FITUR
INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR – MADRID
The first time the festival participants attended the International Tourism Fair – FITUR – they were invited by the mayor’s office and the departments of culture and tourism of Cartagena and were introduced at the Region’s pavilion. Later, we were present at FITUR within the stand set up by the Spanish Association of Historic Festivals and Reenactments in those years.
The festival visits have varied widely in terms of the number of attendees. Some years, there were six participants, while in others, several dozen Carthaginians and Romans arrived laden with war equipment. Each year, in the months leading up to the event, a committee studies and analyzes the best approach for that year and, based on this, determines the scope of our promotion, whether through audiovisual media, events, characters, or necessary infrastructures.
We are truly proud of this event, as it has led to important national and international connections that have helped increase our visibility in other cities and countries, such as Tunisia, Romania, and Italy.
During the days spent at IFEMA, the festival participants usually visit most of the pavilions that the autonomous communities and many cities, independently from their region’s pavilion, set up at FITUR. These are hours of enjoyment and of sharing our festivities, dressed in our finest costumes, which pleasantly surprise everyone who sees us. Sometimes, it can take us several hours to complete a route of barely two hundred meters, given the huge number of times visitors ask us to pose with them for photos with one group or another.
The audience we engage with during those days is made up exclusively of tourism professionals or those in related fields. They have a wealth of experience and many festivals in their memories, which is why we enjoy their reactions—the expressions and gestures of surprise they show upon seeing our diverse and lively representation of mercenaries, warriors, goddesses, noblewomen, our generals and their wives, Roman legionaries, or any other character from the Carthaginians and Romans Festivities.
At times, our representatives attending FITUR can take hours to get through a single pavilion due to the large number of photos requested by attendees.
They admire our costumes, carefully test the strength of our armor, examine the craftsmanship of our weapons—whether gladii or falcatas; they touch the furs of our cloaks and praise the authenticity we represent. This makes us very popular, and we never say no; we always respond with a warm smile or that fierce theatrical expression that others love. It has become a proud tradition that we repeat year after year at the International Tourism Fair in Madrid.
Even now, in our conversations, the event held by Carthaginians and Romans in 2018 at Madrid’s Plaza de España often comes up. In up to four separate sessions, they staged a mini-battle in which some Carthaginian troops were overtaken by a Roman skirmish. Thousands of people gathered to witness a performance that kept them on the edge of their seats, with action everywhere they looked and an uncertain outcome that left them undoubtedly wanting more. It was a perfect preview of what they can experience during the 10 days of the Carthaginians and Romans Festivities.
