MARKET ‘DE LOS HIPPIES

Market makeover

Construction began last week on a hundred wooden cabins that are being erected along the Paseo de la Libertad in readiness for the new tourist season in Torrevieja. The booths are being constructed to accommodate the traditional craft market, known as the ‘Market of the Hippies’ which has operated for many years along this stretch of the sea front, from the Casino to the ‘Man of the Sea’ memorial.

The new booths will allow vendors, many of whom have been trading on the site for over 30 years, protection from the elements for both themselves and their goods. They will allow the traders to operate all year round as well as providing a uniform appearance for all the stalls, one that is in keeping with such a popular tourist attraction.

The traders will all be licensed at a cost of € 1,800 for each booth. They will each have a width of 2.90 meters and a depth of 2.5 meters and be completely secure.

The City Council also intends to place municipal information within the market. The construction of these booths comes on the heels of a new ordinance that will regulate the most important aspects of this activity, such as the type of goods that can be sold and the number of traders that can do business in specific lines.