BarcelonaAccording to the General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE), a music macrofestival is one that gathers at least 10,000 people in a single day. In Catalonia, this includes Primavera Sound, which has a capacity of more than 70,000 spectators per day, to Vida Festival in Vilanova i la Geltrú and Cabró Rock in Vic, which approach 10,000. Between the first and the other two are Sónar and Cruïlla in Barcelona, Acústica in Figueres, Rock Fest in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Canet Rock in Canet de Mar… In other words, seasonal events that they celebrate the months of June, July and August, mostly in urban settings. Also, according to the SGAE, in 2022 revenue from ticket sales of Catalan macrofestivals represented 45% of the total of live popular music in Catalonia: 39.28 million euros out of a total of 86.5 million . A historical record that reflects both the virtues and the drawbacks of an economic and cultural model.
Sign up for the Politics newsletter A look at the little balls of power
Sign up for it
Some macro-festivals, the ones that gather the most audiences, have become tourist attractions and their viability depends on tourism. Primavera Sound reached 65% of foreign spectators in 2022, a figure that dropped to 52% in 2023 due to “the increase in the price of airplanes and hotels and the coincidence with the Formula 1 grand prix” , as explained by Alfonso Lanza, one of the directors of Primavera Sound. At Sónar, this percentage has fluctuated between 60% in 2012 and 32% in 2023. At the other festivals, on the other hand, the audience is mostly Catalan.
According to SGAE data, macro-festivals had 689,000 spectators in 2022. Therefore, due to the volume of people they gather in a short time, they are events that test the environmental management of the municipalities that host them. “Festivals have a big impact on the environment,” admits Jordi Herreruela, director of Cruïlla, a festival that last year launched a project to “eliminate the electricity consumption of diesel generators and other fossil fuels” and to connect directly to the electricity grid to use electricity from renewable energy sources.
The impact also has to do with waste and noise pollution, two of the points of friction between festivals and neighbors that public administrations try to arbitrate. The Plataforma Stop Concerts Association, officially established in March 2022, calls for “a maximum time limit for holding musical events, excluding nighttime hours” at Parc del Fòrum, home to festivals such as Cruïlla, Primavera Sound, Share and the Telecogresca, and concerts with a capacity of more than 15,000 people. Stop Concerts also calls for the transfer of “musical events from Parc del Fòrum to other locations within the metropolitan area of Barcelona and away from homes”. At the moment, this is what the Reggaeton Beach Festival has done, which this year will be held at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Montmeló. However, for festivals such as Primavera Sound and Cruïlla, changing location would mean losing the competitive and mobility advantage of organizing a massive event that the public can reach by metro; the same happens with the Rock Fest, which takes place in Can Zam Park.
“There is a debate about the use of public space and festivals are under suspicion,” explains Xavier Marcé (PSC), Councilor for Culture at Barcelona City Council, who during the presentation of Cruïlla 2024 defended “the idea of urban festivals”, but he also admitted that “the balance is not easy”. At the same press conference, Marcé opened the box of thrones of the capacity limitation when he said that in a festival “you don’t need to have 80,000 people, but 25,000”, contrasting Primavera Sound at Cruïlla.
The relationship between public administrations and macro-festivals is also the subject of deep debates about the nature of cultural policies. in the book Macrofestivals. The black hole of music (Península, 2023), the journalist Nando Cruz collects statements from Dani Granados (common), representative of Cultural Rights of the Barcelona City Council between 2019 and 2023, in which he defends the introduction of “public money in festivals because it allows you make public policy and ensure that they are not just spaces that market a whole series of concerts, but that they have a different relationship with the city.” Or how business, culture and use of public space should coexist.
Are they in favor of macro music festivals? Because?
The position of the parties
PSC: a favor
The socialists see the macro-festivals with good eyes as a pole of attraction for international artists and as economic dynamizers, as long as they respect the regulations and the neighbors.
ERC: a favor
Esquerra is in favor of macro-festivals and they defend that Catalonia has festivals of all kinds: international, local, local… If macro-festivals are careful with the environment, they should be able to be held.
Together+: in favor
They consider that they are strategic because of the economic impact they generate, but they emphasize that it is important that they comply with the regulations and not disturb the neighbors, and promote small-format festivals and those of local artists.
Vox: a favor
Vox sees well macro-festivals that are held within the regulations and without disturbing the neighbors of the places where they are held, and believe that they can be economically positive.
CUP: against
They oppose macro-festivals because, in their opinion, they gentrify the place where they take place, and the jobs they generate are in precarious working conditions. They bet on local culture and popular prices.
Common Sumar: in favor
Those of Jéssica Albiach validate the model and believe that they are an opportunity for access to culture, but they see the need to regulate resale, to have local artists and to be gender equal.
Cs: a favor
Ciutadans has no problem with macro festivals. They see it as projects that enhance the cultural offer, generate job opportunities, attract wealth and make the territory known.
PP: a favor
For the PP, macro-festivals are not a model that creates any problems for them, on the contrary, they look favorably on these business projects because they promote the economic movement in Catalonia.
Information about the 12-M
Content produced by
Home Last minute Discover Sections Profile
2024-05-09 05:37:41
#Macrofestivals #challenge #cultural #policies
