Virgen del Carmen Sea Procession
On the feast of the Virgen del Carmen, patron of fishermen, Adra's fishing community carries the statue of the Virgin aboard a flotilla of decorated boats for a procession out across the bay to bless the waters. It's a colourful, atmospheric seaside spectacle with crowds along the harbour, music and a festive evening.
Adra has been a fishing town for a very long time, and this is the day it shows. Each 16 July the local fleet dresses up its boats with bunting and flowers, and the Virgin is carried down to the harbour on the shoulders of the men who work these waters. She's lifted aboard the lead vessel, and the whole flotilla sets out across the bay, horns sounding, to bless the sea and remember those lost to it.
You don't need a boat to feel part of it. The quayside fills up well before the procession leaves, and there's a proper end-of-day buzz once the boats return: music, families out late, the smell of grilled fish drifting about. Get to the port in good time if you want a spot at the front. It's free, it's genuinely a town affair rather than a show put on for visitors, and it's all the better for it.
Source: https://www.andalucia.com/province/almeria/adra/festivals