Crafts and more in Aspe
Craft demonstrations, puppet shows, workshops and lots more in the craft fair in Aspe
Every two years the small town of Aspe holds a fair at the beginning of September.
Two years ago the Town Hall changed it into a real craft fair, with demonstrations of old crafts, workshops for children and lots of entertainment, and it was so successful that they decided to offer the same this year: live crafts, puppet shows, stilt walkers and, in the evenings, juggling with fire.
The fair will be held in the lovely Plaza Mayor, on September 7 and 8, in the shade of enormous trees and a setting of old buildings and beautiful arches. About 20 craftsmen and women will not only set up stalls to sell their work, but will actually be at work in the fair to show the love and attention they give to each item they produce. And for the younger visitors there will be lots of activities: puppet shows, workshops, old fashioned games and story telling.
A local potter and several local lace makers will participate and Amata, the craft association organizing the market, will contribute demonstrations of glass blowing, forging and weaving, as well as some 20 stalls with a wide range of hand made goods for all tastes. You can choose from ceramics and pottery, beautifully handmade bags, soft toys, small furniture of recycled wood. There will be several stalls with designer jewellery in alpaca, macramé, porcelain, ceramics and even recycled beer cans.
The stall of Francisco Martinez deserves a special mention, because he makes miniatures of most of the regional products: pallets for the transport of marble (complete with slabs of marble!) and small crates with "uva embolsada" which might look a bit strange if you don't know what they are about. When you drive through the area you will see many vineyards full of white bags: these are put around the white grapes to protect them from bad weather and to delay the ripening so the grapes are at their best around New Year. Because it is a Spanish tradition to eat 12 grapes at midnight: one at each strike of the clock.
The Town Hall has asked Amata again to organize the event, because this regional craft association guarantees that everything on sale in the fair is made by the participants: nothing comes from a factory or is imported, all is made by hand (often on the fair itself!) with love and care by the same person who you see in the stall.
The fair opens on Saturday the 7th of September at 11 o'clock with music and cabezudos; opening times, both Saturday and Sunday, will be from 11 am till 2 pm and then again from 5 till 10 pm or later. Aspe is a small town 12 kms from Elche and 6 from Novelda, and has a lovely old town centre. In the Tourist Office, only 50 yards from the fair, you can get a map of the town with several nice walks in and around the town, all clearly indicated. Aspe can be reached easily, both from the A7 and the A31 motorway.
More information, also in English, at 639 979 678, and you can have a look at photographs of the fair that Amata organized here in 2017 at http:// www.amata.es/Aspe_17.html