5,000 people attend six-day illegal rave in Spanish village
"If I knew who had organised it, I would hire them to plan our village fiesta"
Over 5,000 people recently attended a six-day illegal rave outside a small Spanish village, The Guardian reports.
According to reports, on 30th December residents of the village of La Peza, in the Granada province, watched a stream of caravans, tents, and seven stages set up for the event around one mile from town, population 1,200. The free party reportedly welcomed Spanish, Italian, and Dutch revellers during its near-week-long run time. A pizzeria, bakery, and clothing shops were all constructed.
Speaking to The Guardian, municipal mayor Fernando Álvarez claimed music was playing "24 hours a day", describing the sound as "chin chin boom" and the situation as "a bit chaotic", before recalling the sight of equipment and infrastructure being packed up yesterday, Wednesday 4th January, as "a relief". Officials remain unclear as to how such a large-sale event with an international crowd could have taken place without authorities first finding out.
"Truthfully, if I knew who had organised it, I would hire them to plan our village fiesta," quipped Álvarez, admitting those responsible had pulled the party off without notable incident, with one 80-year-old local even choosing to join in, and others acknowledging the rave attracted national media, in turn generating revenue for the town economy.
“Frankly it was magnificently organised,” said Álvarez. “It was like a small town. They had a bakery, pizzeria, clothing shops, people who would braid your hair – they had absolutely everything. I’m amazed that they managed to set that all up in the span of a few hours.”
A small number of people were arrested for drug-related offences, or resisting authority, with local police notified once the event began. However, a decision was made to keep watch over proceedings, rather than intervene and remove thousands of partygoers by force, potentially leading to safety issues. Barricades were created to block vehicles from accessing the site, and a helicopter hovered overhead to ensure anyone arriving at the location did so on foot.
Álvarez continued: “We got six days of entertainment out of it, but we also recognise that this incident has given us a bit of publicity and put us on the map... We’re here if anyone wants to visit us – but maybe not 5,000 people all at once.”
Elsewhere in Europe, Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a new crackdown on illegal raves last year, with organisers facing lengthy jail sentences.
Photo: Wikipedia
