Arta town hall and the Sant Antoni Obreria have joined forces in an attempt to maintain the traditions and essence of the Sant Antoni fiestas. Their main concern centres on the fact that in recent years the fiestas have become an excuse for drinking, and underage drinking at that.
An information campaign is intended to explain the true meaning of the fiestas, and this follows on from town hall approval of a plan to combat the use of drugs and to prevent the fiestas being an invitation for street drinking.
A town hall monitoring committee has been holding regular meetings with the Obreria (which oversees the Sant Antoni fiestas). Included in measures have been educational workshops for the prevention of drinking and drug-taking.