National Day part 2

This year National Day started like every year with a big breakfast but this time we decided to have it at a friend’s house. We had a full English breakfast washed down with plenty of tinto de verano.

The tradition is for everyone to dress in red and white so we also dressed like this and I always carry a Gib flag with me so I can wave it around during the day. After breakfast we moved on to Casemates for the political rally – this year it seemed there were loads more people who had turned up to listen to what our politicians were going to say. I personally do not pay attention to what these people have to say as when it comes down to the crunch they just say anything to please the crowds.

The climax of the rally is of course the release of 30,000 helium balloons which this year had a twist as at the same time, two confetti canons covered Casemates square in a blanket of red and white, as well as fireworks broke the cheers of the people.

Afterwards we winded down a bit at a BBQ at my friends Nick’s house to pass the time and enjoy a bit of sun but the day was not over yet.

As the darkness of the night drew nearer we went back to Casemates for the annual rock concert which compared to other years had a bit of everything so there was plenty of dancing done. Just before 10p.m we left to look for a good spot up in the Upper Town to watch the fireworks in the harbour. I do not like watching them close to the shore as the crowds can sometimes be huge. We found a spot just next to Moorish Castle where we could see the display perfectly. 

After the firework display it was back to Casemates to watch the remainder of the concert before ending the night after a long day of celebrations and partying. 

National Day Part 1

On the 10^th September is our National Day which is the biggest celebration on the Gibraltar calendar. It is a day where the whole of Gibraltar comes together and celebrates the Gibraltarian identity, and we also celebrate a turbulent time in our recent history which is the 1967 referendum where we chose not to be Spanish but to remain British. 

This year as always the week running up to National day has been a busy one with different events taking place around Gibraltar. The annual fair was also during the same week this year. It was changed just so it could be part of National week but I think I would have left it as before – this year not so many kids could attend as National week fell after the new school term has begun.

The highlight of this year’s National Week was the 1^st Gibraltar Music Festival which really was a mega concert with different local bands performing but also UB40. The night ended with a performance from Jessie J. 

National Day came and this year there was a nice change in the venue, from the Piazza to Casemates Square which is bigger and more spacious. This year the old format had returned - a political rally, which is a good thing in some points of view, but I still did not see the point of having UK MP’s coming here to say a few words to the crowd and then do nothing about the Gibraltar issue in the UK.

The most important part of National Day is of course to show the world that we want things to stay as they are now and this is shown by everyone dressing in our national colours - red and white, and going down to Casemates for the party and the release of 30,000 helium balloons.

The Fair is in Town

This week in Gibraltar is the busiest for most people and organizations in Gibraltar as it is National Week leading up National Day. National Day is the biggest party Gibraltar has -  it is even bigger than New Years but more on it will come as we get closer to the date. This week the Gibraltar Fair is in town.

The Scout group I am in decided to put a stall in this year’s fair in order to raise funds for the group and we came up with the idea of a climbing wall. We built it in just 3 days and just in time for the fair which started  last Friday.

The climbing wall has proved to be popular with the children and sometimes I wonder whether some of them maybe have some monkey genes in them as they seem to be natural born climbers. We have also managed to attract an audience of people who don’t want to give it a try but at least like to see other do it.

We also decided to do a climbing wall to open Scouting to the masses of kids and adults at the fair and it is proving to be quite a good tool for recruitment as we have seen many children sign up after trying the climb.

Of course, not everything has been all work on our stall - we still have had some good laughs whilst working on it. On Saturday night we had a group of 3 teenagers trying to race up the wall with a funny outcome - one of them lost his shoes on the way. One of the leaders has also come up with a game for us after we have closed for the night - to try and tap as many rocks on the wall without moving one of your hands. It sounds simple enough but it is a test of strength and flexibility – it is much trickier (and more fun) than it sounds.

We still have 5 more nights – I will not be there every night but I am sure I will enjoy it every time I am there. And if you are from Gibraltar, feel free to come and say hi at the fair or try our climbing wall!