Fuengirola will commemorate the Day of the Gypsy People of Andalusia with an event at the Mayor’s Office of El Boquetillo
The event, open to the entire city, will be on Monday, November 24, starting at 5:30 p.m., and will include a tribute to the elderly members of this group in Fuengirola
11/21/2025 – Fuengirola will commemorate the Day of the Gypsy People of Andalusia with an event at the Mayor’s Office of El Boquetillo, which will be held next Monday, November 24, starting at 5:30 p.m. This was announced this morning by Councilor Isaac Vargas along with the coordinator of the Secretariado Gitano Foundation, Juan José Flores.
Vargas has stressed that this is an activity organized jointly by the City Council and the Secretariado Gitano Foundation, with the collaboration of entities such as the Federation of Gypsy Women’s Associations (Fakali) and the Philadelphia Church of Fuengirola. “This year is especially significant for the gypsy community, as it marks 600 years since the arrival of the gypsy people to Spain. We want to remember historical events, examples of effort and improvement, and value the coexistence and union that we have built, especially in Andalusia,” he explained.
Along these lines, the councilor highlighted that “Fuengirola is a clear example of coexistence and brotherhood. We are a diverse and welcoming city, where different cultures and ways of life coexist and work together for common progress.”
The program will include an institutional table in which the mayor of Fuengirola, Ana Mula, will participate; the coordinator of the Gypsy Secretariat, Juan José Flores; the representative of Fakali, Joaquina Cortés; and the representative of the Philadelphia Evangelical Church, Cristóbal Maldonado. Likewise, a tribute will be paid to the elderly members of the gypsy community in the city, “because they are a living example, fundamental pillars for the new generations and guardians of memory and culture,” said Vargas.
The councilor has invited all citizens to participate in this commemoration: “It is not an event just for the gypsy people, but for all of Fuengirola. It is an opportunity to celebrate diversity and reinforce the bonds of unity that characterize us as a city. Fuengirola is, and must continue to be, a benchmark for coexistence.”
For his part, Juan José Flores recalled that “gypsies have been in Spain for 600 years and in Andalusia for at least 563, as demonstrated by a document that certifies the presence of the gypsy people in Jaén in 1462, although they probably arrived earlier.”
Regarding the tribute to the older people of the group, Flores added that “they are our source of inspiration and wisdom. It was they who had to fight in times of greatest discrimination, even before the Roma community was recognized as full citizenship in Spain on December 6, 1978. Their efforts deserve to be recognized and we want to value their career and their role as references and examples to follow.”