obligation. This obligation encompasses the identification of risks, the implementation of prevention measures, the coordination of evacuation procedures, and the collaboration with security and emergency services.
The City Council is also safeguarding itself by incorporating clauses that stipulate that the contracting body may reschedule the event if the event cannot be held on the scheduled dates due to adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain, strong winds, or official weather alerts..
Numerous
Companies are required to submit their proposals for a contract that is divided into four lots by the 24th. The first is for the supply of paint, with a value of 5,210 euros. The second is for advertising, which includes merchandising such as straw hats, 1,000 fans, 1,000 magnets, and 500 cloth bags. The third is dedicated to activities, with four locations: the Guernica area, the square in front of the Jesús María School, Calle Gitanilla, and the Plaza Ermita, and an emergency plan (26,660 euros). The fourth is for production, with a value of 30,548 euros.
Activities
In addition to the most economically advantageous offer, the installation of supplementary institutional visibility elements, such as a photocall or large format banner with the logo, as well as an increase in the number of fans and additional workshops, will be taken into account when evaluating the offers.
There will also be a tourist train for the three-day period, consisting of four carriages that can accommodate four passengers. The itinerary will include the Plaza de la Soledad, Calle Calderón de la Barca, the Town Hall, and the Murals of San Isidro.
In addition, costumed actors will engage with the public in a variety of urban spaces, incorporating historical and artistic explanations with brief dramatisations in front of the murals and architectural elements along the route, during two 45-minute guided and theatrical tours on Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 pm. The initiative integrates public participation, artistic engagement, and cultural dissemination to provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about the mural activity in the neighbourhood and various episodes from the poet’s life and work. The tour commences at the mural “Guernica,” where the central theme of the tour—the use of mural art as an instrument for social commitment, identity, and memory—will be introduced. It will then continue along Orquídea, Geráneo, Sauce, San Isidro, Tomillo, and Camino Viejo del Oriolet streets, culminating at the mural “Paloma Atada.”
Additional diversions will consist of inflatables for children aged 2 to 5 and 6 to 15, as well as face painting and children’s craft workshops for children aged 4 to 12.
Two groups of ten musicians will parade and perform through the streets of the neighbourhood for a minimum of two hours. Bidders who increase their number will be given preference. Music will play a crucial role in the demonstrations.
The winning bidder will also be responsible for organising the traditional futsal tournament that has been conducted in conjunction with the San Isidro Murals. This tournament allows for the formation of a maximum of eight teams, each consisting of seven players, in the adult and children categories. The two finalists will receive a trophy.
