Spectacular, both the production of the competition and the flamenco show. Miss France 2024 was held in Dijon and broadcast on the TF1 television channel.
On December 6, 2025, the 96th edition of the Miss France pageant took place, a show that stands out above all other fashion competitions in the world for its brilliant staging, truly worthy of admiration and something many directors of other pageants should learn from. What makes it so exceptional is its themed dance performances, which I wrote about a few years ago when they staged an impressive flamenco show featuring a Spanish dancer. At Miss France, the contestants are constantly dancing.
In this latest edition, the inclusion of the National Guard band (le Garde républicaine) during the regional costume segment (in which each contestant represents a French region, including overseas territories) wearing designs that reflect the country’s cultural diversity, genuinely moved me, as the world of bands has a very personal significance for me. Anyone familiar with my reports will understand why this moment meant so much.
Three melodies were performed, the last of which was the official Miss France anthem, giving the whole sequence a truly epic atmosphere. It reminded me of what happened at the Miss Universe pageant just a few weeks earlier, where a live band also performed the official Miss Universe anthem during the evening gown segment.
Here is the full show at the link below. The band’s performance begins at 57:04:
Searching through the trunk of memories (that is, the hard drive), recovering some photos and recordings made with the iPhone from fairs from a few years ago (especially the typical Instagram stories… should I make one again?) I found myself It seemed interesting to publish them. At the end of the post I explain some things.
Fair of Marchena 2015
Llámame Lola fair booth:
Fair of Marchena 2016
Delia Suárez with La Bejazz at the caseta Llámame Lola:
Improvised flamenco in the “botellones” (area where young people bring bags with drinks, glasses and ice):
Fair of Marchena 2017
María “La Peke” with la Bejazz at caseta El Soniquete:
Of course, improvised flamenco in the street cannot be missed after the casetas close (6 in the morning):
Fair of Marchena 2018
Caribbean rhythms with Son de Cuba:
This is where the citrus fruit joke was born:
El Soniquete is a booth created by my friends. I am not a member, but my brother, my cousin, etc. are, so I consider it my booth even if I am not a member. Many of my friends are musicians, as you can see in the videos Mane Moraza, Pablo and Javier Carmona, Kisko Hidalgo, Amaga… (la Bejazz). I have known María “La Peke” since we were kids, because she was my classmate at school. Regarding “Son del Manchón”, the two in the middle are the sisters María and Ana Dorado, I have also known them since they were little, because their parents are very friends with my uncle and aunt. On the left was their cousin Marta Ponce (blonde), and on the right Carmen Ponce, cousin of Marta but not of María and Ana. In short, I am surrounded by many artists and everything is within family. This year the El Soniquete booth has been in charge of giving the fair opening speech. Ana Martín (Mane Moraza’s wife) was chosen as the person who gives the opening speech because she was who had the idea to create the booth. She chose her cousin Leticia Martín as the host. And her son Lorca was the one who pressed the button that turns on the lighting that officially opens the fair. The name Lorca is in honor of Federico García Lorca, famous Andalusian poet. Both the poetry recited by Ana in the opening speech, and the lyrics that Son del Manchón sang during the opening speech, are by Federico García Lorca. Ah! El Manchón is the name of another booth they belong to. At the Marchena fair, unlike others like the fair of Seville, all the booths are free access, anyone who wants can enter, except during the members’ dinner on Wednesday.
For such a small town (19,000 inhabitants) it is a town with a lot of culture and history (it already existed centuries before Christ). Monuments, artists, religious processions, flamenco…. And I want to show you everything, are you coming?
