Easter Week starts in Elche with the Palm Sunday Procession, declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 1997. The main event of the day is the Palm Procession, which is particularly striking for the hundreds of blanched white palm leaves from the city’s palm groves carried through the streets by the faithful.

One of the remarkable things about Easter Week in Elche is the display of palmas (white palm arrangements), all competing to be the most creative in terms of size, height, decorative touches, attention to detail and artistic flair. The white palms are made by craftspeople throughout the year and are famous all over the world.

This display of religious faith has become one of the city’s most traditional events and always attracts large crowds. At 10.45 am the palms are blessed in Paseo de la Estación. From there, people taking part in the procession will make their way to Diagonal del Palau, passing over the bridge of Puente de Altamira and then along Avenida of Valencia Region to their destination, the Basilica of Santa María.

On the previous Saturday, the ‘Mercado de la Palma Blanca’ (white palm market) will be set up at various points in the city, giving people the chance to acquire one of these handmade works of art.

One of the events worth seeing is the Craft contest of the white palm organised by the ‘Junta Mayor de Cofradías y Hermandades de la Semana Santa’ (the Main Council of Elche’s Holy Week Guilds and Brotherhoods). These impressive hand-crafted arrangements consist of highly complex figures made from blanched palm leaves and depicting themes linked to the procession or to Elche’s monuments and traditions. On the afternoon of the previous Saturday, the Palms entered in the competition will be on display in the Ermita de San Sebastián chapel, where you can admire arrangements competing in the categories of craftsmanship, miniatures and the special White Palm Municipal School.