Barcelona Beach Festival permit rejected a day before event due to take place
Council claims organizers submitted key paperwork related to fire protection 12 days late, but firefighters see no risk
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Barcelona Beach Festival had its permit rejected a day before the event was supposed to take place on Saturday night, at Platja del Fòrum and Parc de la Pau, in Sant Adrià de Besòs, the city that borders the Catalan capital to the north.
Indeed, the Sant Adrià de Besòs local council denied organizers the permit on Friday, arguing that they had submitted some paperwork 12 days late.
As of Friday at 7.30pm, it was yet unclear whether the event will go ahead.
The local authority said it had not received the mandatory binding Catalan government fire prevention and safety report – without it, they cannot grant the license.
According to the council, the festival organizer, Live Nation, submitted the documents on June 22.
"The legal framework establishes that the paperwork needs to be submitted at least 15 working days before the activity begins," the Sant Adrià council stated, meaning that it should have been provided by June 10.
The local authority asked the Catalan government to issue their report regardless of the delay, but that was denied.
On Friday afternoon, Live Nation, on behalf of the Barcelona Beach Festival, declined to comment to Catalan News, pledging to issue a statement "very soon."
Firefighters see no problem in festival going ahead
Despite not having issued their binding report, firefighters in principle see no problem in the festival going ahead.
If the relevant local public servants see "no serious fault" in the organizers' plans, the event should take place, according to the director of the directorate-general in charge of the firefighters, Joan Delort.
Indeed, he said there is no time for the report to be carried out due to the delay in the paperwork, but also added that other local councils have granted licenses without the final go-ahead of firefighters on previous occasions if they had "enough guarantees in terms of the organization and planning of the activity."
Barcelona Beach Festival supposed to return after Covid hiatus
The Barcelona Beach Festival, which specializes in electronic dance music, was supposed to return after two canceled editions in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19.
Armin Van Buuren, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, and Vini Vici were some of the artists scheduled to perform, as well as Marshmello, Don Diablo, and Sergi Domene, with tickets starting at €84.
David Guetta and Don Diablo featured in the last edition, held in 2019.