The Ocean Race will leave a great mark in Alicante again in January 2023. The Generalitat Valenciana, through the Ministry of Innovation and the Society for Projects for Digital Transformation (SPTD), will turn the Port of Alicante into an exceptional meeting space where an extensive participatory program will be offered with a wide variety of sports activities, exhibitions , gastronomic, cultural, recreational, educational, musical and technological for all ages. The Ocean Race is a major sporting event and one of the toughest and longest team regattas in existence, as participants face the great challenge of circumnavigating the globe. As a novelty in this edition, there will be two classes of boats: the high-tech IMOCAs (five teams have been confirmed: 11th Hour Racing Team, Team Malizia, GUYOT environment-Team Europe, Biotherm Racing and Holcim – PRB) and the VO65 one-designs. The regatta will last six months and will make stops in a total of 7 stages passing through the following cities: Alicante, Cape Verde, Cape Town, Itajaí, Newport, Aarhus, Kiel Fly-by (a beacon passage), La Hague and Genoa.
The fleet will meet in Alicante from January 2, 2023 before the In-Port regatta on January 8 and the first leg of The Ocean Race will begin on January 15. And to convert to Alicante in the epicenter of the world of sailing, gaming, music and fun A series of activities has been specially designed for the enjoyment of the public of all ages, the vast majority of which are free in the different spaces of the Ocean Live Park (formerly Race Village) premises. “The objective of the Generalitat is to ensure that this edition of The Ocean Race is once again an element of economic revitalization and tourism promotion, both for the city of Alicante itself and for the province and for the Valencian Community as a whole”, indicated Antonio Rodes, General Director of the Society of Projects for Digital Transformation (SPTD). The 2017-18 edition broke records at all levels and that is “more than 2.5 million fans attended the stopovers of the regatta, which places The Ocean Race at the highest level of international sporting events, while setting new records in both fan interaction and media coverage,” added Rodes.
Hosting the start of the regatta in 2017 in Alicante generated the equivalent of 1,270 jobs and contributed 68.6 million euros to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Region and if Spain is taken as a reference, the impact would amount to 1,700 jobs and 96 million contribution to GDP. The regatta had a fiscal impact of 41 million euros and the president of The Ocean Race, Richard Brisius, recalled the link with Alicante, which dates back to 2008 and encouraged visitors to participate in the activities of the Ocean Live Park of the fourteenth edition of the regatta that will start from Alicante on January 15. “With less than 6 weeks to go before the Ocean Live Park opens we are looking forward to welcoming the teams, which will begin settling in Alicante from next week and which include some of the best offshore sailors in the world.”
Ocean Live Park, activity venue
The activity of the Ocean Live Park venue will start at noon on Saturday, January 7, with the opening ceremony of Alicante Port of Exit, which will feature a unique show in Spain with puppets and giant mobile sculptures, whose theme will revolve around the marine world. , by Carros de Foc. That day, the public will be able to enjoy Marshalls training sessions, children’s workshops throughout the day, Gaming and eSports activities, pirate-themed street shows and the Try Sailing open doors program, to close with a fireworks display, and Viva Suecia + Second music concerts starting at 8:30 p.m. As for the musical and leisure programming that will take place in the concert area set up at Pier 14, which will be the only shows that are mostly paid. In addition to the Viva Suecia + Second concerts scheduled for Saturday the 7th, on Sunday the 8th of January there will be the ‘Destripando la historia’ concert, at 12:30, intended for a family audience. On Friday, January 13, at 8:30 p.m., it will feature Cheti from Elche, and on Saturday, January 14, at 12:30 p.m., the Ocean Live Park will host the musical show Rock en familia, both free of charge. The same day, At 20:30, Alicante Port of Exit will offer the double concert of Sidecars and Sidonie.
To complement the offer of leisure and fun, the Ocean Live Park will have different restaurant points with the so-called Food trucks, provided with food from different cultures of the world and a special area for healthy eating. The highlight of the programming will focus on Sunday, January 15, at the closing ceremony, at 12:30 p.m., with the Magic Stairs show by Carros del Foc, the participation of the Eagle Patrol, and the launch of a mascletá and salutes that will accompany the Start Ceremony, to finally give way to the departure of the boats off shore during the afternoon.
