Miranda enjoys La Gran Quedada. /
The ninth edition of the Great Gathering was held last night in the streets of the historic center of the city and hundreds of people from Mirandese came to remember the festivities of their youth
Joaquín Sabina, Tino Casal, Alaska or Los secretos resounded again last night in the streets of the Old Town which, once again, witnessed what is now the ninth edition of ‘La Gran Quedada’. The event brought together hundreds of people from Mirandese born between the mid-1960s and 1980s around what was once the city’s bar and nightlife area, although the younger audience did not want to miss out on the celebration either and took advantage of the occasion to enjoy of the party between the streets that saw their parents grow up.
Not in vain, this event that emerged with the intention of recalling the peak years of the Historic Center of Mirandese -which came to house up to more than sixty bars in its streets- had its origin in 2013. Then the Old Town still survived its decline and the last generations of young people could still enjoy the remnants of the festive splendor of the place, just a few years before the festival irrevocably moved beyond the Ebro. Thus, in that first edition, young people and adults met in the streets of a Part Old woman who went back thirty years in time.
Raquel Puelles enjoying La Gran Quedada in Miranda. /
Remember the youth
Paula, for example, was fifteen years old the first time the Parte Vieja was held. As she explains, that day she went out with her friends in the Casco Antiguo to dance to commercial music, just as she used to do on some weekends. However, she explains Paula, “we found a different environment that we loved because it played another type of music that we had always listened to at home thanks to our parents.”
For all these reasons, it is not surprising that the event managed to arouse the interest of all citizens and brought together young people and adults last night in the Plaza de España where, in addition, a very special moment was experienced at 00:00. Generations aside, practically all the attending public participated in the party singing the Anthem of the City of Miranda and posing for the collective photo that would irrevocably capture the moment in an image.
Map of the bars of the golden age of the Old Town of Miranda. /
desire to stay
Three years had passed since the last edition of the Great Meetup came to an end in October 2019. During the subsequent two years, the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible -like so many other things- to hold this event with such good reception since his origins.
However, 2022, consolidated in some way as the year of return to the old normality, has allowed us to think about parties again and the organizers of the Great Meeting would not disappoint. And it is that, as Zalema Tamayo, one of the organizers of the event, already pointed out in situ, «after two years without a Meeting, I think we all really wanted to enjoy it».
From 8:00 p.m. the music began to play. The batucada Batuskirla was in charge of capturing the most indecisive people in the expansion of the city so that they would follow in her footsteps to the rhythm of the music to the Old Town of Miranda. There, the streets of Los Hornos, San Juan and La Fuente were rejuvenated with music from La Movida and also from the 90s. In addition, several local artists and groups intervened with performances that the citizens of Miranda applauded and chanted: Judas, Sin- Copa, Hotel Ruido and Dos Puertas y un Bowler enlivened the day along with various DJs that extended the party until the wee hours of the morning.
Positive answer
According to Tamayo, “the response from citizens has been very positive, as expected.” And it is that for some reason, the Old Town attracts and the baby boomers do not miss this annual event: «I have come to all the meetings since the first one in 2013, which, without a doubt, was the most special», pointed out Raquel, a Mirandese from 73
Be that as it may, last night there were many people born between 60 and 80 who monopolized the street party. The young spirit was the protagonist of a festive day in which many Mirandese recalled the sprees of their youth. Will it be time to remember a bad hangover today?