Torrevieja’s town hall has announced tighter controls on the patron saint celebrations. The thirty-third Paella Contest and the seventh Camisetas Contest will take place on Saturday, the sixth of December, at the Antonio Soria Park markets, as part of the La Purísima Concepción programme. The aim is to curb alcohol-fuelled excess in public spaces, particularly among under-eighteens, and to prevent the festivities from turning into a large street binge.

Entry to the Paella Contest is open to residents, with a maximum of eighty groups, each allowed one paella. Beyond the initial allocations, four hundred further applications can be submitted, but they do not receive free ingredients. An annex authorising access for minors is now mandatory, signed by a parent or guardian. Participants will be provided with ingredients up to one kilogram of rice per applicant; they must supply their own containers, paelleras, utensils and a certified paellero with a certified hose, all in date.

Separately, the seventh Camisetas Contest invites entries on the day, with in situ inscriptions open until one o’clock in the afternoon. Participants are asked to include Torrevieja references in their designs, such as the town’s shield or landmarks, and to allow creativity elsewhere. A panel from the Fiesta Department will award three prizes: Best Design, Best Slogan or Clever Phrase, and the Most Shocking T-shirt, each with a trophy.

Both events underline the council’s commitment to civic participation and local identity, and to convivial, community celebration. They also remind entrants that the bases must be followed and that private sound equipment is prohibited to avoid interfering with official performances. Councillor Rosario Martínez, responsible for fiestas, declined to comment on these restrictions when the programme was unveiled.