The Mercado Marinero currently being held in Plaza de España has provoked one or two comments and discussions. I popped up there at midday(ish) on Saturday and it was almost totally deserted. Lunchtime reports from today, Sunday, paint a similar picture.
The market, and to some extent the location, has been variously described as ‘clinical’or ‘just another market’ and one can see the point.
Plaza de España is a relatively new square and after several years, has yet to see any businesses appearing. Yes, it is clean, large and could become a focal point of some sort, but the essence of a ‘popular’ square seems to be character, local businesses or, at the very least, a bar, cafe or restaurant. In other words, something for people to do and something to keep them there.
Look at the most popular squares in town. Plaza Cavana and the Plaza Balcon de Europa have many cafes and businesses and are always well frequented. Plaza Cantarero, with it’s orange trees, fountain and cafe, is always popular. Plaza Favrica de los Cangrejos has a lot going for it. Plaza Garcia Caparros and Plaza Olvido are quite popular when the cafes are open. Plaza Tutti Frutti is popular when the bars are open and is deserted during the day.
Plaza de España has….nothing at the moment. It will, maybe, at some point have the museum, but it is all very ‘clinical’ as someone said. The same is true of another large, new square, Plaza Cronista Pepe Pascual. Very orderly, but as yet no character and nothing to keep people there.
Plaza de Andalucia, in some ways, also suffers from the lack of anything to do, apart from sit. No cafes in the area, or at least not adjacent to the square.
As someone pointed out, a market is a market is a market, and apart from the ‘theme’ and many of the vendors donning sailor or pirate attire, nothing out of the ordinary. It is a place where you are encouraged to buy, buy, buy. With the odd exception, not many things you couldn’t get elsewhere at a comparable, or even cheaper, price.
That said, it is obviously aimed at the tourist market.
The next point raised was: If it is OK for a ‘special’ market, why not for the regular weekly market?’ and ‘What will the (regular) market traders think of this situation?’
On the surface, the site does seem ideally suited for a weekly market in many ways, it is certainly nearer to the population centre than the current Almijara location. Perhaps a bit too small? Maybe, although the market traders recently reported that as many as 25% of their number are no longer bothering to set up their stalls due to a 30% decline in trade.
It won’t happen, of course, that’s one thing that is virtually certain. Parking for the vans would undoubtedly be one of the major obstacles.
And talking of parking, spaces continue to disappear as the objective appears to be to get everyone to use the over-priced, and often crowded, municipal car parks. Plots of land at the western end of town, used as impromptu parking areas for many years, are now walled off by order of the Council, several more spaces have disappeared in calle Chaparil as part of a project to make parking easier, calle Antonio Millon was permanently closed to traffic with the loss of umpteen spaces….
And a few days ago, down by the site of the proposed new Health centre where the roads currently lead nowhere, cars were being ticketed and towed! A bit cheeky, that.
I don’t know whether it is a good comparison or not, but an ‘event’ like the (upcoming) Festival 3 Culturas in Frigiliana – masses of entertainment, most free but not all, combined with businesses making the odd shekel – would seem to be the way to go rather than purely money-making events.